You’ve got a LOT of variables here: definition of “quiet,” different RIDERS, different situations, different levels of fitness, feeding regimens, anount of turnout, etc. You’ve just got to TRY him and see how he FEELS to YOU.
Of course, nightsong smile That’s always the case, isn’t it?
But most disciplines have a general way of describing a horse that would be different from another - for instance, if I were looking at a WP horse who was “quiet” I would imagine that he would also be too quiet for hunters, because a dead quiet WP horse is likely to be moving almost totally backwards! (No offense to any WP riders intended - but it’s SLOW! 
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I am going to go look at him and ride him - he sounds like a dream. I’m actually very excited about it!
You never know how a horse will hunt until you HUNT HIM. I don’t care what discipline he is currently participating in or how quiet he is in lessons or the show ring, or on the trail or whatever.
Some of the nicest show hunters and the quietest wp horses turn into complete fruit loops in the hunt field, and in all honesty some of the nicest field hunters hate showing. So you never know for sure. And even then one hunt isn’t enough if the horse isn’t an experienced hunter.
This is actually the converse. He IS an experienced hunter. I am not - hence the question - I’ve ridden in other disciplines where quiet means varying things.
Quiet for hunting to me means that he will stand quietly at checks or when asked, and that he is rateable in company, and doesn’t pull or root. An extra bonus is if he is one of those who is happy to go first field today and hilltop tomorrow. One of the grand dames of our hunt always says that “The mark of a good hunt horse is they will go where you put them”
I know I had been told it takes at least 4-5 times to know if you truly have a quiet hunt horse. There are so many factors but I do think you can get a good idea on the type of brain a horse has based on trail rides, hunter paces and things like that. I couldn’t gurantee my horses would hunt but I had a feeling they would. I could tell you which one’s I know wouldn’t hunt even if I find them quiet in the ring.
The things that tend to set most of them off are the reversing of fields, the sound of the horn and hounds, the hounds crowding around them or the fast stop and go. We tend to run really hard and then stop. Then go again and then stop. I think it takes a horse with a really good brain to be able to handle the quick stop and go pace.
So if we are talking about one of these truly quiet horses in the hunt field say a tb that is quiet but forward what price are they going to run you?
This would also be my definition.
My Trakehener was quiet in the hunt field but not dead to the leg. He was just . . . sensible. He went where I asked (first flight, hilltopper or babysitting a new horse), traveled at the speed I asked, and didn’t spook at anything or get upset when other horses misbehaved. He stood like a statue at the check and hunted bitless. I rarely carried a crop (maybe a dressage whip in the ring) and never wore spurs.
He was very tuned into my aids and was not at all dead in the ring. He preferred hunting to anything else we tried, but he was just an all-round sensible horse.
If this horse is as described he’s probably a keeper!
Well I can tell you that the horses that met the criteria when my friend was shopping were all from 10k-20k and that was just what was in her price range and I can tell you they were far and few between. They were all TB’s or TBX’s but the horse she DID buy was a full QH.
These were all horses that were supposedly very quiet, easy and safe to ride but forward movers.Horses sane enough for a timid, older adult rider to canter and gallop behind other horses out trail riding or hunter pacing. A horse that would be happy to leave the group to go around a jump etc…
But when we went to look at a few of them they didn’t fit the bill. One was way too lazy and stopped at a x rail 3 times. We ended up going all the way down to MD to get this hunt horse. Funny thing was she wasn’t looking for a hunt horse specifically, she’s never hunted herself. But this horse was the only one that truly met her criteria.
I personally think the hardest thing to get a horse used to in the hunt field is always staying behind other horses regardless of the speed, rating to a jump when there are other horses who have already taken the jump and galloping along and then of course standing still at checks which can be anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes.
I know some of this can be experienced during a hunter pace but it’s not quite the same.The groups are much smaller for the most part and usually everyone takes turn being in the lead etc…you also have alot more control over what pace you will be traveling at. Of course there are no hounds either.
The hardest thing for my horse has been learning to stay behind the other horses. He tends to get quick/strong. He is better in 1st flight where we are moving at a good pace but he still has his moments. His first 3 hunts were a nightmare. Doing hunting clinics and lots of riding in groups behind others improved this issue alot but we are still not quite where I would like to be.
The great thing about hunting is it is so much fun to practice your skills!! What’s more fun than cantering/galloping and jumping in the fields and woods with a group of friends?
this sounds to me like a truly “quiet but forward” horse. I dont’ think they are easy to find…at all. They are rare and worth their weight in gold.
my mare that I am whipping in off of is like that. I appreciate it so much after hunting her mother for years and getting my butt kicked every time I hunted.
She has been coming along wonderfully, and it has gone up another notch. After boxing day it seems like a light bulb went off and she has it all figured out. We were hand galloping along today on a nice loose rein, I could do my job and she was doing hers and it was awesome.
[QUOTE=Jleegriffith;3796025]
So if we are talking about one of these truly quiet horses in the hunt field say a tb that is quiet but forward what price are they going to run you?[/QUOTE]
Seriously? A real hunt horse that does what you are asking about, that has hunted-and I mean really hunted-like a couple of seasons at least and can be considered a made hunt horse is mid five figures easy.
I had my mare appraised for her insurance last year and almost choked at what they came back with. But real foxhunters will pay real money for a nice hunt horse. They are worth their weight in gold.
I totally agree with Jaegermonster on the mid-five-figure price range!!!
I agree as well. If they have held up long enough and have the mind to be a made hunter they are worth it.
[QUOTE=LookinSouth;3796141]
But when we went to look at a few of them they didn’t fit the bill. One was way too lazy and stopped at a x rail 3 times. [/QUOTE]
One of the hardest things about finding a good hunt horse is that you can’t tell how they are in the hunt field unless you hunt them. Trying them in an arena or on the trail just doesn’t tell you a lot. I have one who is a hot and frisky ride at home - no one would believe how quiet and workmanlike he is in the hunt field. Another is sooooo lazy at home and actually hard to ride because one must kick him along, but he has plenty of energy in the field. The other is spooky at home but a perfect guy in the field. They just know the difference and it’s hard for them to take much very seriously when not doing their job.
People make this comment to us all the time about not knowing how the horses are in the field, because most of the time people are looking to purchase during the “off-season.” However, ours are thankfully well documented on film to have been out hunting, and are also well known by others in the field for “references” from the masters, etc.
However, I would shy away from anyone selling a foxhunter, who during the hunt season, wouldn’t offer to take a potential buyer out. We’ve had serious buyers before and offered for them to come hunting with us, as long as they paid their own cap fee. Actually sold a very nice horse to a lady in Michigan, whose trainer came and hunted the horse with us. He’s now a Master’s horse, and also dabbles in the jumpers with her grandson, I believe.
He was QUIET!!! Jumped everything, not dead to the leg, was the local schooling jumper champion during the summer, and was just a comfortable ride! Everything described by Jlee and more! He sold in $20K range with 3 seasons of hunting. (BTW, he was an OTTB, nice topline, but Dr. Allen did say his conformation looked like he was put together by committee)
this is true. problem is the horse she was trying at that time wasn’t a hunt horse. It was a seasoned low level eventer that had consistent top scores in Area I. So stopping at a X rail multiple times whether in or out of the ring was completely unacceptable. And this was with the owner riding:yes:
Personally, if I was shopping for a hunt horse and expecting to spend mid-high five figures I would hope that said horse would also be useful in the ring i.e. suitable for dressage, hunters, jumpers, eventing etc… Granted none of these might be their forte but I would hope I would at least be able to take the horse to a lesson or show in one of these disciplines and not be laughed out of the ring:winkgrin:. I would not only want to take the horse hunting but also ride it alone in the open and see what it can do o/f in the ring.
most of the mid five figure real field hunters can do just that.
GettingBack
The hunt is a pretty scary endeavor for most horses. I would say a quiet hunt horse is one that handles the “ups and downs” of the hunt without dramatics. I have a “quiet hunt horse” … He will gallop quietly with the group on a loose rein, and if we suddenly have to pull up for a gallop and be very still and quiet… he’ll pop a back foot and hang out. So, I would say thats a quiet hunt horse… one that doesnt “feed” off the other horses and constantly dance around like crazy or something.
Some years ago my daughter had a foxhunter who was just perfect for her. Rode in a snaffle and saddle - no other equipment needed. Dead steady for everything…lope down to a 4 foot oxer in the stadium - you swore he wasn’t “awake enough”, but he’d just tuck and go. However if you tried to flat him - ugh! After one full circle either way you needed dynamite to make a second one!! But who cared?? He was a SUPER foxhunter!! If the owner the OP mentions has more I’ll take a trailer load!!!
Quiet for me is…
Quiet for me means…that there’s almost no sounds coming from them & me when we’re hunting…:winkgrin:…no squealing, thudding, grunting, neighing, farting, snorting, cussing and most of all…no breaking sounds!! :yes: and no screaming sounds!!
Laughing sounds good - crying/yelling not so good! If you hear bad words coming from either of us = bad. If you hear “Whoa dammit” or “Oh no!” or “Uh oh” or “Oh shit” you can bet one of us isn’t being quiet!! 
If I’m smiling when I come in and am in one piece? = Good quiet fieldhunter!
