I know the market sucks in general, but I have a horse I am thinking about selling and I think he would make a GREAT fox hunter (mods not advertising)… What are the adverages you see hunt horses selling for now? are they selling?
Thank you
First of all a horse that “would” or “may” make a fox (field) hunter…and a proven fieldhunter would be priced quite differently…people are still willing to pay for a known quality.ie the saying “So what’s your life worth”! A prospect won’t have near the value IMO
You should at least take it out roading hounds, etc…
Until you’ve actually taken a horse hunting, you just can’t really tell.
I speak from experience.
I had a great little mare come here that I was sure would make into a nice fieldhunter.
We’d been trailriding her here all spring and summer with my pack of 10 or so assorted rescue mutts jumping in and out of the woods and popping up out of the tall grass with nary the blink of an eye.
She’d safely and sanely negotiate swampy terrain, ditches, banks, bridges, creek crossings and log jumps and small coops.
I took her on hunt trail rides in groups moving at speed. She was an angel.
I took her on several larger group trail rides of 150+ horses and she was so steady I used her as my outrider mount.
We went on hunter paces.
I was so excited, could hardly wait for hunting season to begin.
Took her hunting, she completely lost her mind. :eek:
She bucked, she jigged, she cantered sideways, she snatched at the bit, she hated every second she was out there.
I was heartbroken. Thankfully I had a another horse that would hunt.
I’d never represent any horse as a hunt prospect unless I had taken it out with hounds, with huntsman’s horn blowing and whippers in galloping past cracking a whip, etc.
JMHO
If I find that market I’ll let you know!
I have a certain horse for sale that has succesfully hunted, and have had a few lookers and calls, but so far he is still standing in my field.
I’ve seen many horses sold as “foxhunters” only to find they had not hunted long enough to meet all the challenges these horses face over a hunting season. IMHO it takes at least two seasons, hunting in the middle and front of the field, to be able to claim that a horse is a made hunter, at least two. At that point the horse’s value as a foxhunter can be added to his base value. As with any horse for sale, much depends on the individual.
So, essentially, you have to ask yourself what qualities make a good foxhunter and how many of those qualities does your horse have. From there you can determine where he fits in the foxhunting world and market him accordingly.
About May is when we’ve sold a lots of our hunters. We haven’t had any to sell recently (except my own, but I’m in no hurry). I do know people that are selling though.
And as was pointed out, a horse that WOULD make a great field hunter is different from one that IS a great field hunter.
Thank you for the information… No the horse has not yet been in the field and I wish I could take him and go on hunts myself with him, but right now thats not possible.
Just my two cents…
If I had the money and was in the market for a hunt horse, I’d pay upwards of $25k for a perfect hunt horse, goes first flight front, middle, or back, never refuses, never kicks, vets clean, and has hunted at least 3 seasons.
For a very nice horse that would make a good field hunter that I have to spend 3 loooong years making myself? Maybe $3-5k, and only if he was really nice.
I just finished year 2 with my horse I raised to be a hunt horse. Never refuses, never kicks, no bottom, scared of absolutely nothing. Still a royal pain in my ass. Fingers crossed for the end of next season 
Don’t forget, these days even the made field hunter, with years of experience, is still expected to vet PERFECTLY clean. Quite a quandry, seeing that experience in the hunt field also lends itself to lumps and bumps. Hunters are also expected to do some decent flatwork, because people coming to try will want to try them in the ring first. It is hard to sell them!! Especially during the off season. You should have them ready to roll by August, hunt them all Fall, and hope to sell by Christmas. Best way to sell is word of mouth, find out who “knows” what’s out there and who’s looking in several different hunts and then talk to them often!
Unless the horse had been hunted I wouldn’t bother even looking, let alone drop a bundle of money. Hence my preference for making my own hunters. I KNOW ALL about them.
As everyone else said…ya never know til you go!! And not just once or twice…some horses are so surprised the first time that they are good and get worse with each new hunt. BUT…if you know horses and fox hunters you can usually get a pretty good feel for the way a horse will react. Most amateur foxhunters don’t want wannabees, but made horses. The made horses do have to start somewhere, so with an unknown you have to appeal to a pro who can take the time and chances of hunting and making up a true field hunter. Therefore you have to price the horse where the buyer can either do the work and put the time in OR pay someone else to do it. If the horse is decently broken and started jumping (most greenies don’t jump in the field for a long time) and he has curb appeal/pleasing looks, a hunting trainer might take a chance, but not for the kind of $$$ that “made” foxhunters bring!! Good luck.
If you can’t fox hunt him yourself, best thing to do is find a pro at a local hunt and have them take him out. If he’s good, you might find him snapped up by one of the members!
It’s so true that you just can’t tell how a horse will behave until you’ve hunted a few times.
I have an OTTB that I didn’t think would be able to stand the excitement of the hunt field. He used to have a meltdown if asked to go behind another horse event at a walk and couldn’t imagine galloping him in company.
That one has more than pleasantly surprised me. He’s done a complete turnaround and is ratable and pretty calm in the field. He’s almost learned how to stand!
On the flip side I’ve seen horses that I thought were calm and steady shake like a leaf out in the field.
Do a search of this forum on the topic and you will find that most people who hunt are very wary of a horse who is a potential field hunter sold by someone who does not hunt. Very, very wary.
I just thought he might make a nice fox hunter…I haven’t hunted in a while but I grew up fox hunting as my grandmother was the master of the Triangle hunt. Went on my first hunt when I was 5, we bred race horses, show jumpers and fox hunters. I got this horse hoping we would make a jumper prospect, well he does jump around and will jump big, but I can tell he is just not that into it. He does enjoy long trail rides with other or by himself and the occasional jump or ditch… He was a rescue, and came from a very bad situation, but is EXTREMELY trusting in his rider. It’s almost as he is saying “ok mom if you say it’s ok”… I really like this horse, and I wish I could keep him and just spoil him for the rest of his life, he is just a baby doll. But I am still in school and I want a jumper, so I have to make that choice for myself.
I would LOVE to find someone to take him on a hunt! I will have to look into that!
