Hi- Looking for some opinions. I am an eventer and have a horse I just moved up to Prelim (3’7") this year. However- he does not appear to be cut out for upper level eventing. :no:
I think he may have potential for the hunter ring… so here is what I have:
17h+ Tb (though usually mistaken for a warmblood- lots of presence), nice mover, very very quiet (fine for kid or AA), canters around happily over anything with his head down and has a nice round jump. He just doesn’t seem to be into blazing around rolling terrain over large solid obstacles.
Assuming he fits the hunter job, how do you go about the transition and selling a horse in the hunter world? I used to do some hunters when I was younger so could try a few 3’+ classes and see how he takes to it. Would byers shy away from full TB? Should I find a hunter trainer to take a look and see what they say? Im in NOVA, so good horse area. However def can not afford to send him off to be competed/sold!
Ideas/suggestions would be great as well as what people look for when buying a hunter!
Thanks
Take him to a hunter trainer in your area for an honest assessment of what you have. Get a video of him going around a hunter course looking like a hunter.
You didn’t mention lead changes, but that’s going to be an important factor. The fact that he’s a TB should not matter as long as he looks appropriate for the job.
Good luck!
A good horse, is a good horse. If your guy can do the job, or looks like he eventually could, I don’t think that selling him will be a problem. If he has an ammy friendly personality, that will be a HUGE plus.
I know some very good hunter trainers in VA who have full TB’s in their barn who do quite well in the rated shows and have even won at some very prestigious shows in the northeast. So there are people out their who appreciate a TB in the hunter ring. It may not be as common now, but they are out there if you look.
It absolutely needs a good lead change. Don’t bother spending the money to go down this path unless it either has or can quickly learn a good lead change.
Also, since you did a 3’6"+ height this year, look into the rules about rolling him back a year so that he will still be eligible First Year. If you can, do that and stick to the 3’ classes.
It will need a resume too. You don’t need to pay someone else to do it for you, but it would be good to pay to take lessons with a good hunter trainer so that you get an assessment of your horse, help to show him off the best, and perhaps learn a little about how to transition a horse into hunterland for the next time an eventer doesn’t work out. Dropping several hundred on a rated show to learn that your horse or your ride is not what they are looking for would be much more expensive than taking a couple lessons first. Also if a trainer knows you and the horse it is easier for them to help get the horse sold.
Thanks so much everyone! We will begin our lead change work today. He will do them, but since it is not required in eventing and I hate teaching them I usually get away with just avoiding them!
Also if anyone has recommendations as to a trainer in northern VA that could help us transition/ put me on the right path to compete and sell him could you please send me a message?
Zaney, The one thing that I found surprising when I purchased an event horse and took her to a hunter show was that as quiet as she was she had no concept of the commotion that happens in a flat class especially at the local level. My mare was completely undone by the other horses running up her butt and buzzing by. Get him out to a couple of shows and ride in the warmup area with everyone going 15 different directions. I wish I had thought of it before I took my girl to compete at a show.
[QUOTE=cripplecreekfrm;7636549]
Zaney, The one thing that I found surprising when I purchased an event horse and took her to a hunter show was that as quiet as she was she had no concept of the commotion that happens in a flat class especially at the local level. My mare was completely undone by the other horses running up her butt and buzzing by. Get him out to a couple of shows and ride in the warmup area with everyone going 15 different directions. I wish I had thought of it before I took my girl to compete at a show.[/QUOTE]
That’s really strange, because you should see the warm-up arenas for an event. They are just as wild & crazy as a h/j show, if not more so…
a former barnmate had a lovely horse that was going to be her move-up horse - lovely mover, lovely over fences but she was too lovely over the Prelmin course just didn’t want to go the speed needed. She ended up at a hunter barn where they started her in the hunters pretty much right away and was a superstar. She did do her leads, won every hack class entered.
i’m also sending you a PM
Dune - This mare actually tried to crawl out of the ring when others would run up her butt in the hacks. She was also very tense and would drop her butt and scoot when they ran up behind her. I was surprised as well because I did ride her in the ring during warmup time and she was fine. She has beautiful courses just couldn’t relax in the hacks. I am so thankful that I decided to ride her myself then putting one of my students on her. I attributed it to doing dressage tests alone that she wasn’t used to hacking in big groups. Maybe I was wrong and it was just her.
[QUOTE=cripplecreekfrm;7636571]
Dune - This mare actually tried to crawl out of the ring when others would run up her butt in the hacks. She was also very tense and would drop her butt and scoot when they ran up behind her. I was surprised as well because I did ride her in the ring during warmup time and she was fine. She has beautiful courses just couldn’t relax in the hacks. I am so thankful that I decided to ride her myself then putting one of my students on her. I attributed it to doing dressage tests alone that she wasn’t used to hacking in big groups. Maybe I was wrong and it was just her.[/QUOTE]
Eventing warm-ups are just as scary as H/J warm-ups…I’ve never in my life heard people yell, “Gallop!!!” so much as in a low-level eventing warm up. It certainly wasn’t the place I wanted to be with my space conscious ride.
I think eventers do spend more time in the ring alone or in privates so the horse that isn’t used to groups doesn’t really get exposed to them much. That is one nice thing about buying a fox hunter…she isn’t fazed AT ALL by large groups…although she does hate being alone. :lol:
I think the “everyone going the same way at the same time” aspect of the hunter ring could be confusing and set off a horse who has not done much of work in that type of atmosphere.
OK thanks- didn’t even think about the hack class atmosphere so will try and get to some small schooling shows to see how it goes before anything big. He is super laid back so hope he would be ok though he has never gone round-the-ring with a bunch of other horses except warm up
A friend of mine had a lovely OTTB who had no problems handling the warm up ring at a show, big or little. Horses going in a bunch of different directions, jumping, cutting across his path, etc - no big deal. In the hack, all of the horses going in the same direction where he could hear and see the horses coming up behind him, totally unglued him. He just wanted to run.
Skyy - That is EXACTLY what I experienced with my mare!!! The warm up she was her normal self nothing phased her, even when a pony almost T Boned her. but get her in a hack where everyone was moving in the same direction and they were coming behind her actually scared the crap out of my Plem. horse that isn’t scared of anything. It took a long time of taking her to shows and blowing the hacks for her to get used to it but it is something that is really hard to teach at home.
No marketable value at all, please send to me for $0.
:lol:
If you’re not solid with installing lead changes, I would strongly recommend that you pay a good h/j pro to ride a couple of times an install them for you. A hunter one hundred percent needs to have a clean lead change - and almost all buyers looking for a show horse will pass if it doesn’t. It is very time consuming to correct a late changer/rushing changer etc. and there’s no guarantee you will ever fix it.
The hack is not necessarily a deal breaker - after all its 3 o/f and one hack and a lot won’t even bother to hack one that isn’t likely to be in the ribbons.
[QUOTE=Toaster;7636624]
I think the “everyone going the same way at the same time” aspect of the hunter ring could be confusing and set off a horse who has not done much of work in that type of atmosphere.[/QUOTE]
A hack class resembles a herd. Moreso than a warmup ring where horses are going in different directions at different speeds. “ZOMG we’re all running the same direction there must be something chasing us”.
I know many horses that have successfully been sold as hunters. I echo the lead changes and to take him to a few hunter shows. Go ahead and have a junior/ammy or pay a pro to show him though. Also, don’t say anything about “eventer flop” or “eventer reject”. I would say something along the lines of “easy going demeanor would allow him to excel in the hunter ring.” or something ;). Most of the event horses I rode that were “flipped” into hunters sold after just a few months and 2-3 hunter shows under their belt. If he is big, scopey, and has a good presence you could also market him as an equitation mount. Good luck!
[QUOTE=SmartAlex;7636988]
A hack class resembles a herd. Moreso than a warmup ring where horses are going in different directions at different speeds. “ZOMG we’re all running the same direction there must be something chasing us”.[/QUOTE]
It also resembles a race…
Send horse to me 
Sounds exactly like what I need
