Anyone have a horse they thought would never hunt, but did?

[yellowbritches]

I am moving away from my long time chosen discipline of eventing. I live in VA hunt country, work in a shop that specializes in hunting appointments, and always enjoyed hunting when I had appropriate mounts to do it. In fact, had I crashed like I did on my old horse and come to the same conclusion about my sport, I’d be out in the field already!

However, the horse I have I have always said would never hunt. Just a little wild and wooly with a distaste for canines (although, substantially better than he was when I bought him 3 years ago!). I am itchy to get back out in the field and have friends who hunt, that have hunted with me, and who know my horse (who I admit has chilled A LOT in the past few months…maybe he’s growing up!) that are encouraging me to bite the bullet take him on some hunt trail rides, etc etc etc.

Anyone been there? Did you have a horse that you were convinced would never survive the hunt field, but did?

He’s a fun, athletic dude that I enjoy more than any horse I’ve ever ridden. And I REALLY miss hunting!

[GoForAGallop]

I have always understood that if there is ANY chance that your horse will kick out at hounds then you are not welcome at any hunt in the country. So if you think his distaste will extend to kicking, I think it might be better to borrow a horse.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

The first field of Cheshire can be full of former and current timber horses…spicey TBs for sure but they all generally settle once they understand the game. I’ve known a few horses who know the difference between a hound and a dog…they know that they follow the hounds…they get the job…and therefore they love the hounds, but don’t care much for a dog, especially one that comes into their field.

I’d give it a try starting out with just some group trail rides. How does he deal with following others…then try some hound walking…but stay well away from the hounds to start. But my hot sensitive mare is the best one in the barn to take hunting…so you really don’t know until you try.

[alto]

@yellowbritches;7498732

However, the horse I have I have always said would never hunt. Just a little wild and wooly with a distaste for canines (although, substantially better than he was when I bought him 3 years ago!). I am itchy to get back out in the field and have friends who hunt, that have hunted with me, and who know my horse (who I admit has chilled A LOT in the past few months…maybe he’s growing up!) that are encouraging me to bite the bullet take him on some hunt trail rides, etc etc etc.

Well FP who has long practised the Art of Kicking Canines (and ripped free & chased one down last fall :o :o :o … dog was fast & FP slowed when called back … grain bucket was in hand …) shocked all observers (one) when a few days past he DID NOT REACT to the madly barking/lunging Beach Dog (wrecklessly freed by owner who insisted that dog was “fine”).

Now as a disclaimer, FP was in-hand at the time & this was after an hour plus of beach play with log jumping so we won’t consider him dog-non-reactive until many more encounters pass.
Dog also did not come within “touch” range (ie always a dog body length away).

He was actually a very good boy at the beach that day, when the one went kersplat in the sinking sand - instead of running agilely past the log - & he cantered on, he quickly spun back & returned & waited patiently by the one mumbling all sorts of goodboystayheredontrunhomeplease whilst spitting out mud …

[Huntin_Pony]

Yes, I hunted an 18-year-old TB mare who had very little experience across the country or on large group trail rides. She was a very capable natural jumper but in her past tended to blow a gasket at shows and the like. No, she had not slowed down with age! All her old friends thought I’d lost my mind.

Okay, so she was a little tight at the meets and jigged to the first covert most days, but she handled it all really well. We even led the field once during our first season.

I think if you and the horse are comfortable together so that you can do the ol’ “sack of potatoes” imitation when your horse starts to tense up, you’ll be fine. Just make sure you have a friend along who can guard your rear (literally).

Set yourself up for success and give it a go!

[Feliz]

Yes. I bought a beautiful, athletic Irish Sport Horse mare. At 4.5yo she was pretty convinced that other horses anywhere near her was Not A Good Thing – her response was to either initiate vertical escape manoeuvres or switch to the offence. I had 8mths to overcome this aversion and she did get over it with a lot of exposure to different environments. There were a few aerial moments and one bucking fit but by the end of the season she’d turned out pretty well and a hunting friend bought her.

Without the extensive prep I think it would have been a very different outcome. I don’t think she (or I) would have coped with just going out hunting. I took her to dressage comps, cross country practise days, baby events, SJ days, SH days, weekends camping/trekking with lots of horses etc.

FWIW I had another mare who was somewhat hot to SJ – but out on the hunt field she was much more laid back (by her standards). As long as the horse has a brain I don’t think that a bit of hotness is a problem.

[Hunter_s_Rest]

Dogs, as BFNE said, are NOT the same as hounds.
Dogs are interested in your horse.
Hounds are not.
A horse instantly knows the difference.

[McGurk]

I had a sensitive, anxious older OTTB who would have been anyone’s last choice to make a hunting horse and he turned out to be fabulous. As long as his two rules were strictly obeyed (that is, stay off his mouth and stay off his back) he hunted beautifully in a rubber D ring, watched the horses in front of him carefully, backed himself off and slowed down and halted when they halted. Quite literally hunted on the buckle.

[yellowbritches]

I appreciate all the feedback! Gives me a little hope that this might not be a useless endeavor. I also really appreciate the idea that the horses think of the hounds differently than dogs. Like I said, he’s come a long, long way regarding canines.

One of my friends who knows my horse and all my concerns regarding trying this is an MFH, so if she thinks it’s worth a shot, I am going to believe her. We’re already formulating a plan for the upcoming months to slowly introduce him to the concept. I actually board within hacking distance of one of the local kennels, so he and I are going to start by hacking down the road and letting him see, hear, and smell them in the safety of their yard.

He is very experienced horse (we’ve competed through prelim), so he’s had a lot of exposure in general, just not to the riding in a group and to hounds type stuff.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[McGurk]

If you have any concerns about him at all around hounds, I would really recommend carrying a hound whip (get the horse used to it before carrying it around hounds) so you can let the lash down when hounds are near.

As you probably know, that’s a “stay away!” signal to the hounds. If the horse settles into hunting, you may not need to do it for more than the first 3 or 4 times.

When hunting a green horse for the first couple of times, I would ask the field master if I might carry a hound whip and explain why, and that it was not my intent to whip in.

[Bogie]

I never thought my OTTB would be a hunt horse. When I first got him he would completely melt down if asked to follow another horse at anything but a walk. He would jig, jump, paw the ground, fling his head and even threaten to roll. He is a highly competitive horse who wanted to win, win, win.

It took me about a year and a half of hacking him in company before he started to accept that he did not need to go first all the time. The first few times I hunted him, I chose a territory that was wooded, so we didn’t have to deal with open fields and galloping horses. I started him in the second field.

He’s turned into a fine hunter who will go anywhere in the field. It just took time and patience. He’s still a hot tamale who wants to follow the hounds – the first cast is always entertaining as he is like a cartoon character, he springs up into the air and then leaps forward, but then he settles and is fine. I’ve whipped off him a couple of times and think that’s where his future may lie as he doesn’t care about being with the field as long as he has hounds in sight.

[whitmers]

My observation, as a former eventer who now hunts (and has a lot of eventing friends who hunt as well) is that the transition from being alone to riding in a group is often the most difficult thing for a seasoned event horse. I have seen quite a few become unglued when asked to trot or gallop in company - it takes practice like anything else. That may bother your horse more than the presence of the hounds. I strongly suggest you do the hunt trail rides, and also hound roading in the summer (if your hunt allows non-staff to come along) to get your horse used to the group thing and the hounds as well.

BTW, as a whipper-in, whose job is to protect the hounds, few things are more irritating to me than riders in the field who have NOT taken the time to instill manners in their horse and ensure that they will not kick out at or step on hounds. Getting kicked/stepped on can really mess up a hound’s confidence and set back their training. Riders should not bring their horse into the hunt field until they are reasonably sure it will behave! Off my soap box now…

[Beverley]

You never know until you try. The converse is also true, having a horse that you are ‘sure’ will hunt just fine, who just doesn’t take to it.

For horses who ‘take to it,’ be aware that canines as part of the hunting day are very different than canines that one encounters casually when hacking. A horse I hunted for 20 years- who prior to hunting had been bitten on the nose by a dog when he stuck his nose down over his stall door to say hello- and another gelding who’d been chased through a wire fence by a pack of dogs- would have sooner died than hurt a hair on any hound out hunting (to include all sorts of contortions to avoid a hound popping out of the woods). The exception was that if any hounds were rioting, the one in particular would pin his ears and occasionally seemed to think about rating the wayward hound himself.

That said- hound safety is indeed job 1, so as others have suggested, any opportunity for exposure to the pack before a day of hunting is worth pursuing. In addition to the importance of avoiding injury to a hound, just one ‘wrong move’ during cubhunting can forever ruin a promising young hound.

[Hunter_s_Rest]

Ditto the ^^ statements re: eventers (especially light balanced strong UL horses) are fighting an uphill battle b/c everything you’ve taught him previously was to go-it alone, with him (and you) as Supreme Dictators.
That said, a client has an UL horse that people try to buy out from under me every time I take him out.
Ditto ^^ hunt trail rides.
Ditto ^^ taking it methodically. (Come ride with us - I lead the Third Field with Old Dominion - I pace my group according to the least-common-denominator - which can change throughout a hunting day! But … if its me and you and a few pros on young stock, we can actually move on a bit as possible, jump a little - in tidy order - and actually have a proper hunting-day experience. While, on the other hand, if something/someone is going bad, we Literally Walk The Whole Time.

• One key trick you might consider trying if this horse (any horse) is good-but-not-great, – Earplugs. Often something that simple makes a world of difference.
  I had a homebred halfbred Canadian horse, big easy kind willing young mare, lamb-quiet pony-club-polly under every situation except hunting. She Just Did Not Like It.
  I’d’ve bet you $10000 she’d make a perfect field hunter. Bred for it/made for it.
  I put her in earplugs and it helped somewhat but still she was never happy and I cut-bait and gave her a different job description!
  But ditto ^^ the expectation that, especially, a TB horse that ran some/a lot is almost certain to be an excellent fieldhunter. They are the best and you have a high percentage chance of success.

[Hunter_s_Rest]

PS
You can also teach your horse the term " … 'ware Hoss … " which is what you can growl to a hound who’s coming too close/crossing you/etc. in addition to dangling your whip. The hounds are taught to yield way/move their butt if they hear that grumbled at them. Your horse should pretty quick figure out you’re trying to clear-the-way for him!

[Foxtrot_s]

You can test him out - good time to do that. When exercises start up, go on them.
Ride out in groups - because that’s sometimes a problem when they get competitive.
If he is brave, that is better than those who come undone out of nerves. Find a tried and true old hunt horse and stick to him.

[yellowbritches]

[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;7500222]
PS
You can also teach your horse the term " … 'ware Hoss … " which is what you can growl to a hound who’s coming too close/crossing you/etc. in addition to dangling your whip. The hounds are taught to yield way/move their butt if they hear that grumbled at them. Your horse should pretty quick figure out you’re trying to clear-the-way for him![/QUOTE]
Oh! I like that tip! He and I already have a little cue for when the dogs we hack with are about to bounce out at us or run up behind, so this is good to know.

We’ve been invited to walk hounds if we otherwise do well on the trail rides, and I’ll definitely be introducing the hunt whip to him (any tips for that? He’s a little whip shy, though not bad and I’m sure once he realizes it’s not for him, it won’t be an issue).

He’s a smart, handy, brave little horse, so he’s got a lot going for him. He’s also well schooled and sensitive and reads me like a book. I do think he’s quieter now than he’s ever been (enough so that I’m not freaking out that he’s had an impromptu vacation while I’ve moved! That would NEVER have happened before).

Hunter’s Rest, thanks for the invite and I may take you up on it!!! It has been REALLY hard living in such great country and not getting to partake. Maybe there’s hope yet!

[FitToBeTied]

It’s always hard to say how they will do. My first hunt horse was not a brave horse but took to the pack environment like a duck to water. Having buddies around was the greatest thing for him. He was used to schooling XC courses with his own dog running alongside and jumping the jumps with him. So hounds were not a problem.

My most recent hunt horse I was not sure how he was going to be with dogs/hounds. So we took the dogs with us on trails, schooling, etc. The first time one of the dogs went rocketing by on the trail, my horse went straight up in the air. Same reaction the second time. Third time nothing happened. As HR said, they learn that the hounds are part of the action.

The biggest problem I have with this horse is that he is fiercely independent. His two favorite situations are being in the lead or being by himself. We are still a work in progress with him as a field horse.

My best advice is go hound walking with him but keep him back and away. Then hill top so that he can see and hear the hounds. Eventually he’ll get used to them.

[kcmel]

I always said that maybe my tb would settle enough to hunt by the time he was 20. He is just a very dominant type and want to LEAD. I started hunting him a last year at 19, and he didn’t do too bad. He still gets worked up moving in a group, but our field is small so I can usually keep him to the side. He is fine at checks. He’s more pleasant after the first hour or so lol!

[Kodiak]

Yup, a couple of them. Heh.

One of the most common problems I’ve seen with hounds is when they run up through the field and new horses aren’t expecting a canine to run up on their heels or even crash into their legs. It really helps to keep an eye and ear on the hounds, especially behind, and to draw a green hunt horse’s attention to them when they get near. I tip their nose toward the hound and side-step the haunches away. Once they realize the hound aren’t paying the horses any attention and will be zipping around, they settle down and ignore the hounds–even the mare I have who’ll chase and try to stomp dogs in the pasture.

I, personally, also do a lot of release (which seems counter-intuitive when you’re really worried about your horse behaving in the hunt field). Slow the horse, release the reins. Stop at a check, release the reins. It takes time and repetition, but seems to keep hotter horses a lot calmer in the hunt field than getting into a tug-o-war. Even my really hot mare who hates to stand still checks like a champ on the buckle.