I have a young horse that I would like to hunt eventually. At What age do you start hunting your horses? What is good training to start with to get them ready?
Thanks!
Each horse is different, and there are many factors that go into deciding what age to start them hunting. I have started one hilltopping at 3.5, and she went first field the next season. Others we have had usually start at 4-6 (I do not typically spend an entire season hilltopping them like some others do). Things I consider before hunting them are: if they physically and mentally mature enough yet, if they are well-enough broke under saddle, if they know how to jump, if have a brain (goes to maturity), if they have spent a good bit of time going x-country from home, as well as being trailered various places, and behaved, if they trailer well, if they can handle being in company, etc.
During the summer, we spend a lot of time hacking on the weekends taking the greenie out with an old campaigner (and/or a small group), where they learn how to cross water, get gates, stand and wait, and start jumping coops/walls (depending on how old they are). Our hunt does small Monday evening walking-only trail rides, which is good to get them started, and then we have big Saturday morning rides in August.
The best “training” for a potential hunt horse is to do exactly what you would do out hunting, sans hounds (but getting a group of dogs to go hacking with you helps!).
Homebred thoroughbreds, forward/mature, I start “hunting” (toddling at the back of the field with a trusted buddy, short hunt days, real quiet) at 2 3/4 (late fall of 2 yo year) or 3 1/4 (spring of 3 yo year.) Off track tb’s, ditto. Less mature horses (homebred tb who was notoriously slow to come around) toddling at 3 3/4, hunting properly at 4 3/4.
Normal breaking/training exercises, regular conditioning, lots of trail riding - start short with just 1 or 2 barn buddies, buildign to longer, building to more peeps, buildign to shipping/riding, building to hunt rides, building to hound walking.
Making a proper field hunter is PROGRESSIVE. As some have said, some horses are just good, no matter where they came from, with little to no systematic progressive training. Others take months/years. Others never get it.
But increase your odds by doing the small steps progressive training systematic thing.
