Do lots of trail riding first with lots of change of pace over many footing types. Walk, trot, canter, hand gallop, halt. The order of pace should be varied and your horse should halt and stand still for several minutes after any gait.
Once your horse is used to trails then add a dog (hound) that is happy to go off the trail a bit and then pop out somewhere else along the trail. Your horse needs to know that the hounds are not a threat, even when they come careening out of the woods and brush. A horse that kicks hounds is not welcome in the hunt field.
Make your trail rides longer and longer, until once a week or so you are able to ride at a hunt pace for however long your local hunt stays out. Some hunts stay out for 2 hours others up to 4-5 hours. You and your horse need to build up the physical and mental endurance to last.
Ride with large groups. Get your horse used to the idea that he/she doesn’t get to be first, that its ok to have a horse 3-4 feet behind. Move at pace in a large group. Make sure you have brakes and control even when riding with a large group. Get your horse to back off the trail so that the hunt or staff may pass safely by. Teach your horse how to reverse field. It is helpful if you can keep your horse’s hind end tipped slightly away from the riders coming towards you during a reverse field. This will help keep your horse from kicking out.
Teach your horse to tolerate spurs and or a crop. Your horse will most likely do something wrong and you will need to discipline them immediately and effectively. You may also need some incentive to jump a scary jump or cross water. You will be sorry when you don’t have those. You can train your horse to tolerate those things. Been there, done that. Strongly consider using a standing or running martingale. Teach your horse to tolerate that as well. You’d be surprised that your dear docile baby can turn into a raving lunatic when the hunt starts.
Make sure you can jump logs and other obstacles (under 2ft) comfortably. Make sure your horse will cross water politely. Stepping through water crossing carefully and slowly is safer than lurching over, especially if the footing is trappy. Make sure you can hold your 2 pt for at least 10-20 minutes. When you are out for that long you will be doing your horse a favor by getting off of his/her back as much as possible.
If you jump and plan on going first flight, make sure your horse is able to jump the coops/walls/panels in your territory. Most will be 3’-3’6" coops, other places have 4’ and some just jump the regular fence (4’6"). These jumps may be in tricky spots and have tricky footing at the base. You need a horse with a 5th leg and a sense of self preservation and bravery! Teach your horse to trot jumps, even if you have been cantering around. In our territory you sometimes will be jumping from a field into a wooded area with the trail on the edge of the field wood line. You jump, land, and then 1 stride later turn left or right to continue down the trail. This can also be the case if you are jumping out of a field that is along a road. You have 1 stride to effect a turn before being on the road surface. Teach your horse to hold up several strides from the person jumping in front of you. This allows you to make sure they made it over the jump and are out of your landing area. If the person falls off, you need to be able to have your horse NOT jump, even though the other riders are leaving you behind. Teach your horse to jump the jump even if the one in front has refused the fence.
If at all possible, go out on a made field hunter for your first hunt!!! Watch, listen and learn. Bring home all those things and start working on making your horse into a field hunter. It is much safer for you, your horse and those that would be riding with you for you to ride a made horse first. You and your horse will enjoy the sport much more if you do it this way. It is very hard on the horse to have both be green beans in the hunt field on the first day. You could easily blow your horses mind with his/her first experience and ruin them to hunting. If a made horse is not available, then go and car follow or follow on foot. The hunt’s secretary can be helpful in lining up the best fixture and someone else who follows on foot or in a car.
I feel certain that you will enjoy hunting. Give your horse 6+ hunts before you decide that they will be a successful field hunter. If they are angels the first time out, be ware on the next few hunts. Some horses are so shocked by all the new things that they seem to be behaving, only to show their true colors after they have taken it all in. If they are raving lunatics the first few hunts, give them a chance to chill out.
Happy Hunting and please report back after you’ve been out. We’d love to hear from you!!
