Getting into hunting.... without a suitable horse

[McGurk]

Reported.

[littlebaypony]

I agree with the suggestion of riding with one of the road whips. It’s always helpful to get to know the people in the hunt and let them get to know you. Watch how they ride and how their horses behave. I know that some of the “easy” horses I’ve seen in my hunt would be too much horse for me and others have little quirks that would make me uncomfortable. Watch and learn.

[BeeHoney]

@jgamble

The problem is that the horses I ride (leasing plus exercising others for friends) are definitely arena horses, to the point that I wouldn’t even trust them to tolerate a trail ride (nervous/looky). I don’t see any of them being a good fit, even with lots of additional work towards that goal. Is there a way around this predicament?
This is something I would really love to learn to do, but I definitely would need to have an appropriate partner.

@jgamble, I think you are wise to realize that your equine arena partners are not the best way for you to get into hunting. IME horses are best exposed to hunting by people who are experienced at hunting themselves. And, a correct “lead up” to hunting does include trail riding and riding out in the open in groups at various speeds. Of course, it also makes no sense for you to go out and buy a field hunter before you have even tried the sport.

Hiring a hunt horse is a fantastic deal. It might seem pricy at the outset, but a fit, properly shod, well behaved hunt horse that knows it’s job represents years of training and experience as well as months of preparation and care. I don’t care if it is a squatty looking draft cross or a weedy looking thoroughbred, that horse represents a significant investment on someone’s part.

You have said that there aren’t hunt horses out there for hire in your area, and that is indeed a conundrum. However, it is more than likely that there are people in the hunt that have extra horses that COULD be loaned or leased at the discretion of their owner. For example, I have extra hunt horses that I do not advertise “for hire” as honestly it’s not worth the money to me to have to risk dealing with someone who might fit @Foxglove 's example. However, I would happily loan one of them to an appreciative, sympathetic rider eager to learn the sport.

Another mistake people make is assuming that because they are jumping X height in the arena that they are “above” riding as a hilltopper. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hunting is a different skill set. You will make a much better impression if you gracefully start out as a hilltopper and learn the rules and terminology and expectations. Also, people will notice your riding and your ability, and if you are polite and competent, further opportunities to ride other horses will present themselves.