# What will your hunters be doing over the summer?



## FemelleReynard (19 April 2016)

As the title says really, do you go down the traditional route and give your hunter the summer off?

Or will you keep them ticking over doing bits and bobs?

Or, do they have an altogether different summer career?

No really point behind this thread, I'm just curious to know what other people do.


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## Doormouse (19 April 2016)

Mine are spending it in the field. They are off to their summer grazing tomorrow, shoes came off yesterday.

They will be back in early July to give them lots of walking time.


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## TGM (19 April 2016)

Husband's horse will have four weeks off then will become daughter's tetrathlon horse for the summer.


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## frostyfingers (19 April 2016)

Mine has had four weeks in the field and is now gently hacking for a bit - I've a few outings planned for the summer, mostly fun rides but I thought I'd try an Eventers Challenge and will therefore need showjumping lessons. I haven't had him long and would like to get to know him better, away from the excitement of hunting!


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## Goldenstar (19 April 2016)

Fatty will be off till may and then start light work BF .
Tatts will off till august/ September he does not go autumn hunting so I leave him longer he's also an active person and does not get fat .
H is going to some low level BE and will take a six week break towards the end of the summer he's been kept in work since hunting finished .
J is off ATM I will pick him up again in July / August when I am less busy with the house renovations .


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## L&M (19 April 2016)

Mine will still be hacked out and do regular fun rides over the summer. Have also signed up for some low key sj lessons once the ground dries up.

He is hunted twice a week over the season, but with a small farmers pack, so doesn't spend the winter galloping over hedges and 5 bar gates.........also at just turned 7yrs he needs the mental stimulation, or becomes a 'lout'!


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## lauraandjack (19 April 2016)

Mine isn't just a hunter, he's my allrounder so most years we get up to a variety of things.  Plus, due to work commitments I only hunt once a week so he doesn't get hammered.

He's having a little break at the moment as work is very busy, but we are planning on doing some side saddle showing this year.


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## Aleka81 (19 April 2016)

Doormouse said:



			Mine are spending it in the field. They are off to their summer grazing tomorrow, shoes came off yesterday.

They will be back in early July to give them lots of walking time.
		
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A very dumb question! I posted last year looking for a hunter but never found one...
Anyway my question is when you turn away for a few months how much maintenance while being roughed off does the average hunter require?
I am thinking that if/when I find something I would like to turn it away cheaply in the summer and then keep it on hunting livery in the winter..so just trying to gauge realistic summer costs. Thank you


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## Doormouse (19 April 2016)

Aleka81 said:



			A very dumb question! I posted last year looking for a hunter but never found one...
Anyway my question is when you turn away for a few months how much maintenance while being roughed off does the average hunter require?
I am thinking that if/when I find something I would like to turn it away cheaply in the summer and then keep it on hunting livery in the winter..so just trying to gauge realistic summer costs. Thank you
		
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If you have your own land it basically costs virtually nothing in the summer, feet may need a trim depending on each horse, fly spray if they are bothered by them and obviously a vets bill if they do something silly! Otherwise, provided you have enough grass for them they should be more or less self sufficient. If you don't have your own land it can be more complicated as finding summer keep for hunters ie a herd of turned away horses can be hard. Best advice on that would be to get to know your local hunt and find someone who turns their hunters away for the summer and has space for one extra. They would probably charge a small fee for the grass keep.


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## utter-nutter (19 April 2016)

mine will go team chasing and then if he can be persuaded to go xc solo then some eventing, he has a quite a few weeks of nothing but a bit of hacking but I think he prefers to be busy as definitely gets up to mischief when not doing much. He does live out 24/7, which helps with his 'quirks' and like to think it keeps it more sane than if he wasn't


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## Kat (20 April 2016)

Mine isn'the really a hunter, more and all rounder who happens to hunt over winter. We will be doing some RC dressage over summer, probably some pleasure rides, and depending upon bravery levels some show jumping and hunter trials.


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## FemelleReynard (20 April 2016)

So it seems that a lot of hunters have quite diverse careers over the summer then, and it's interesting to see that not many are just turned out. It seems we're moving away from having sole hunters and horses tend to be more all rounders, which I think is nice.

Mine also hasn't hunted heavily over the winter so although he's been turned out to summer grass, he'll be hacking regularly and doing some small events and things. Riding is my down time, so I don't know what I'd do if I turned him away for a few weeks.


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## Christmas Crumpet (20 April 2016)

Mine is on holiday and will have his shoes taken off fairly soon. I am intending to leave him out till the end of June/beginning July and then start walking.


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## AML (20 April 2016)

I am looking forward to a summer of training with some show jumping and eventing. Doing some pleasure rides with my hunting friends, trips to the beach, long meandering rides just going wherever with no time pressures.

It seems the horse is looking forward to ...


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## spacefaer (20 April 2016)

Ours are on holiday and are due to have their shoes off and go out next week.  

The 2old boys will stay out til August as they don't need to be fit until Opening meet ..... and they are very set in their ways and don't do schooling or fun rides.  

The 2 5 yr old will have a short break 4-6 weeks then come back up,  one to be sold, the other for some life experience! 

My 2 will come up about July for some fun rides, hunter trials etc before autumn hunting starts.


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## Ditchjumper2 (20 April 2016)

My two oldies will be turned out and come back into work early August. One may be dragged in to do the odd hound parade. Fat cob will be worked over the summer when I can be bothered to make the effort after work. At present feels too much like winter.


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## Shay (21 April 2016)

Our main hunting boy really does have a second career over the summer!  He's a 13.2 cob now hunted about once a week (he's 19!) and spends his summer with a little PC competition jockey teaching them about how to compete.  So he'll do PC area teams in XC,SJ and dressage - he does occasionally qualify for the championships, but his jockeys are mainly new to competition at that level so he is a safe pair of hands. (or is that hooves?!)  And then he'll do camp.  He has 2 or 3 weeks off immediately after the season and another 2 after camp.  And he absolutely thrives on it.   The other "hunter" is really my daughter's eventer so he is back BE after a short break and will pretty much go through with brief recovery breaks.


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## Addicted to Hunting (23 April 2016)

I have two, the ex racer who I've now had for a year, but due to various saddle issue could only get her hunting since the New Year (but was in work the whole time) has still been out about 15/16 times is having a bit of time off in the field as will do her good and thought she deserved it. The other one is staying in work this year, she had some time off at start of year anyway due to splints and has had the last few summers off but planning on keeping her in work this year as she does get rather fat anyway. She did about 30 days this season but still finished full of it. I have RC camp on her next weekend which will be interesting in the dressage lol! And then will need to enter somethings to keep motivated! I'm away in June so she can have it a bit easy then. Although we keep them at home our big field isn't close, so they seem to either get turned away in it, or stay on the yard doing some light work if needed.


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## LynH (21 May 2016)

My friend and I were discussing this the other day. She has more time to ride over the summer and would love something to hack gently now my horse she rides is getting older. We were wondering if loaning a hunter would be of any benefit to the owner to keep the horse gently ticking over during the summer. My horses live out so it would spend the majority of time in the field with a few gentle hacks each week. 
Does anyone think this would be worth pursuing?


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## georgie0 (22 May 2016)

At work ours are out for the summer and will be bought back into work end of July/start of August as they don't need to be fit until opening meet.  They only hunt though, it is a very traditional yard.


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## JenHunt (25 May 2016)

Our two only got one day this season (for all sorts of reasons, none of which related to their fitness/soundness) so they've been kept in moderate work. At 22 they are best kept active, and Tom in particular soon loses his fitness and muscle tone when he's off.... 

They will just be hacking, some light schooling and I might do some pleasure rides, hunter trials etc if time money and transport allow.... I always used to event them to make sure we ironed out any issues from the hunting season, and improved their way of going etc, but now the expense outweighs the benefits to two old boys!


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## Goldenstar (25 May 2016)

Ours did full seasons .
Tatts has just started gentle work this week , Fatty will start next week .
H was kept up after hunting but is having a break now as he damaged himself the night C got hurt in the field , they where together .
J will start gently next week his feet are not great this year so we will have to suck and see with him.


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## Christmas Crumpet (26 May 2016)

Mine is still on holiday and will be until sometime in July. He too has pretty rubbish feet so I'm trying to give them a bit of a break. He's had his shoes off since end April.


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## Goldenstar (27 May 2016)

carolineb said:



			Mine is still on holiday and will be until sometime in July. He too has pretty rubbish feet so I'm trying to give them a bit of a break. He's had his shoes off since end April.
		
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Mine will be in work without shoes until September


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## frostyfingers (27 May 2016)

Unfortunately it's me who has to be turned away for a while this summer!  I've hurt my knee and am 2 weeks into 6 weeks off which is incredibly frustrating.  However I'm lucky enough to have someone who will keep horse ticking over and is going to do some of the "eventing" stuff I'd planned so hopefully he won't get too fat and unfit in the meantime.  I keep telling myself I'm lucky it's not in the middle of the hunting season.....


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