Gaited horses for foxhunting

[newbie1]

Curious if anyone uses gaited horses for foxhunting or has them in their hunts. I like gaited horses and just getting interested in foxhunting and considering buying a steed again in a few months or maybe in a year .

I was looking at Peruvians, but any smooth riding horse will do. Can they jump-I do know they can canter and gallop if the owners let them. But I am thinking a horse is a horse and can jump as much as any regular quarter horse?

Not looking for world class horses, just ones that can do the job and have fun. But must be able to do the job and would it be an issue keeping up with a field of trotters?

[OverandOnward]

I do not know first-hand about gaited horses and foxhunting.

I do know ASB’s that are nice low-level jumpers. I did not know that horses could jump out of a gait until I saw a lovely, patient, kind, chestnut mare ASB gait right up to and over every fence of the 2’6" class at an unrecognized schooling show. With pricked ears, level head and if a horse can smile pleasantly, this mare did. Best round of the day.

If the horse is agreeable, no reason why not, I’m sure. If you doubt the jumping ability consider the hilltopper group. That’s a good starting point in any case.

[Griffyn]

There are people who do this. One possible fly in the ointment is “proper tack” vs comfortable fitting saddle for the gaited horse. Slow speeds are annoying with a mixed group. My Rocky laps anything at a walk and jog, so Im constantly circling her back during normal trail riding. At little more “at speed” and we’re in the mix. Some gaited horses have an unbalanced and scattered, flailing sort of canter. Be sure the horse you buy has a proper canter, or at least a semi rhythmic canter and work on that. Id probably buy a Tennessee Walking horse myself because of size that will help you be better matched/ keep up in the field. lots of the gaited horses are fairly small compared to say, a rangy TB type. My .02 cents. But Im not a fox hunter, just a gaited horse enthusiast.

[msj]

I don’t know about Puruvians but back when I was a teenager a friend has an American Saddlebred that her sister showed in the 3-gaited classes and she did the open jumpers where the jumps started at 4’. She also took the horse to the hunters and placed 3rd or 4th in the working hunters (4’).

[The_Centaurian]

I think it depends on your hunt. The hunt nearest me is FAST, and they go for hours. TBs really can’t be beat for speed and stamina in that hunt. An off-breed would perhaps be welcome in 2nd flight, but might have trouble keeping up and/or staying out.

There are a couple of hunts further out that aren’t quite as demanding speed and stamina wise.

All three are very traditional about tack and attire, and jump quite a bit.

[OverandOnward]

Sounds like the place to start with your horse selection is getting some details on the hunt itself, the one you are considering going out with. Find out more about how they divide into groups on the hunt, how much galloping, how much and what kind of jumping. How much scope will need to not feel over-faced. Sometimes there is a group that doesn’t jump much, if at all, they follow at a distance.

[Guilherme]

In East TN you’ll see some Walkers and Rackers in the hunt field. We’ve taken our Marchardors out with the Hilltoppers (but that’s because we are old and ought not to be messing with fences, not because the horses were incapable ).

The roots of the gaited horse are as a “road horse,” designed to carry a rider over difficult country in reasonable comfort. They are distance horses, not speed horses. In those old days, in both Europe and the Americas, roads were often little more than forest tracks and the ability to handle a ditch or log was expected. The Marchador is closer to its roots than some breeds, as Brazil was (and to a decreasing extent still is) a Third World country once you get away from the big cities. Horses still have jobs there which means working quality stock is readily found.

If the horse is sound for work over fences in the field then there’s no reason why they can’t work out in the hunt field.

G.

[RiderInTheRain]

The midwestern hunt I ride with has some gaited horses (including TN walkers, KY Mountain horses, and a few others whose breed I am not sure of, and one gaited mule who comes from time to time). One of the walking horses belongs to a staff member. It totally depends on the country - where we hunt it is often trappy and quite muddy so having a fast horse is less important than having one that has good stamina who won’t get tired slogging through the mud and who can think quick on his feet to stay upright if necessary!

Most of our jumps are small (2’9’’ or under, often well under with the occasional 3’ coop) and at all but one of our fixtures there are easy ways around the jumps even if you are riding in a faster field. Some of the gaited horses jump well, some don’t though overall, they seem to jump a bit flatter (less bascule/rounding over the top of the fence).

Most of the gaited horse riders have (after some trial and error) found english style saddles that suit their horses. A few of them still use a more traditional gaited horse style bit (rather than something traditional to the hunt field) on a flat hunt bridle. No one cares as long as they can control their horse.

It would definitely be worth inquiring with your local hunt if anyone there rides gaited horses. The folks that I ride with are proud of their gaited horses and happy to give advice to new or prospective members who have or are considering gaited horses for the hunt field.

A plus with gaited horses is that so many of them are used for other types of field trialing so you may be able to find one who already has some good experience that would translate well to fox hunting.

[SLW]

We have had full blooded gaited horses and half gaited horses in my hunt and they do just fine if you pick the right field for the horses skill set.

[Cheltenham]

Not necessarily a gaited that people think of–and I have not hunted one–but heres a plug for Standardbred Pacers or Trotters. I’ve worked with them quite a bit as a friend of mine breeds and races. They are so darn versatile and rugged and uncomplicated horses. We had a pacer colt who as a little bugger would jump right out over 4ft pasture fence…freak his dam right out. He’d run all around then boing—jump back over the fence back in with mom. They can develop a decent canter if you let them/ develop it. I joked to my friend if his pacer colt didn’t make it harness racing…perhaps they should put him up for a steeplechase!

[Belmont]

We’ve got a few haired horses that do the second field and hill top. Their owners love them!

[Gestalt]

[QUOTE=Cheltenham;8950609]
Not necessarily a gaited that people think of–and I have not hunted one–but heres a plug for Standardbred Pacers or Trotters. I’ve worked with them quite a bit as a friend of mine breeds and races. They are so darn versatile and rugged and uncomplicated horses. We had a pacer colt who as a little bugger would jump right out over 4ft pasture fence…freak his dam right out. He’d run all around then boing—jump back over the fence back in with mom. They can develop a decent canter if you let them/ develop it. I joked to my friend if his pacer colt didn’t make it harness racing…perhaps they should put him up for a steeplechase![/QUOTE]

I second Standardbreds. I haven’t hunted, but I have trail ridden in some crazy places in crazy weather. My Standie was an absolute rock. (He jumped well and we did training level dressage)

[LesleyW]

If I was still hunting, I’d take my current horse, a Standie mare, in a heartbeat. She’s TB fast, but slightly calmer when things go sideways. She can also trot or power walk all day long. Her canter’s not 100%, but her gallop is the equal of any non-gaited horse I’ve ever ridden.

[ecileh]

There is a Missouri Fox Trotter who leads third field in my hunt. My mare (WB), has trouble keeping up with him at the walk when we ride back there–even though she is typically out-walking the horses in second or first.

I was given a retired SB huntsman’s horse (from Smithtown) when I was in college. I never hunted him, but that horse could go all day at the trot and we set new land speed records on cross-country courses.

[SmartAlex]

[QUOTE=newbie1;8949659]
Not looking for world class horses, just ones that can do the job and have fun. But must be able to do the job and would it be an issue keeping up with a field of trotters?[/QUOTE]

The problem I can see is the same problem people run into when trail riding with a mixed batch of gaited and trotting horses. And for this example, a Saddlebred cannot be considered a gaited horse (because they are not all naturally gaited and most have a decent canter or gallop)

Anyway, the problem arises when the gait speeds don’t match. A running walk is faster than a normal walk, but most trotting horses will out stride a gaited horse over distance. So the walkers have to hold back when everyone wants to walk, and the trotters are holding back when everyone is trying to make some time. Therefore, everyone in the group is constantly adjusting their speeds to stay together. And then if your canter/gallop is crap, which it certainly can be, then you’re going to be miserable trying to ride that gait.

But it would all depend on the individual horse and the group/terrain you were riding over. Just food for thought.

[hank]

As a former foxhunter turned gaited horse enthusiast, I would stay away from Peruvian horses for that job. Their legs are not meant for that kind of work. Any of the other gaited breeds should work pretty well.

[Kodiak]

We have both TWH and pacing standardbreds in our hunt that jump just fine under 3’. They do, of course, need trained like any other horse. The Walkers jump from the canter. I’m not a fan of jumping from a pace or running walk since it doesn’t have a lot of impulsion behind it, but some people don’t seem to mind.

I wouldn’t call the whole “OMG, it’s hard to ride w/t/c horses with gaited because they travel at different speeds” thing from trail riding that much of a deal-breaker for the hunt field. There is such a huge variety in the field already–from little slow-legged critters to super power-walkers–that everyone has to adjust to the group. Remember: unlike trail riding, hunts have a field master setting the speed, and the speed they choose is affected by what else is happening in the hunt. Riders and horses have to adjust to the hunt or go home. A big-moving, very forward TB can be much harder to ride in a hunt than something gaited.

A nice thing about gaited horses is that it’s generally easy to find one with lots of trail mileage, they’re generally sensible, and frequently have good feet.

[BeeHoney]

Personally, I know of one or two gaited horses that hunt and they seem fine. I’m not fond of the type, but they seem like good horses. Honestly, I think that a gaited horse could possibly prove quite comfortable out hunting. Some days it seems like the field spends a lot of time moving at speeds between a walk and a trot or between a trot and a canter. A walking horse or a standardbred could fix at least one of those tiresome situations.

[newbie1]

[QUOTE=Kodiak;8960606]
We have both TWH and pacing standardbreds in our hunt that jump just fine under 3’. They do, of course, need trained like any other horse. The Walkers jump from the canter. I’m not a fan of jumping from a pace or running walk since it doesn’t have a lot of impulsion behind it, but some people don’t seem to mind.

I wouldn’t call the whole “OMG, it’s hard to ride w/t/c horses with gaited because they travel at different speeds” thing from trail riding that much of a deal-breaker for the hunt field. There is such a huge variety in the field already–from little slow-legged critters to super power-walkers–that everyone has to adjust to the group. Remember: unlike trail riding, hunts have a field master setting the speed, and the speed they choose is affected by what else is happening in the hunt. Riders and horses have to adjust to the hunt or go home. A big-moving, very forward TB can be much harder to ride in a hunt than something gaited.

A nice thing about gaited horses is that it’s generally easy to find one with lots of trail mileage, they’re generally sensible, and frequently have good feet.[/QUOTE]

That is what I was wondering. When riding with trotters, they all have different preferred speeds anyways. If I get one that can jump and can stay with the rest, i think it should be good? I have no clue about the different gaits-except it ought to be smooth. I once rode a TWH at some gait that the other horse was cantering to keep up. Now the difficulty is finding a sane gaited horse that is athletic, and and capable of going up and down-without staying hot!

[Draftmare]

I would be concerned about a gaited horse gaiting circles around normal trotting horses. My regular group of trail riding friends all converted to gaited horses in the last couple of years, and it essentially forced me on my trotting horse to quit riding with them. Sydney and I would have to keep up a very quick trot or canter in order to keep up with them. It was pretty miserable for me and her, we would return to camp dripping sweat, and their horses would look fresh as daisies. We have no problems keeping up with normal trotting horses.