Bombproof ex-hunt horse loses sanity when hearing a hound whilst loose in turnout.

[wateryglen]

my vote!

Let him run! He wants to go hunting! It’s good exercise and eventually he’ll calm down and just watch. I have had 2 retirees that used to gallop for about 15 minutes then just stand and watch when the local hunt drew our bottom. Eventually they don’t even lift their heads from grazing. Let them burn up the energy. I vote NEVER put up a horse when he’s like that. Safer outside IMHO.
And sometimes they just get upset when they see a strange animal out nearby anyway. Like turkeys…or bears…and eventually they get used to them too!!!
Horses are weird!

[armandh]

misses hunting and does not like being left out

fine under saddle with the loose hounds
sounds like he wants to hunt

see if you can arrange to ride when the farmer comes with is 1 couple pack
won’t help him get over it but fun none the less

and not the work of the real thing [unless they get up some game]

[Carol_Ames]

his vocation!

Find someone to hunt him!He’s found his niche in life; let him do it!:yes:

[JSwan]

I don’t know if the OP got the answer she needed or any good ideas… but I’ll say this.

In my next life I want to come back as one of her horses. Sounds like this horse has had a couple of good owners, a great life as a hunt horse, a second great life as a pleasure/sporthorse mount, and will be loved and cared for till the end of his days.

[cnvh]

[QUOTE=JSwan;4154288]
I don’t know if the OP got the answer she needed or any good ideas… but I’ll say this.

In my next life I want to come back as one of her horses. Sounds like this horse has had a couple of good owners, a great life as a hunt horse, a second great life as a pleasure/sporthorse mount, and will be loved and cared for till the end of his days.

:)[/QUOTE]

Ditto.

But come what come, as long as his heart continues to beat, he’ll be with us wherever that may be…

How I wish all owners felt the same… what a lucky horse. :yes:

[vbunny]

Any chance the farmer can let you know when he’s working his hound so you can stable the horse first? And maybe let someone lucky hunt him here and there…

[skykingismybaby1]

I have a pinto DutchWB arab cross that would jig and snort and act up when he heard a hound bay. I later found out that he hunted for a season and he still remembers the fun. I am an old , non bouncing, dressage rider but love the memories he still has of the hunt.

Once a women approached me at a dressage clinic and with eyes wide open :eek: said she had ridden my horse in a hunt and couldnt believe he was now calm enough to do dressage. ?!? My boy is a saint, not sure what he was before tho!

[Lieslot]

JSwan, cnvh thanks for the kind comment. He’s indeed for life whether US or EU, whether in work or (hope no time soon) retired.

I’ll give the “take him hunting” some more thought. I don’t think right now he’s hunting fit, but I can continue to work on that over summer. I would just never forgive myself if it were to injure him, I’m overly protective of him after the injuries he had the last few years.

The thread & answers have been very helpful in understanding why he does what he does. As owners sometimes we are quick to call a horse stupid or nuts, etc,… because we don’t look any further then the situation right in front of our eyes, and really when questioning the ‘why’, it often becomes clear the horse is by far not stupid or crazy, but just reacting actually quite intelligently if only we are able to understand where their logic is coming from. So for me to understand f.ex. the difference between a staff horse & a regular hunter, this alone helps me understand where he’s coming from and even it this won’t fix his behavior at least it helps put it all in the right context.

Farmer was spraying the corn yesterday, without his hound… hmmm, could he be reading COTH ??? :o.
The corn is coming up very quickly now, so it may calm the issue for the length of the corn season.

Quick question so that I at least get the terminology right.
What do you call a hound that ‘calls out whilst hunting’? So far I keep referring to “howling”, but I figure that’s probably not the right verb. I’ve seen the word “baying” and “singing” mentioned, is that how you refer to it? Thanks :).

[Beverley]

Mere dogs ‘bark.’ Foxhounds ‘speak.’

Given the injuries you describe, I’d think long and hard before trying to hunt him, actually. Staff horses are not often happy to putz along with the hilltoppers, or even with first flight for that matter, and I wouldn’t want to make a horse more miserable hunting ‘not’ the way he wants rather than not hunting at all. Plus, if he’s not happy he’s more apt to hurt himself.

BTW I’m half Belgian myself, Dad from Tienen.

[JSwan]

[QUOTE=Beverley;4156795]

BTW I’m half Belgian myself, Dad from Tienen.[/QUOTE]

No joke - I lived in Belgium when I was a kid. Soignies. Thrilled to see that the OP was Belgian. Wonderful country!

[Nlevie]

Those that keep saying take him hunting have obviously not read the OPs posts - the horse is older and has had some injuires, so may not be able to return to hunting. But I would agree with those who have advised to let him get used to it - maybe try to do it alone so he doesn’t owrk out your other horse. They do tend to feed off each other in those situations. Good luck to you - this is why I maintain that horses usually love hunting. We might not always like how they handle it, but they seem to love the chance to go cross country and gallop with their friends - much more fun than going in circles in an arena . . .

[evans36]

One of the saddest days I ever had was taking an old former hunt horse out. I thought we would have a blast, since whenever I went to the Hitchcock Woods with him and he even SAW a hunt fence, it was like, nothing else in the world existed for him. And this at 25 and slightly swaybacked.

He was such a crotchety old man - the night before I washed him (he hated being clean), stabled him so he wouldn’t get dirty (he hated being inside), and then trailered him the next morning (he hates trailers). When I was tacking him up while tied to the trailer, he was at the veeeery end of the leadrope, his bottom lip stuck out like a mule. He would not look at me. Then suddenly, the mobile kennel pulled up. I have never seen more of a change in a horse. He was suddenly 10 again and perky. He turned into an older, very attractive grey thoroughbred, instead of a nag.

We never got a good run that day. I was in the back of the field, as a guest. Guidon was a MESS the entire day. He was seriously displeased with bringing up the rear, even if it was first flight. Every time a hound was near us, he wanted to follow it, instead of the field master. He was basically too big for his britches. He was snorting, and jigging, and pulling at me. We even had some moments of passage and piaffe I think (he had some dressage training too).

At the end of the day, he was depressed and tired. In the back all day, and no real run, although I think he was more winded than if we had one from his antics. I’ve never had a worse ride home than I did that day, even though I was coming home without having shown my ass or broken my ass. It was just so sad to think about him doing his last hunt (I had taken him for that reason - retirement was looming because of his sway back) and being so unhappy not to be his old self. I want to cry thinking about it.

Of course, I tell non-horse people or even non-hunting people about it, and they think I am being really stupid. But it’s just something really special to see a horse that loves his job like that. Consider yourself lucky to have known one of them And think twice before taking him out - especially injured. Could be great, but could be a potentially VERY long day for both of you. I wonder if you could find a huntsman that would let you hack out with just a couple or two - where you could really control the pace and length, but he could still feel a bit like he was back in the saddle. The retired hound sounds like a winning idea as well. Good luck

[In1]

Blessings to all of you who work so hard (and creatively!) to please your ponies.

Regardless of your religious beliefs I think it is safe to say that your selfless good deed do not go unnoticed.

: )

[Lieslot]

Evans thanks for sharing this story, I can see why that last hunt rather saddened both of you rather then a final last happy go at it.

We’ll set up some more grouptrailrides with friends, rather then just going out with my other horse for rides. He loves being in a group and that way the pace will be much slower and safer for him.

Tienen, Soignies… I never stop being amazed at what a “small” world we live in. I’m from Izegem (near Kortrijk), Flemish part of Belgium, albeit the majority of Belgians are bi-lingual (dutch-french).
On a funny note both my horses are perfectly bi-lingual too :lol:, they’ll pick up a foot for the farrier both in dutch & english :D.

Not related to this thread, but only a couple of months ago I sold a saddle on ebay. The lady that bought it of me turned out to be from just a county north of us in NJ. I spoke to her over the phone and was curious about her accent, sounded all too similar. Turn out she was Belgian too from Kortrijk of all places, almost too unreal to be true.

[JSwan]

Lieslot - your plan sounds like a good idea. He sounds like a terrific horse and I’d love to see a picture of him.

Belgium is where I became addicted to horses. Soignies was still pretty rural outside the city limits and a neighbor had a Percheron. I’d ride my bicycle to the Bon Marche and always stopped to pet the Percheron and feed him grass (can’t remember if it was a mare or gelding/stallion). Anyway - somehow I eventually just stopped there and spent hours petting that horse and feeding him bits of grass. Never knew that horse’s name - or the names of the owners. Amazing that the horse would stay at the fence that long, isn’t it.

It is a small world - many many years later I lived in Germany - at a remote site near the North Sea no less. Kept seeing this woman who was terribly familiar but I could not place her.

Turned out she was my 10th grade math teacher.

Best of luck with your gentle giant. Veel geluk! (Did I get that right? I can’t remember any Flemish except one nursery rhyme and how to count to 10) :lol:

[QUOTE=Lieslot;4164193]

Tienen, Soignies… I never stop being amazed at what a “small” world we live in. I’m from Izegem (near Kortrijk), Flemish part of Belgium, albeit the majority of Belgians are bi-lingual (dutch-french).
On a funny note both my horses are perfectly bi-lingual too :lol:, they’ll pick up a foot for the farrier both in dutch & english :D.

/QUOTE]

[Thomas_1]

[QUOTE=Lieslot;4147481]
I posted about my horse being unhandleable in the horsecare section and was advised to get the opinion of people that hunt & have hunt-horse experience…[/QUOTE] I’m the son of an MFH and both my wife and I have been Joint MFH. I’m in prime hunt country and my neighbour (albeit a mile away) is the College Valley Hunt Kennel Man and 70 couple of fox hounds.

There’s nothing wrong with your horse. He liked his job. He found it exciting and hearing the hounds reminds him how much he wants to do it.

You can get a hound or a pack of hounds but it’s not going to make him forget that hunting raises the andrenalin levels and is exciting. It’s not a hound he wants. It’s hunting or something similar to get his competitive fix.

I don’t think it’s wise to bring him in each time he sees or hears a hound either. When the kennel man and whipper in exercise hounds past my farm… and that’s every morning some times of the year, then my herds all go having a blast round the fields thinking its time to go a hunting. It doesn’t do them any harm though.

You’re clearly a heck of a lot bolder than I am though because for sure I don’t go out and catch and headcollar horses that are tanking round excited at the prospect of a hunt … or anything else come to that! It’s a good way to have an accident.

I can’t help thinking you’re trying to “control and command” your horse and make him into something he isn’t. He’s a horse and it does him no harm at all to run round and have a kick, a buck and a fart! Why the heck you’re thinking of control, ground work, ear muffs, drugs, chains etc I don’t know. But then, I’m just an old horse trainer that has a passion for hunting and hunters and don’t mind at all when horses behave like … horses!

Its all very simple. Your horse has been trained to do a job he clearly liked and he still gets excited at the prospect. It sounds to me though like he’s a gent because when you’re on him and he comes across hounds he’s perfectly safe and sane.

I’m thinking you’d be best getting rid of silly notions of control etc and go ask if you can join the hunt for a day and ensure they know you’re a novice and you’ll find they’re very helpful and will assign someone to watch over you and help you on your enjoyable day out.

[Lieslot]

Thanks Thomas, I understand and you’re right he seems to miss the hunt & his previous job. I don’t wish to control him, it was/is really just my best intention to keep him safe & unharmed. He had injuries in the past and we had already retired him in our minds as we knew he only had 50% change of ever being “pasture”-sound after he tore his collateral ligament, but against all odds he became riding sound again.
After he collapsed underneath me (yes whilst under saddle - talk about a scare to me) and his heart went into arrhythmia for no apparent reason, we again took the decision to retire him, but university hospital managed to convert him, nevertheless we were told it probably wasn’t going to last 6 months, so to be carefull when riding him (don’t want him to collapse underneath me again), but it’s been over 2 years now and he’s still in sinus rythm and shows no ill-effects from the workregime as he gets it now.
So with all that in mind, it’s better for him not to go totally looney and possibly re-injury the ligament or race his heartbeat up to the point he goes or literally falls back into Afib.
I usually don’t bring him in when he’s just having a good run with his friend, but I worry that this type of over-excitement might be a little too much for him. I really hope he eventually won’t even blink an eyelid at the hound.

So seems the answer to the question is…
Tack him up & ride him.
We had another hound visit this morning, whilst I was schooling my other horse. I could see him getting worked up in his stall, so I quickly got off & stalled my other horse. I got him out, had him dancing & snorting in the crossties, had a “very” hard time getting him to stand still, not jump on my feet and get him tacked up, kept my ubercool myself, took him to the mounting block, much to my surprise he stood still enough to get on & just took him for a ride around the field and all the mega-exuberance was gone in an instant eventhough hound was still around.
Interestingly strange how just being under tack with a rider calms him down. I may not always be able to get him tacked up when he’s wound up like this, but this morning it worked.

@JSwan

He sounds like a terrific horse and I’d love to see a picture of him.

Yep, he’s a gem to us. Isn’t it funny when people ask for pictures, that’s when you realize you never take enough pictures of them really.
So I just threw together a few cute ones of him :).

• link removed, boys were getting shy from all the looks they got -

[JSwan]

Both your horses are stunning.

Yup - that settles it. I want to come back as one of your horses.

[saabski]

love the horsey soccer! must try that …
(gorgeous horses, btw)

[Lieslot]

Thank you, I love both very much and of course I’m a proud mummy :D.
They both have their own set of physical issues however, but then again which horse doesn’t. I just manage them as best as pos.

Saabski he loves the soccer, I had to teach him in hand giving him a treat each time he kicked it before he got the idea under saddle.

JSwan, I’ll take good care of you :D.