# Jumping when hunting... do you...



## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

... jump everything there is to jump?  Jump things to a certain height?  Jump things that are inviting/good ground?  Don't jump at all??

I jump most stuff, but don't bother if there is an open gate/gap right next to it unless it is a particularly nice looking hedge/wall.  I don't really see the point and have been taught to save my horse for what might come later in the day!  So I don't bother with XC jumps and stuff either.

I was just wondering what you people do?


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## k9h (15 January 2008)

Ditto to you!

I jump what I have to (tends to be the more nasty stuff!)
We had a meet this season &amp; the first fence was &amp; lovely post &amp; rails on the Skipton HT land!
Well right next to where they were going to jump was a open gate way. I have to save my horse as much as poss so I went through the gate. One lady went for rails got totally jumped out badly winded &amp; stopped her day there! 
I was always taught you do not jump for no reason as that is when accidents happen.
A Master did this on their own estate. Hacking home with hounds they decided to jump a wall (gate right next to it &amp; 100 yards from the stables) His horse did &amp; tendon &amp; never recovered. Well he came sound 3yrs later for hacking but that was his limit.

I suppose it's different though as I am there to do a job not enjoy myself. If I was a member of the field then...


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## Drummer (15 January 2008)

I jump what you 'have' to jump plus a hedge or a couple of others that I cannot resist.  We were out last week and there were lots of xc jumps but we just ignored them as we prefer to save it till we need to jump.  I may go over others that give me a buzz or a bit of a challenge but not really one for going over things for the sake of it.


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## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

Yes I was going to say, it's much harder work for your horses!!

We do plenty of jumping anyway though, and if it's just a poxy little wall then It's too much effort to set my horse up and stop him at the other side!  Much easier to trot through the gate! :smirk: If it's something more challenging and we are running I'll go over the fence - but thats easier than pulling up to a sensible speed to go through the gate - I think I'm just lazy!

My dad used to go out of his way to find silly things to jump and he had a couple of bad falls.  His horses were always ok though.  I'd feel really bad if I injured my horse just for the sake of a jolly!


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## Christmas Crumpet (15 January 2008)

When I was little I was always taught - you should only jump when hounds are running...!!!


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## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

That could be very unpractical!!


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## CastleMouse (15 January 2008)

I jump everything, even if there's an open gate right next to it I will still jump...


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## RunToEarth (15 January 2008)

I always follow you Sarah, mainly because you're my drinking partner, and you always pick the fun stuff. 
I think its a little bit selfish for people to jump when there is an open gate, mainly becuase if it is as wet as it is now it is churning up the land for the farmer, and if its something demolishable ie a wall, there is no need to risk knocking it down.
Last time we met from Mustard Pot one of our whips (KD) jumped a wall with wire on it when there was a gate open. There was no reason whatsoever to jump the wall, hounds had finished hunting the trail, huntsman and 2nd whip had gone through gate and as a result whip got his horse wrapped in wire, I'm sure you were out Sarah. My mum always taught me to save my horse for the bits where I need to jump, hunting is incredibly hard on the horses, I think its only fair we make it as easy as we can.


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## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

Very good point about the walls/ground, we make enough mess as it is already! :smirk:

It's like on boxing day, first wall was a little drop with a big open gateway next to it and a massive down hill field behind it, It was the kind of spot where Badger would have pelted down the field so I tottered through the gate - next minute Sammy had broke his arm and Mrs S. was laid on the floor because Jasper had jumped her off! :smirk:  I can understand why they do it for the kids/newbies but it all seems a bit pointless to me, UNLESS it is something worth jumping!


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## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

CM - can i ask why you feel the need to jump everything?


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## RunToEarth (15 January 2008)

I suppose when I had Bertha and I was a little bit younger I would be up for jumping everything, but now I have far more understanding of the demands I put on my horses, this sport is so hard for them, I think its so mean asking them to jump things when there is a gate by the side, and again I know how pissed off my dad would be seeing a field full of hunters jumping his wall, knocking it down and churning the ground up when he had purposely open the gate. We rely on the goodwill of farmers, and farmer's like their gates shut, so if one is open, its more than likely been opened because the farmer would rather you go through it. Of course the whole point of hunting is to go XC and jump the things in your way, but I can't understand people's need for jumping things when the gates are open, selfish on the landowner and the horse.


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## Tinkerbee (15 January 2008)

Will only jump if it looks safe to do so, but do tend to jump anything, point Dukey and sit tight


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## Skhosu (15 January 2008)

The hunts I have been on, one was really an excuse to gallop around good event grounds-so you jump what you want, I jumped everything I thought I was capable of and wanted to.
The other hunt, they jump everything as they go, so so do you. I did see a huntsman attempt to jump a gate because he wanted to, horse said no. 
If anyone recalls that post only me put up, it was a lad jumping a (6?) bar gate, a friend of mine jumped it as well, but it was in a separate part and unnecessary, but on that 'hunt' it is the excuse for a gallop around good event grounds.


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## madgirl (15 January 2008)

Umm jump most things that get in our way, we don't usually have open gate ways by the fences and you usally have to take a different route round so usually jump. If my horse was partiularly tired and likely to hit a wall and cause damage to me or him or if the ground was already VERY bad I would go round it...what is the point in taking a big risk on a tired horse?


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## faerie666 (15 January 2008)

As I've only ever hunted racehorses (anyone care to lend me a proper hunter for a change?  ), some of them with no brain to speak of, I'm very careful about what I jump. I'll usually only jump out of and into good ground, don't like jumping downhill (might not stop the other side), and never jump anything with wire anywhere near it. At the end of the day, the horses I hunt have racing as their main job and there's no need to risk them on silly things out hunting. 
Oh, and I'm also a big wimp out hunting. :grin:


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## Rowreach (15 January 2008)

I'm considered a bit weird because I will only jump if I have to - although I will take on most things, because I have a very good horse, but I won't jump something that looks totally dangerous.  I would never ever jump if there is a way round because it is pointless, puts a strain on the horse, and is often the time when something goes wrong.

In our hunt, most people are out for the jumping and will sometimes "school" backwards and forwards over things.  Quite mad if you ask me, and considering we are in the wettest part of Ireland, it's pushing our luck with the farmers aside from risking horse, life and limb.


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## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

I don't blame you!!!  I'd be the same!  My dads got an ex-racer who is normally pretty level headed but has his moments - I don't fancy taking him, especially when I've got my reasonably sane hunter to take instead!


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## k9h (15 January 2008)

Ah yes when I qualified P2P's I never jumped them as they had another job to do!
Also when jumps have a flait or wire across &amp; you have to get off to take it off you may as well get off to open the gate!


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## faerie666 (15 January 2008)

You learn to be cautious after repeatedly getting dumped head first into a ploughed field by a horse that gets so het up that it forgets to actually pick its feet up going over 2'3" hunt jumps, and lands on its face.  :crazy:
My current horse is actually really good out hunting, but he's 14, mildly arthritic, and still a racehorse first, I just don't want to overdo it on him either. 
I've been toying with the idea of getting a hireling and having a "proper" days hunting, but I just can't justify the money to myself at the moment. 
Plus, as I said, I'm a wimp. :grin:


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## Starbucks (15 January 2008)

I bet you wouldn't be a wimp on a "normal" horse! 

i'm sure you'll get the chance soon enough.


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## k9h (15 January 2008)

We have a lady that also whips in for us &amp; she is a trainer/jockey &amp; she will do it on her racehorses! But she is that good &amp; her horses that they think nothing of it!


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## kirstyhen (15 January 2008)

We find sneaky bits round as often as possible!
The master once congratulated me on jumping an HUGE hedge with a ditch and wire infront as i was the only field member to still be behind him, however wed snuck round 
when no one was looking! I didnt correct him!
My horse isnt very scopey and he gets silly when he has to que and then hes not careful, last year he fell over a hedge and splatted me onto my head, we were both ok, but it knocked my confidence! So now im even more picky about what i jump!


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## wizzi901 (15 January 2008)

on my oldie will jump anything, love it, on new one, very picky low safe ones!!


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## faerie666 (15 January 2008)

May I ask who that is? 
My old boss used to hunt hounds on one of his pointers, so some of them are pretty good at it. I just seem to get the nutters most of the time :crazy:, and in case you didn't notice in my last post, I'm a wimp :grin: :grin:


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## LindaW (15 January 2008)

Depends who I'm on, on Salad I will choose what we do, he hates skinny rails, but has flown every hedge I've ever pointed him at.  He doesn't do xc jumps, he 'knows' theres a way round and doesn't see the point, but things with no way round normally he jumps without hesitation.  Was getting the hang of walls, but, I do enjoy him with hedges best.

Molls is v green, this is her first season, she's a young trakehner who's quite hot.  With her I'm choosing my days and fences carefully, I hope to event her, and I'm looking at always thinking of her confidence.  She's never stopped so far, and her and Salad have both given people leads over things and through fords etc..

Gina hasn't been out yet, she was only backed before christmas, will go autumn hunting/hound exercise or some of the Readyfield ambles during the summer.  She's an out and out jumper though from seeing her loose jumped, so expect great things from her - she's a proper hunter type too.

In all cases I won't jump wire - I'm scared of it, simple as that.


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## kirstyhen (15 January 2008)

Agree, wire scares me too, purely because hen will run blind if he gets too worked up, a hedge or a fence hell see but hed just run through wire. I wouldnt use it to fence my fields so i wont jump it!
Maybe if i had a horse that would see it and jump i wouldnt mind!


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## Chumsmum (15 January 2008)

In my very limited hunting experience (twice) I haven't jumped   :grin: yet!  

TBH for the time I was out there wasn't a huge amount to jump.  I would pick my jumps v carefully - small and easy!

Thank you everyone for giving me a thousand reasons NOT to jump, I'm going to use them all  :grin:


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## LizzieJ (15 January 2008)

Pretty much the same as you although I think I'll be giving some of the gates a miss when mine comes back sound again!


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## blackcob (15 January 2008)

B has a rather haphazard jumping style - she will either launch herself into the stratosphere and clear it with feet to spare, possibly jumping me off in the process, or slither up to it and dump me on the other side. As such, I choose my fences with care  Nice small neat ones with good ground, and no wire as she is blind in one eye and I worry she won't see it properly. I only jump when necessary as she's only a little horse and it tires her out enough keeping up with the bigguns.


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## k9h (16 January 2008)

This is jumping wire!

http://www.nickgillphotography.co.u...roughton_B_10_11_07/broughton hall0708123.JPG

In New Zeland all they jump is wire sayine barbed is the best as it just breaks if you catch it. 
They think we are mad for jumping solid fences which you can not see what the landing is like!


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## Starbucks (16 January 2008)

Gosh - clever ponies!


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## Solstar (16 January 2008)

i dont jump unless i have to, or the jump is small and inviting- Red, who i hunt, is 18, and although i know he would jump anything, he's my OH's, and i wouldn't want Redster to get hurt.


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## k9h (16 January 2008)

Gosh - clever ponies!
		
Click to expand...

They are that but sometime I think the jockey's are tapped!!

I remember our last legal day when I got my face smashed up! We had a Grand National jockey out with us, he held my horse up agaist a bank to get back on (was that grey jumping wire in fact) &amp; Dom said "you lot are mental! With what you jump!) I was like how can you say that hurtling round the Grand National!!


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## Starbucks (16 January 2008)

hehe, I suppose it's what you get used to really isn't it.. Rob Whit come out with us a bit and gets dead excited if we jump big walls and stuff - I would have thought it would be a walk in the park compared to what he's used to!


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## k9h (16 January 2008)

Yea but he is use to jumping on perfectly manicured ground!
Which you don't get out hunting!!


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## madgirl (16 January 2008)

one f the pointer at the yard is ana amzing hunter jumps everything and is brilliant the other is mental and wont hunt again this season.


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## KatB (16 January 2008)

I used to jump everything on my cob, unless there was a gate open in which case we would go round. Our hunt used to jump ffor the sake of jumping, so do a line of hedges a couple of times... so you never needed to jump when thee was a gate there, often it was a welcome break!!! Although we did once jump a footpath skinny style gate thing... O Goddy I am very picky about. Would never jump wire on either of my horses.


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## Christmas Crumpet (16 January 2008)

On our vale days there is a lot of hedge hopping etc and going round and round but the going is exceptionally deep. After doing the hedges once or twice I stop at the top of the hill to give the pony a breather. Once you've jumped them once - you know you can do them!!

I find with my current pony I am happy to attempt anything except wire on her. My big old hunter was the same. Wire I just worry they can't see it. The placing of hunt coats over the wire does do the job though!!


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## Vicki1986 (17 January 2008)

i jump everything you have to unless my pony is really tiring and the jump is big - then i find a way round (can be easy on a small pony sometimes just to go through / under things!)

I just take a view on how much petrol is in the tank, i don't usually jump the optional sutff unless its something really fun.

If pony starts tiring she starts knocking things so i need to get balance just right but usually are ok.

Oh but we go round hedges, havent done one yet, not sure why they just give me the heebie jeebies, will get a grip soon and do one


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## icklemadame (17 January 2008)

I'm the other way around to most people - I find my little mare takes a while to warm up so I don't jump silly things right at the start of the day, but as she's a silly fizzy thing once she's warmed up she tends to have ample amounts of energy, so then we jump everything we can - she gets very tetchy if other people are jumping and she's not  I'll quite happily put her at most things, I trust her impeccably so if its jumpable, we'll give it a go!!


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## MandyMoo (12 February 2008)

my horse is never the type to get tired and make 'accidents' so i jump anything and everything! and even at the end of the day he is rearing to go for another 2 hours and jump more big hedges/rails/walls etc...so tbh i just jump evrything LOL!


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