Would hunting help my horse?

[jumpthemoon]

My horse is a pain in the *rse to hack out. He naps and isn't bothered if there are other horses with him who are going off in front. The whole time he is out it's like he doesn't stop thinking about wanting to go home and I wondered if hunting might make him keener to get out and about. I don't want to hack that much, I want to showjump, but it would be nice if I could change his 'No I want to go home' mentality.

Does anyone have any experience of this kind of horse and hunting?

 

[KatB]

Well hunting may make him more forward thinking....long reining is good too!!!

 

[jumpthemoon]

Yes, I've thought about long reining. I might have to give that a go, too. I quite fancy taking him hunting and if it would help him it would be great, but I wouldn't want to turn up and have him napping in the opposite direction all the time! I don't really know if his herd instinct would kick in or not!

 

[SSM]

Donkey hunts, loves the first run, turbo kicks in, then goes back to Donkey and lolops along at the back happily

 

[jumpthemoon]

Donkey hunts, loves the first run, turbo kicks in, then goes back to Donkey and lolops along at the back happily

Bless! That's kind of whay I'd hope for I just worry that his herd instinct wouldn't kick in and the field would head off in one direction and he'd be napping to go the other way! lol

 

[kerilli]

i've never known one to nap and not go with the field out hunting, usually it's the opposite problem! it's the making of a lot of horses, they have a lot of fun, their blood's up for a long time, and they seem to see the point of being ridden! And you're in one of the best counties for hunting, lucky you.

 

[jumpthemoon]

hehe! Yes I must say that's how Ive always viewed it, I used to go out with the Quorn occasionally and none of the horses I'd ridden would consider going in the opposite direction! My horse is very dim in this respect though and his mind seems to be taken over by a desperate desire to get home. I'm hoping the excitement of the hunt would gee him up a bit and he'd forget all about wanting to clear off the other way! :grin:

Daft horse! He was imported in 2005 and I don't think he's ever really hacked. I think he kind of see's it like he will put up with being ridden in he school, but thinks that hacking is some extra chore and he'd rather be in the stable!

 

[kerilli]

ah, is he a foreigner then? i'll have a big private bet that he's not an Irishman! i'm sure WBs have their brains wired the wrong way around, sometimes.

 

[jumpthemoon]

Hmmm..yes! Well guessed! He came over from Holland - I have heard of a few peeps having probems with hacking dutch horses - I don't think they do much hacking. I'm certain he see's it as a real chore that is extra work he doesn't think he should be doing! I'd like to think a few days hunting would do the trick, I suppose there is only one way to find out though!

 

[kerilli]

haha good luck!
i've bought a couple of Irish horses from Vere Phillipps in the past, both lovely horses, exactly as he'd described. i asked him why he doesn't have foreign horses, why he only has Irish. he said he tried them one year "went over and bought about 30, i thought that was a fair trial" (*goggles*) and that in his opinion they've all seen too much of the inside of an indoor school, don't know how to look after themselves etc. he's had literally thousands and thousands of horses, i really rate his opinion and he's no mean jockey, and that's a bigger trial than i'll ever be able to do!
now, having bought a WB cos i felt sorry for it, and bred one, i think it's in their brains, not just their upbringing!
they can be amazing athletes, but getting their brain to connect the right way around... jeez.
good luck, hope it sorts his brain out. fwiw, i think it can be absolutely genuine fear of going out, not just laziness/stroppyness. i think they see things differently to Irish horses too, actually focus differently.

 

[jumpthemoon]

Thanks for your advice! In your opinion, would hunting him help? Or do you think I'm probably just going to end up making a rather large fool of myself? Do you have any suggestions of anything else that might help him 'sort his brain out'?

 

[icestationzebra]

JTM - I have a dutch horse that loves hacking - is super both in company and alone so don't start thinking it is a WB thing! I took her hunting earlier this year and I don't think she had seen anything like it!! She looked at the first couple of fences but jumped them - by fence 5 she had given some of the field a lead and after that I couldn't stop for love or money!! She jumped some 70 fences that day and was so keen... If my leg is up to it I plan to take her again this season as it certainly helps her boldness XC.
Take him and see what he makes of it - I bet he will love it :grin:

 

[kerilli]

ummm... it's a difficult one. i'd say go and try it, but definitely definitely go with someone on a genuine calm hunter, who you can trust 100% not to abandon you (speaking as someone who took a very green youngster and was abandoned!), and maybe someone on the floor as well, to give him confidence if necessary at the meet and make you feel more secure maybe... the trouble with the really athletic ones is that their bucks are pretty spectacular too, and if it all gets a bit too much...
cubbing isn't a bad idea as it's a lot of low-key waiting around with lots of others, might not blow his mind.
it's really hard to say without knowing when and why he does it.
i have a homebred WB x out of my megabrave Irish event mare - who never batted an eye at a single thing. this one gets genuinely absolutely terrified of stuff... for instance there's a yard 2 miles down the road and sometimes we can't get within a mile of it without me getting off and leading her. i thought she was taking the p*** at first, and some beatings followed (i am brave and determined and very patient and wasn't going to give up) but she just got more and more hysterical and wer nearly fell in the ditch about 20 times. when i got off, she would walk as calmly as anything beside me, fear gone.
it's improving, but it's taken about a year of persistence and NOT losing my temper however tempting it is.
good luck, really hope it sorts him out!

 

[jumpthemoon]

I'm sure they are not all like it isz, I've heard a few people with the same problem though. I think it would help him if he can get his head round it - we'll have to see!

 

[jumpthemoon]

kerilli, thanks for that - I'll try and get someone experienced to come with me! TBH I can't really work out when/why myself. It seems pretty random (although I'm having his back checked again to make sure his pelvis hasn't slipped again - he has been fine since he had it put right about 6 weeks ago). Either way, he needs more confidence. :crazy:

 

[RunToEarth]

My horse hunts and is constantly a nutcase. I can't bottom him, I can't chill him, I'm not too bothered, hacking is painful by the time I'm 15mins out, as I have a small frame and large boobs and one very bouncy horse- its like riding a pogo stick! Hunting doesnt really make him anymore forward going, but then again I'm not sure its possible to get my horse anymore forward going!!
The guys down at Nethermill are all dopey as hell to hack, eric drags his feet and he is an ex pointer, but when you get him out hunting he's off, so I'm not too sure it could do that much for hacking.

 

[severnmiles]

I had one! She thought she was racing and spent the first few hours walking backwards, luckily the field didn't go too far and when she learnt it was fun she was fab!

 

[Daisychain]

go back to your groundwork, i would suggest loads of longreining, does he rear when he naps? or just plants himself?

 

[jumpthemoon]

go back to your groundwork, i would suggest loads of longreining, does he rear when he naps? or just plants himself?

He rears - little monster! I'm going to give long reining a try round the farm and see how he gets on with it

 

[Daisychain]

Yes def longrein, and if he rears keep driving him forward, at least you havent got the worry of him coming down on you, they usually behave on longreins the same as when you ride, so should be interesting, let me no how he goes!

 

[Lozz1uk]

Yep, i have a dutch warmblood - hates hacking. The stupid thing is she enjoys it once she's past half way so i think really she does it just to annoy me. We get to just before half way and she starts spinning round in the road. The trouble is we can only hack on roads, and there's only so much i'm willing to risk on a road as i'm worried she'll slip.

Friend hunted today for the first time and we followed in the car - it looked so much fun but i'm just worried it would blow her mind and i'd have no brakes! Was tempted after today though so maybe one day... or if anyone is willing to take her to a cheshire hunt let me know!

 

[TULIP]

Kerilli - thank you, thank you, thank you - I thought it was just my rubbish riding skills!!! :grin: