Cutting/Sorting QH moves to First Flight!

[Foxglove]

In April 2017 I bought a cutting/sorting QH to retrain as my next fox hunter. My old fox hunter had developed Heaves --since resolved, but he was 20 years old and, two vets said, as much as I ride, it was time to look for a new horse (but had the old horse not had Heaves, I never would have bought the new horse). I only looked at QH with ranch background, because, in my opinion, those horses are 80% of what I want in a fox hunter --work well in a group, used to noise and confusion, athletic, sensible, stand quietly, and at the age I was looking at --8-10 --sound --that kind of QH is started young --and if there is a soundness issue, it will be showing up by then or resolved. Found Will at my price (at an auction --but a ranch horse auction --so not a rescue --at all --came with a 7 day “do what you want and bring him back if you don’t like him for any reason” guarantee. Naturally, I hunted him in a mock hunt set up by the staff (just for ME and a few members --no hounds, but lots of fast riding, and a crowd of crazy fox hunters.) Decided to keep him. Oh, and he vetted sound. My shoer said he had nice feet --but who ever shod him for the auction could use some lessons.

First season Will and I were in hilltoppers learning the ropes. There were a few struggles --nothing huge, just a horse trying to learn his job. But Will is smart and caught on eventually --we ended first season in April with an invitation to move to first flight. But, Will was not so sure about the whole jumping-thing —a log? sure, he’d take it – but anything else seemed to confuse him. With the help of an excellent trainer who hunts out with us, we made a plan for the summer to get Will over fences.

And it was an all-summer undertaking starting with ground poles, advancing to cross rails, and finally six weeks ago, a bounce course --finally, Will got the idea to lift his feet off the ground and jump! Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for cubbing season which opened yesterday!

I arrived at the hunt club early to do my warm-ups (Will has a little warm-up routine we always do --trainer’s idea --said it helps Will to “separate” his cow work from his fox hunting --or his Western brain from his English brain. I mounted and from that second, I knew I had a hunt horse.

We found our spot in the middle of first flight, behind a solid hunter. Will kept his distance (pet peeve, people who follow too close). And Will jumped --he jumped straight and took everything he was put to --we didn’t do the crazy big stuff --but we did all the rest --up hill, down hill, banks (although banks were never an issue for Will) and series of low fences closely spaced. We moved aside for hounds to pass, stopped and turned our butt from the trail for staff to pass, and stood perfectly still at checks. After about 2.5 hours --we meandered back in --Will did jig a couple of steps --but after a mild correction (one-rein stop) he sighed and walked flat footed back to the club.

I truly love hunting on the Western ranch trained horses --my old hunter was a roping horse --a dream to ride, and now Will is even better -well, maybe not better at jumping --yet --but he’s a smoother moving horse --most importantly to me, someone who is now in my 51st season of hunting, the Western trained horses never touch the bit. I have rebuilt shoulders and can’t take a constant tug, tug, tug --or even a hard pull. Both m’boys are 100% working off my seat --unless it’s discipline time, then it’s a one-rein stop or a disengage --but not always possible on the hunt field --usually just a sliding hand down the rein is warning enough.

I don’t know if we’ll ever be riding the master’s pocket again --used to do that regularly --but Will and I are having fun on the hunt field --next weekend is the joint meet --three hunts going out together --I will ride my old hunter --as DD has asked for Will !!

[Hinderella]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story! I like your description that ranch horses have 80% of what’s needed in a hunting horse…so true! Certainly there are hunts out there that ride so fast, and over such large fences, that a QH could be left behind. But it sounds as though he has no trouble keeping up for you and is a pleasure to ride.

[Foxglove]

Hinderella --I think it goes to fixture --Michigan hunts are for the most part in heavily wooded areas, hilly, streams, mud, trappy ground. The QH in some ways are better suited for this type of hunt country. There are only a few places in the Battle Creek Hunt Country where one could go flat out --but these are fields with no jumps. Generally, huntsman uses those open spaces to gather his hounds, before taking them to a new covert --don’t know that either of my boys (or I) could go miles and miles at a canter like the OTTBs that hunt out --on the other hand, I’ve yet to see one of them stand still at a check.

[Hinderella]

Yes Foxglove, I agree it goes to fixture. I’ve ridden in Virginia on wonderful livery horses with Hunter’s Rest, and there they have open fields for gallops. I’ve hunted my own short, stout QH pony in New England where the fixtures are more like yours…riding through woods, up and down trappy hills, twisting between streams, and she excelled at that. And being short & fat, she’s usually happy to take advantage of the checks to snack My local hunt is now a drag hunt though, and has become a bit too quick for our tastes and capabilities.

[Foxglove]

Our hunt is changing too --the membership is getting younger and bolder! We have some event riders out in the winter on some really big horses who dwarf my two —still, it’s nice to watch them jump huge things. Oh, and you’ll appreciate this as a QH owner --there is a stone wall on our hunt country that is made with a flat top --like a table fence --two stone walls with dirt in the middle packed down --about 2-4 or maybe 2 6 --nothing scary. For YEARS my little fat QH would jump up ON the wall, all four little feet on the wall, survey the field as it to say --bet none of you can do this! Then hop off. One of the other members (he-who-owns-giant-horse) told me I should “whip him on” so he didn’t jump up on the wall. I explained that it was the only time my horse ever was the tallest on the hunt field.

[xeroxchick]

Love this so much. We love ranch horses. Some have worked out and some have not, mainly either because we just didn’t have enough for them to do to take seriously or they can be rough to ride.
The 6666 ranch is having what looks like a fantastic ranch horse auction in October.

[kelo]

There is a ranch-bred mare (raised on the 6666 Ranch) that does very well in AQHA jumping, is a reserve world champion: https://www.aqha.com/shows/youth-world/coverage/081518-youth-world-rhb/

(Just think it’s super cool that ranch horses are doing so well hunting/jumping!)

[SLW]

It’s fantastic when you find a horse that works out for hunting because there just is no way of knowing until they’ve hunted a half dozen times IF there is something there to develop.

It’s fun to see all the different breeds that become hunt horses. Our First Flight is pretty much TB’s or TB crosses. Second flight and HIlltopper are a mix of QTR types, Draft crosses and TB’s that need the slower pace.

[Equibrit]

@Foxglove

–don’t know that either of my boys (or I) could go miles and miles at a canter like the OTTBs that hunt out --on the other hand, I’ve yet to see one of them stand still at a check.

The trick is to empty the tank a few times. Then they’ll stand at the check!

[Hinderella]

Foxglove, I love the story of your horse standing on top of the fence. That’s something my mare would do. She’s smart enough to take the easy way if it’s available. And she’s very careful, which for a weenie like me is so important!

[Foxglove]

Hinderella --that easy way for the horse isn’t always the best for me. I’m long-legged and the bottoms of my feet hang below the fat QH belly --not much, but a bit. There’s one HUGE coop 3’ at least, that I had to stop taking because the QH would jump it only enough for HIM to clear it, hitting my feet on the jump every time! That was the site of one of his “great moments” —the master’s wife fell when her horse dogged to the side of the giant coop --she fell right at the base. I was right behind her going full out and the little QH cleared the fallen rider and the coop --and hit my feet on the coop yet again–The Master’s Wife (always thought that would be a great title for a Romance novel) still remembers it and says, “I never worried for a minute W would step on me.”

[jawa]

@Foxglove my, most likely, quarter cross large pony was a smart one as well. Me at 5’9" and him being 14.2 on a tall day, didn’t leave much room for error over fences.

He was so handy! He watched several horses in front of us get a bit sticky and refuse a stout coop. We cantered up, then he dropped to a trot, nose well out in front, checked out the other side and jumped it. I swear he if he could talk he would have said out loud, what was all the bother about!!