Can horses become obsessed with the hounds?

[clpony]

i know this sounds crazy…i just started hunting this season on a pony that luckily seems made for the job.

he seems to be most concerned with the whereabouts of the hounds and what’s happening with them. at the end of the hunt he worries when they’re not in sight. the other day he seemed so relieved when we got back to the trailer and saw the hounds. once he saw they were being loaded up he relaxed. in other words than he was able to chill out. maybe i am just misinterpreting his being happy with being back at the trailer himself.

could a preoccupation as such be possible?

[Bogie]

My horse loves the hounds. At every check he tries to sidle over to them to try and sniff them. I think that horses figure out pretty quickly that hunting is about hounds and they do want to keep track of them.

My horse was in heaven last year when a neighbor had a chocolate lab puppy. The puppy would come over and lick Freedom’s nose . . . Freedom would stand there in ecstasy.

[GilbertsCreeksideAcr]

I don’t hunt, but I can see this happening. The horse recognizes the hounds as part of the group (good guys) and also that the herd follows them everywhere (leaders), so knowing where they are and that they are safe at the end of the day might be important to a horse. They have such a strong herd mentality, and some more so, it seems.

It’s cute, anyway!

[Liver_Yang_Rising]

Most definitely herd mentality!
I had a heavy hunter that would only trail ride out alone . . . IF he had a hound/farm dog with him. If we turned to go in a different direction he’d balk until the hound went first. He was always kind of a sissy in the field, rather follow than lead. And appears to be the same on the trails. Won’t go first unless someone is ahead. He’ll even balk and look around if he can’t find “his dog”!

[Claudius]

Years ago while living in the Cheshire Hunting country( SE Pa.) I had a half welsh/half shetland pony that would jump out of any field when he heard the hounds, find them and hunt happily along with them until someone called us and we were able to catch him and bring him home. Horses love fox hunting as much as their owners do!!!

[Jennifer_Alcott]

[QUOTE=clpony;4586930]
i know this sounds crazy…could a preoccupation as such be possible?[/QUOTE]

You are not crazy! This is absolutely possible.

Sounds like your pony might be a great staff horse.

[Equibrit]

Keep that pony !

[jawa]

I had 2 labs that loved being “groomed” by my horse. I have had several that when out without another horse were much more relaxed if I took the dogs with me. And I’ve hunted with horses that would always “point” in the direction of the hounds working!!

When they “learn” and “love” their job you know it.

[hb]

When I was a kid I used to take my dog out to the barn, and my horse really liked him. She’d nuzzle him and let him use her hay for a bed while I cleaned the stall.

One day I was heading out for a trail ride, and when we came around the corner of the barn the HJ trainer’s trailer was on top of the hill next to the barn, with all it’s doors and windows open and the ramp down, instead of closed up down in the parking area.

My horse would not go near it, until my dog trotted by it without taking a look. The horse calmed down just like she would if we had another horse and rider with us. She trusted the dog’s judgment that the trailer was not a threat!

[clpony]

thank you all for sharing your experiences.
equibrit the pony definitely is a keeper for life. he’s so fun!!!:winkgrin: