Training a hunter?

[DebutsShirrocco]

While this may seem like a very obvious answer… I feel as if the lines are often blurred and I’m curious as to what others think!

I’ve seen many different techniques over the years… I often see that hunters are trained very differently from other horses (ie. jumper, dressage)… Many (even $50,000+) are trained quite different from what I’m used to. I’ve grown up with my mom being my coach, an upper level dressage rider, and I’ve been lucky enough to have well trained horses to ride. But in my view, well trained does not mean easy. When I am riding and bringing along young horses key words that come to mind are forward, supple through the body and also a soft mouth, not just ‘soft’ as in automatically going into frame, but also laterally. However, after working on a hunter farm and having the opportunity to ride their hunters it is very different. I was wondering what techniques people use when training a hunter? Trainers - What is most important for your hunter, training wise, to possess? What makes a good hunter?

[equisusan]

Perhaps the hunter farm you worked on like to take shortcuts? Our hunters and jumpers are started the same on the flat. They learn to go forward and they learn to whoa. They learn to go straight and they do lateral work. They do lots of long and low to build up the strength in their back and hind end. We have no fake frames… our horses reach for the bridle so we can ultimately have a strong, straight horse using its back and hind end in a real frame. Now we may then loop the reins to jump the hunter jumps in the ring but their fundamentals are there.

What did you see at the hunter farm you worked at? Was there a lot of artificial devices used? I’ve noticed a heck of a lot of these types of devices being used these days but I am not one that subscribes to them. I’ll put a pair of draw reins on a horse occasionally if they are young and fresh or maybe needing a little help with straightness but mostly we are out in a double jointed happy mouth snaffle on the youngsters.

[SidesaddleRider]

Our approach is much like equisusan’s above. For us, the key to both hunter and jumpers is flatwork, flatwork, and flatwork, both forward/straight and laterally. Long and low to build a powerful hind and develop the topline. Lots of hillwork for strength. They learn to go in a proper frame (not a fake one). I will put a neck stretcher on them occasionally (as in, maybe 1x/week if necessary) as a refresher, but usually that is only on the young/green ones. We typically ride ours in a french-link loose ring or d-ring snaffle. With that method, and a proper jumping foundation (gymnastics, etc), they come together well, and the hunters can have the reins floated at them and continue on with the right frame, pace, and impulsion.

I purchased a young hunter prospect a few years ago from a top hunter rider. After I brought him home, I realized he was far more uneducated than I had thought he was (a really good rider can make a really green horse look far more educated than they are), and spent the next 6 months instilling FORWARD in him, as well as lateral movements, and building his hind-end strength (he had natural self-carriage from his top dressage breeding) before I really did much jumping with him. He turned into a lovely hunter, with good results at the 3’ height (before he injured himself, sigh).

[equisusan]

[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;7628987]
I purchased a young hunter prospect a few years ago from a top hunter rider. After I brought him home, I realized he was far more uneducated than I had thought he was (a really good rider can make a really green horse look far more educated than they are), and spent the next 6 months instilling FORWARD in him, as well as lateral movements, and building his hind-end strength (he had natural self-carriage from his top dressage breeding) before I really did much jumping with him. He turned into a lovely hunter, with good results at the 3’ height (before he injured himself, sigh).[/QUOTE]

Isn’t this the truth? I bought my current prospect knowing he knew nothing but within a few months of riding him my trainer had him looking like he was broke on the flat. I got on all excited and realized he didn’t even really steer yet. Ha ha. Those good riders can be magicians. This year finally he is a horse I can ride and I’m having a great time. I will leave him in the trainers hands for another year as I have to have spine surgery on my neck so likely will have to stop riding for extended time after surgery. He’ll be the best broke hunter I’ve ever ridden after another year I’m sure. LOL

I’m really sorry to hear your guy injured himself. Was it career ending or just a delay? My guy had a bit of a delay last year which ended up working out anyway as he needed more time to mature. Totally different horse, for the better, this year.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

My jumper and hunter are trained somewhat differently. The basics on the flat are the same. I did all my training on my jumper, so her flat work is not as polished - but that’s a combination of me not being the greatest rider and her conformation (she can’t do the pretty dressage type frame).

My hunter is in training with an event rider. The focus is definitely on being soft (both horse and rider) and self carriage. She does a fair amount of basic “dressage” (aka, proper flat work).

My jumper jumps cross country fences, goes for flat out gallops in the forest and navigates difficult trails. When jumping, we purposely face her with difficult questions so that when she gets a crap spot or a terrible ride in, she can get over it no matter what.

My hunter trail rides, but on the nicer trails. She will never road hack. She does not do cross country jumps. In the ring, the focus on producing the same spot and same stride every time (for the most part). Eventually she will be able to branch out to doing more stuff, but for now her focus is on being a hunter and that’s it.

[RugBug]

The only real difference for me is that I focus on getting all my work done on the lightest contact I can get away with. I still want adjustability, I still want impulsion, I still want lateral movements, I still want balance, I just want them on a very soft contact. I don’t rely on the reins to get things done.

[pryme_thyme]

I think many hunters and jumpers forget dressage.
I ride hunters but my horse isn’t a ‘hunter’ per say. She is balanced all around but I choose to enter hunter type shows.

My favourite characteristics in a hunter are willingness to move off my leg, whether laterally, foward w/e I ask, and willingness to listen.
Everything else I can teach.

First few years are strickly dressage and when the balance and impulsion are there I then begin incorporating a lot of long/low and poles to get them thinking of hoof placement and balance with a longer frame.

Nothing else is really different for me.

[GoodTimes]

I honestly don’t think the training is a whole lot different, but having said that I wouldn’t force a quiet, relaxed, balanced, metronome hunter into the jumper ring, nor would I force a quick, catlike, easily awakened jumper into the hunter ring.

The foundation on each of those horses would be the same, but that natural, steady hunter will have an easier time, and be happier to do his job on a soft contact.
That powerful, scopey, catlike jumper will be quick off the ground, quick and balanced through the inside turns, able to gallop down to an oxer and then immediately balance and shorten to jump through the triple.

[mroades]

Hillwork is nice…if you have hills…lol!
I like my hunters to be broke, not “hunter broke”