I am also very proud of my horse, she was a total star! I’m very excited, this is something that I have wanted to try for many years. I can’t believe that I found the courage.
It’s a great time, glad you tried it. I know so many people who said they’d thought about it for a long time but were apprehensive. Then came in with a huge grin!
I have been experiencing some confidence issues this year (I’m an eventer), so I thought that I might be a bit freaked out, but I didn’t even get nervous at all. I guess I really didn’t have any time to – was just RIDING the whole time.
I think hunting is a great confidence builder for both rider and horse.
Recently an eventer rode behind me in a hunt. She said her horse had been very “looky” xc and started to suck back coming into fences. With my horse in front he jumped everything without a hesitation and she had a great time.
Pretty soon you’ll figure out that hunting is the best sport – all XC and then you get a nice meal ;).
[QUOTE=Bogie;5241754]
I think hunting is a great confidence builder for both rider and horse.
Recently an eventer rode behind me in a hunt. She said her horse had been very “looky” xc and started to suck back coming into fences. With my horse in front he jumped everything without a hesitation and she had a great time.
Pretty soon you’ll figure out that hunting is the best sport – all XC and then you get a nice meal ;).[/QUOTE]
Cross Country With Company! Yes! :yes:
So glad you had a great time and hope you feel the urge to go out again. so glad your horse did well too!!
[QUOTE=Bogie;5241754]
I think hunting is a great confidence builder for both rider and horse.
Recently an eventer rode behind me in a hunt. She said her horse had been very “looky” xc and started to suck back coming into fences. With my horse in front he jumped everything without a hesitation and she had a great time.
Pretty soon you’ll figure out that hunting is the best sport – all XC and then you get a nice meal ;).[/QUOTE]
And you can’t get eliminated …
Welcome!
I’m an eventer too… Novice. I am just completing my first year hunting and I can tell you that its improved my XC tenfold. I learned to LOVE the gallop. And when you’re in your half seat for so long, your lower leg gets stronger and stronger.
I trust my horse more now than ever before. I can not wait to event next year. Hunting this season was one of the best things I’ve ever done to help my eventing.
And, our dressage is still good. Have a blast… its sooo worth it! Now, on to tomorrow’s Thanksgiving hunt!
Yeee haw!!
Ladies & Gentlemen!! We now have 2 more converts to the fold! They drank the koolaid and loved it! Let the celebrations begin!!
Don’t forget to check out the Snobbington Hunt!! We wear cool saddle pads. :winkgrin:
AND you need to write reports & send pictures please!
Great for you!!
I think the best thing about it for eventers is that there is no course walk ahead of time. You get into the moment and whoosh nicely over things that would scare the bejezus out of you if you knew they were coming up. Plus you get to really settle in to a gallop, not just a ten minute course, but hours and miles and the horse learns to deal with it.
[QUOTE=xeroxchick;5243518]
Great for you!!
I think the best thing about it for eventers is that there is no course walk ahead of time. You get into the moment and whoosh nicely over things that would scare the bejezus out of you if you knew they were coming up. Plus you get to really settle in to a gallop, not just a ten minute course, but hours and miles and the horse learns to deal with it.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I think that was one of the bigger adjustments for me yesterday, the galloping on & on & on. I had to get over fighting with my horse a bit and just go with it. The other was the jumping in big groups and making sure to give the person ahead enough space, while also maintaing the flow of the field. I think we did pretty well though! I was thinking during yesterdays hunt that it’s a good thing that I started a running program a few months ago – I would not have been fit enough for this without it!
I generally take a nap after hunting!
I think we met yesterday… I was just in front of you on the hot, little chestnut mare with lots of white… You did great yesterday! I just completed my first season this year and it has really made my mare brave and FIT!!! I was surprised by the amount of galloping as well but thankfully after a full season I don’t get out of breath any more and my legs generally don’t feel like jello. I hope you decide to join, it’s a really great and friendly group of people. I event as well ( not yet with this mare, hopefully next year ) and hunting is the best: galloping and jumping…
[QUOTE=idtogo;5244441]
I think we met yesterday… I was just in front of you on the hot, little chestnut mare with lots of white… You did great yesterday! I just completed my first season this year and it has really made my mare brave and FIT!!! I was surprised by the amount of galloping as well but thankfully after a full season I don’t get out of breath any more and my legs generally don’t feel like jello. I hope you decide to join, it’s a really great and friendly group of people. I event as well ( not yet with this mare, hopefully next year ) and hunting is the best: galloping and jumping…[/QUOTE]
Oh yes, I remember you! My mare was already pretty bold & brave, I guess hunting will only make her more so. I am thinking very seriously about joining the hunt. The problem is, I don’t own a trailer so I would have to rely on getting a ride all the time. My friend Marilyn (who took me yesterday) is completely hooked and already a member and so I could probably ride with her a lot, but she might want to take someone else sometimes.
I event and hunt. The most amazing thing was that hunting improved my dressage score!
Still struggled to make the time on XC. I never could figure out how I could run so fast hunting yet be scared going half the speed on XC.
Haven’t done any real eventing this year as my horse tore a ligament in January, trying to get a couple of the young ones going so haven’t done much other than starter Novice.
I’ve got a five year old mare that is not brave at all out by herself. I’m hoping hunting will give her the confidence she needs to go XC. I have just taken her in some unrecognized starter Novice so far. Next year we’ll see how she goes after a season of hunting.
Geeze, Debbie, you’re going to have me clammoring to start next season when the princess is fit enough. And when I find a big enough bit to bring the fire breathing dragon back down from any kind of a gallop. Loose ring snaffle? I think not.
Glad to hear you had a blast! I’ll have you regale me the next time I see you at the barn.
Go for it!
Catie,
Go with the hilltoppers or the second flight. They don’t go so fast. Check the threads about those options.
Your horse will give up being a fire breathing dragon once she discovers that she is going to be going and going and going for hours. The other horses will tell her that she needs to conserve energy, and will teach her, too. Then you will get to the stage were your horse will pull herself up to a lesser gait to recover, rest while at that gait then pick it up again. You will learn to listen to the engine, as Le Goff use to put it.
You will also learn to give some rein and be soft at the gallop, so the 2 of you aren’t wasting energy fighting. It takes time and patience for both of you to learn the sport, but you will be able to do it for many years, long after eventing. My horses hunted in their 20’s.
After hunting a bit my very hot OTTB has learned to conserve his energy and now stands like a stature at the checks and while waiting to start. It took him a season or so to “figure it out.”
I hunted him in a snaffle for awhile (with a running martingale) but when he started to lean on me and gallop I upgraded to a Kimberwicke. He’s been very polite since!
Also, I hilltopped him for the first full season and then slowly worked up him up to first flight. I tried to make hunting as ho hum for him as possible before introducing a lot of galloping and then, after he got that, slowly integrated in jumps. It took awhile but now at the end of his second year of hunting, he’s a gem.
[QUOTE=whicker;5250222]
Catie,
Go with the hilltoppers or the second flight. They don’t go so fast. Check the threads about those options.
Your horse will give up being a fire breathing dragon once she discovers that she is going to be going and going and going for hours. The other horses will tell her that she needs to conserve energy, and will teach her, too. Then you will get to the stage were your horse will pull herself up to a lesser gait to recover, rest while at that gait then pick it up again. You will learn to listen to the engine, as Le Goff use to put it.
You will also learn to give some rein and be soft at the gallop, so the 2 of you aren’t wasting energy fighting. It takes time and patience for both of you to learn the sport, but you will be able to do it for many years, long after eventing. My horses hunted in their 20’s.[/QUOTE]
Hilltoppers maybe, but I was in Second Flight and I can tell you that there was a lot of hard galloping. Also, although gapping the jumps was an option, it was really much easier to stay with the flow and jump everything. Actually, I think the only ones that ended up in First Flight at this outing were the hunt staff. At one check-point our field master was trying to get people to move up to First Flight, but there were no takers. There really wasn’t any difference that I could tell, we were only a few yards behind the other field most of the time. I would have moved up myself, but wanted to make sure that I could keep my horse behind the hunt staff. At that point in the day it probably would have been fine, but it was my first hunt after all!
I definitely had to have some, um, conversation with my horse through the first couple fields of galloping, but she did settle down and stay in place after we had been going for a while. It was nice once that happened and I could soften and just go with the pace. I can tell you though that every muscle in my body was sore the next day!
At the risk of totally thread-jacking Debbie’s post:
You guys are worse enablers than the eventing crowd! 
First the eventers lure me away from the H/J world with offers of candy, and now this.
But yes, I’m seriously planning on taking the princess out and trying foxhunting next season. She’s only been in work for three months at this point and her body wouldn’t be up to the challenge right now, but next year. I’d like to get the both of us more comfortable with just galloping and jumping. I’m hoping it will add a dose of common sense as well.
That sounds like a really good plan, Bogie. I think I’ll do the same thing and make it as ho-hum for her as possible. No need to rev that engine up higher.
