At what temperature, but particularly ground conditions, do most of you cease hunting your own horses even if hunting is not cancelled for the day? Do you hunt on frozen ground when there is NO snow cover? Will you hunt on frozen ground WITH snow cover?
Just curious to find out how much of a mother hen I am.
I will hunt in the snow on frozen ground, as long as the temps are 15+ F.
I don’t particularly like to hunt on non-snow covered frozen ground without studs/borium or a non-shod horse. Too slippy otherwise.
If it’s ice-covered ground, forget it.
Today’s weather is too much for me to ride, and even if they are hunting tomorrow, I won’t be there.
Not only do I cease attending a hunt when the ground is frozen solid but I cease riding in the woods altogether. I missed a few of the last hunts during formal season this year because the ground was rock hard by Thanksgiving:(
I stick to the indoor or a very level field with a nice cushion of grass and only do light work in the field.
I just don’t think the pounding on their joints is good for them on the frozen ground. I know my own horse never gallops around his paddock when it is rock hard, in fact he only does a little bit of trot here and there. I get the feeling he doesn’t like the really hard ground…can’t blame him. If I really want to get in a gallop when the ground isn’t suitable I’ll head to a beach.
Fortunately we’ve had a covering of snow for some time now and are getting more this weekend. I much prefer winter hunting when there is a layer of snow for cushioning. We hunted in the snow last Feb. and it was quite nice. My horse has studs/snow pads so he has no problem with the snow. I probably wouldn’t take a horse out hunting w/o them.
I was supposed to go tracking with the MFH this weekend but that won’t be happening because of the extremely cold weather we will be having (high of 19 degrees). I dont’ imagine they will be hunting on Sunday either. I don’t ride much outside when it is below 20. I will ride out when it’s 20-30 if there isn’t a hard wind.
If I am planning on going hunting I likely won’t go unless it is going to be above freezing. Call me a whimp but I’d prefer to stay indoors and work on my dressage when it’s that cold or go for a short, brisk trail ride.:winkgrin:
Our hunt calls it quits by early December because of the ground (up here in Albany, NY), although we will hunt if there is snow before then. I learned my lesson this year about riding outside on frozen ground- it’s like cement to land on. I was just hacking my hunt horse out during a really cold snap in Mid-November, he spooked at something and I hit the ground at a very awkward angle, cracked a rib and was some serious kind of black and blue and sore for about a week. And to add insult to injury, I had to take the rest of hunting season off. So, my motto is now better safe than sorry.
The pure cold doesn’t bother me near as much as the in between temperature when it can get very slick here. Frozen underneath but a layer of “grease” on top. I’ve been out with snow, jumped with snow. Always have my horses well studded.
Here’s photos from a hunt, about 14 degrees. Me, a whip, and the huntsman with a wheel whip. No one else showed up. It was a weekday hunt. I think no one could get their trailers out. At that time I was still hacking distance from the kennels.
The photos were beautiful.
http://www.pbase.com/lesliegra/hunting_4_feb_04
But our hunt usually cuts off when wind chill is below 20F. They try to change start times etc. when the weather is cold. So bottom line is that they cancel way before I do.
I prefer frozen ground over greasy ground. But, I won’t go on a joint hunt where the hosting hunt really moves on frozen ground. Did that last year and was treated with huge windpuffs on my horse’s hind ankles the day after! I won’t go out below 20 though…just not fun to be standing around in the field if it should be a quiet day.
But our second flight fieldmaster will take it easy on hard ground so I will go out with my own group.
Snow covered? I will if it is not icy (we would cancel anyway) and if I can get my rig up the driveway and out of my farm!
Depends on a variety of factors:
Hunting in snow can be absolutely great if it’s not windy and scenting is good. Don’t be shy. Snow also reduces the size of the field so sometimes you can get up close and personal when you would not be able to do that otherwise.
jmho
Well for example; as I write this it’s 18 and was in single digits earlier & last night. Ground rock hard. Windchills low with medium breeze. Suns out. Local hunts? Warrenton cancelled, Old Dominion on at 11am and Bull Run went out at 10am. Personally, I don’t want to hack out today even!
It’s the hard, frozen footprints & frozen mud that causes me concern along with the “greasiness” that’ll develop later. I don’t think caulks or studs really help. Not had any luck with my big draft crosses so I stay home.
I don’t think you’re a weenie. It’s a personal decision and no one can make a wrong one here. You have to be realistic about your hunt, that particular meet site, your horses conditions, the weather, the footing, the pace of your fieldmasters. I know I’ve made some poor decisions in the past and learned from them. Horsie & I have fallen, bones broken, injuries, shoes pulled, etc. So I don’t hunt in snow as horses are flat shod and get snow balls bad. I will hack out. I prefer not to hunt below upper 20’s but the wind is a big, big factor here. Windy and I push the temps up!! :yes: Greasy and I worry about the field we’re parking in and whether I can get out!
I’ve also found as I get older; I am more & more reluctant to risk things and my cold tolerance is definitely decreasing. There’s always another day to hunt!!! 
Lowest temp I ever hunted in was 12-15 and I had a horrible accident so I learned my lesson. Great hunt btw!! So to each their own!
Great pics the appy looks totally camoflauged. Snowy rump matches the ground and hounds perfectly.
Thanks guys. I made the decision to stop hunting when the ground froze this year and was feeling like a wuss…but now I feel a little better. My horses hunt barefoot so while they can deal with pretty rugged terrain in terms of rocks, etc, I worry about galloping on concrete.
Thanks for the responses 
whew…now i don’t have to feel so bad for missing hunts.
this past sunday was beautiful, but the horses handn’t been turned outside in 10 days due to ice. the boarding stables decided since they would have to walk over the slick gravel drive to the pastures that they didn’t want to risk horse or handler falling. They did turn the horses in small groups in the arena though…and i hadn’t ridden in a week…and my trailer was iced in…and will be for the next few weeks…even though where I hunt tends to be less icy, for some reason where I board the horses, all the ice landed there this year…I hope I can get out a few more times, but not when it’s icy or totally frozen ground…
My first formal hunt was with Old Dominion last March. It was 18 degrees and started snowing late into the hunt. I felt all sorts of bad-ass for sticking thru the end when half the field left after the first hour :lol: We sighted two foxes though!
It is my first year of hunting also and I didn’t go on this Sunday due to frozen ground. My personal horse is currently barefoot and he is a TB so if I hunted him barefoot on this frozen lumpy ground I would be asking for bruising. I will get him shod all the way around and then see what I think. I think it is all about making smart choices based on the horse you are riding. I am a cold weather wimp and slightly a bit of a footing snob. Good footing makes for a sound horse and one that will last longer. Not to mention falling off on hard ground due to slipping or other circumstances hurts worse:lol:
Do you tend to use studs, borium or other traction devices. I admit our previous winters on the eastern shore have been fairly mild so this cold weather is cramping my style. If I am not trailering to an indoor I simply can not ride. Hopefully, I will be able to put in an all weather ring in the next year or so but that is a big expense I can not justify right now.
I think my temperature cutoff is around 25. If its that but not windy I’ll go. The one footing condition I don’t like is when you get that thin greasy layer of thawed mud over the frozen ground. If everything is frozen, that’s no worse then the hard ground of early cubbing season. If everything is thawed I can deal with that also.
My first flight horse has studs all around and has since September. The youngster who has been hilltopping just got drilled for rear studs. I use a #6 ice stud all the time. Its seems to be a good all around choice.
When I hunted in Loudoun County I had borium because we were on pavement regularly. That lead to bruised toes. We moved south to central VA, I switched over to just studs. We’re never on any pavement.
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