Foxhunters - advice please!

[slight]

Most of my trail experience has been in California, hills, without many ditches.
I need advice as to how to ride a ditch. I ride in a close contact saddle.

This morning we were navigating a shallow ditch with water. I proceeded down, with my center of gravity slightly back. He jumped before I was ready, and I caught him in the mouth (I apologized profusely).
Shall I ride the shallow ditches in a light forward seat? I guess my California hills have me leaning back going down, and then forward going up. We just didn’t have many (do I remember any?) ditches.

Saturday on a trail ride with a steeper ditch I did fine with my, back and then forward style - it was steeper with no water.

Am I sometimes just gonna get left behind? Poor horse!

Tell me how to ride a ditch foxhunters! I figured you guys would be the best to ask.

[arena_run]

I don’t fox hunt (only once actually) but i do ride alot of trails and ditches. I think you discovered a wonderful thing about horses. They like to jump water if they can. <lol>

the more you learn about your horse and how he reacts to certain things the better you can ride that horse - I beleive you learned that your horse likes to jump water ditches. So, next time you can either be more prepared to ask him to step over the water or be more prepared for his little jump at the bottom.

Personally, if it were my horse and me, I would commence some Walk the Water training just so I knew I could ask for a step instead of waiting anxiously for the Jump/No-jump of my horse’s decision. sylvia

[Beverley]

Hmmm, hard to give you a simple answer! It depends on the ditch, and the speed at which I’m riding. If hounds are in full cry and it’s a steep ditch, say 12 feet or less across, I’m just gonna jump it. If I’m moving at a slower speed, I’ll have the horse negotiate it. On a trail ride I do dislike a horse that heaves himself over it from a standstill. I school mine to ride through ‘any’ water puddles on flat surfaces first, and dry ditches, and then put the two together. Ideally a horse walks in, walks through, walks out- especially if there are horses behind that are going to get upset by a horse that heaves itself across and/or gallops on up the opposite bank.

I tend to ride forward if I’m going to ask the horse to jump, sit back if I expect him to walk through (forward up the opposite bank). If I have one that is unsure/gathers self to leap, I like if possible to school that crossing until he’s stepping through. Sometimes that means turning at an angle and walking the ditch/stream bottom a bit before turning to exit on the opposite side.

[Nlevie]

Ditch jumpers

Hi - I’m currently hunting my 2nd horse who prefers to jump ditches (especially if they have water or mud!) I do try to school them to walk through, but the important thing is that they keep going forward, so if that means jumping, then I make sure I’m ready for that. He also jumps coops big, so I always grab mane before a jump (or ditch) as I don’t want to ever catch him in the mouth and make him want to stop. It may not always be pretty, but especially when foxhunting, pretty doesn’t count!. . . you need to be able to get there and keep up safely. Some poeple use a breastcollar strap or even a separate strap just for that purpose (OMG strap !?) That way you can adjust higher on the neck so your hands are in the correct place for balance. It gets better the more experience you have together. Good luck -

[Hotspur]

ditches&water

Good for you for being concerned with the safety and comfort of both you and your mount! As mentioned in the preceeding posts, there are just no “always, or never” situations in crossing water or ditches while out hunting.

I board my beloved field hunter at an eventing barn and they have an extensive cross country course that includes two large water complexes and a couple of bank and ditch complexes. I put my guy into the water just about every time we hack. I joke that he’s in the water so much that he must think that he’s in the Navy! We school the banks and ditches several times a year with my trainer and I strongly believe that these efforts are rewarded in the hunt field.

I think that the training we do with water, banks, and ditches gives my horse and I a good base line of understanding on how things should go under controlled conditions. When we are out hunting I feel that he is more sensitive to my input and under most conditions will negotiate the ditch or bank as I ask (yep, things do go better when I have the plan).

Good luck with your training and hunting!

Keep your heels down,

Hotspur

[stp]

Aww Heck

Oh heck gurlfriend, hang on and just try not to stab him in the mouth! -but if you do -he’ll get over it! At 27mph, I promise this is all you can do!!

[Painted_Wings]

I try to make mine walk though but I will use a forward seat in case they jump. They are most likely to jump if there is any water in it.

If he’s supposed to walk through and takes a huge leap instead I’m not sure it’s all bad if I hit him in the mouth. Maybe he won’t do that next time.

I have one horse that walks through much better than the other. It is directly proportional to their aversion or tolerance of water.

[armandh]

keep building on your success

ditches with water may be a novelty in CA but they are common where it is less sunny.
a mis communication about through or over might be expected with stuff strange to your horse. keep building on the successful second encounter and make your decision clear about how to go [through or over] it will shortly be second nature.

[xeroxchick]

The main thing is not to look into the ditch - look up! Ride forward and grab mane.

[Painted_Wings]

Yeah, I always grab mane. Forgot to say that. Also on the up out of creeks. Sometimes he just trots up and sometimes he leaps up. You never know. Lots of times the out of a creek is pretty deep mud and it’s easier and safer for them to take a hop up over that then try to step in it and slide. I let the horse decide.

[xeroxchick]

I do too. He knows what he can do. One time he leaped about six feet up out of a creek; boy did it surprise me - just straight up. Good boy!

[gothedistance]

If you ride in a close contact saddle, I’d advocate a fistful of mane and “leg on”. The worst thing about jumping ditches is… you never know when or where the “take-off” is going to be.

[slight]

Thank you everyone for your help, I knew I’d come to the right spot!

gothedistance - my experience is exactly as you said. I didn’t know where the take off spot would be, which is why I was thinking," well, I’m going to grab mane in case he… I’M IN THE AIR."

Which is why I will now be schooling through ditches as many of you suggested ;). It would be nice to have a plan. Back up plan will be to grab mane sooner!

You’re a brave bunch! 27 miles an hour and then going over/through/across ditches!! I take my cap off to you :).

[xeroxchick]

I have found that schooling a ditch on a cross country jump is so way different than in the hunt field - the take off and landing is not banked and clear. I had one come up this season very suddenly and the banks can crumble - you really have to find your own line. If you jump after a couple of horses have jumped in the same spot it it can be very hairy. I’d rather have a sturdy, virgin place to take off and land. Very thrilling, though. I took a girl out for her first time who excersizes for us and a ditch came up fast and furious. Both horses took it boldly and we were grinning and slapped hands after. Not like the cross country courses she was used to! The best advice I can give you is to really be bold. It is the safest thing in the end.

[Rt66Kix]

I don’t know how to jump, but my horse used to be a lesson horse for beginning jumpers. Oy! He’s paid HIS dues, let me tell you…

I’ve had to take some unexpected jumps in the field, and we ride in areas with pretty steep ravines. The best advice I can give you is what my dressage trainer told me.

“Always stay in the middle of the movement. Side to side; front to back; stay in the middle of the movement and you will be OK.”

It has stood me in good stead, and really came in handy when we went down Billy Goat Ridge last week, with 6" of mud and wet leaves on top. I renamed it something else when I got to the bottom, and it would not be acceptable in polite society!

I think “Man From Snowy River” was part of the title…LOL!

[gothedistance]

@slight;2949066

… Back up plan will be to grab mane sooner!

Hey! That’s my Plan A! :lol::lol::lol:

What’s more fun is when you expect them to jump… and they don’t!! They stroll in and out like it’s a Sunday walk to church, and you’re sitting like a fool with deathgrip hand clenched in mane, leaning forward ready for a leap …that never comes.

Jeez! :rolleyes:

[Painted_Wings]

That happened to me at a Cross Country clinic with my three year old mare. Her first time seeing a revetted ditch on a XC course. I was with a very beginner group (2’ fences) and everyone was having trouble but my little baby. While they were screwing around I asked the instructor if I could take my filly over and show her the ditch. I walked her up to it and she stepped right down into it and out without missing a beat at a walk. The instructor hollared over “so are you going to jump it now?”. I took her back and trotted her up to it and she hopped over it. It was all quite amusing. I never would have though a horse would walk through a revetted ditch like that. It was a foot and a half deep or so. But then she’s my beagling horse so she’s used to negotiating rough country at a walk with four couple of beagles underfoot.

[system]

Hey, I hunt with Mooreland in Ala and we have a variety of ditches. The thing about a ditch w/water is that you don’t know what’s in the bottom. It could be muddy and my TB would lose a shoe but it also could have holes, farm equip, God alone knows, so I in general prefer a hop over a ditch to walking through if possible. If it’s a big ditch or a shallow one and we’re walking I guess we just take our chances. I read one time that jumping a ditch at speed you imagine a 1 foot high pole on the other side and ride it like an oxer and that’s really worked for me to be able to “see” where to jump. Thanks, Andrea

[wateryglen]

Advice from a bad rider but…

I like staying up in a light half seat…eyes up, head up, DON’T look down into the ditch !..and fix your hands on his neck or use a sissy strap to hold onto to prevent snatching at their mouths if they jump bigger than you’re expecting. You CAN just treat it like a jump by riding them forward toward it and asking for a full jump. I think you have to TEACH a potential fieldhunter how to do streams/ditches. I prefer to walk up. Judge the footing at the landing site and decide quickly then. Walk up, slow careful long stride or “jump” over and trot off. It’s practice & mileage!

[JSwan]

I was out the other day with a guy that just pulled one of his racing TB’s out of a stall and took him hunting for the first time.

Lovely horse, of course. And of course the rider is one that you don’t see much anymore; practically birthed in the saddle and at this point in his life - is part horse.

Anyway - we had to a lot of creek crossings that day. He was in front of me, and the fieldmaster was in front of him. I’m no great rider, and Lord knows my horse is not one of those 50K Fancy Dan’s - but my guy will cross any creek or ditch without blinking an eye.

Unfortunately, the field master’s rather green horse and the TB in front of me did not want to ruin their pedicures and refused to get their feet wet.

So - Field Master’s horse snorts, and races through like the hounds of hell were after him. The racing TB gets a tad bit concerned about that horse’s reaction.

I swear on the Bible this is what happened next. The TB stops at the edge of the creek, springs straight up into the air - musta been 4 feet off the ground, somehow launches himself high over the creek like he had a jet engine strapped to his butt - and then comes straight down on all 4’s on the other side. Of course - the rider, being who he is, didn’t bat an eye and we all laughed about it. Straight up - straight across - and straight down. I swear. :lol::lol:

However, the rest of the day I went first across the creeks.