Would you buy an 8 year old ex-hunter?

[Pleasedontdothat]

We’re looking for a horse for my teenage daughter as her current horse is being turned away for several months in an attempt to get him sound. We’ve spotted an 8 year old with lovely paces and a fantastic jump which is (just about) within budget. The only thing I’m concerned about (and this might well be the reason why he’s in budget) is his main job up until last year was as a hunter. I know hunting can be very hard on horses’ joints so am a bit worried we might be facing more large vets bills in a couple of years... what do you reckon?

It's a tough one to answer as you could say the same about eventers & show jumpers. I guess it depends on how long and often it hunted. Have you been to try it?

My horse during my teenage years was an ex hunter.

She was always very sound, but I had to teach her to jump coloured poles from scratch..!

In many respects, she was a great push button ride - bolt proof, good in traffic

But she had had years of being hacked on the buckle to get and keep her fit, and therefore school work was an unknown to her so it took years to get her working nicely on the flat (and as mentioned, over poles)

But it was a brilliant teenage learning curve and one that made me a better rider
Plus, we were rockstars at XC!

Depends how sensible the previous owners were about fitness work, tbh. I'd have no issue buying a horse that had hunted lots but been adequately prepared for hunting and kept to an appropriate fitness standard for it. I would have an issue buying a horse that was left to get unfit in a field all week then dragged out to compete at the weekends without an appropriate level of fitness. Far more likely to have issues then. Speaking from personal experience, I'd also rather have a horse whose job had been hunting (or similar) than a horse who was doing lots of competitive showjumping or dressage at a young age. I've a soft spot for ex-racehorses and my cheap as chips ex NH/P2P horse was far tougher and far sounder than my expensive, young showjumper, who had a myriad of issues from being over jumped by a professional yard in his early career, and subsequently ended up being PTS at 9 years old. At the end of the day, you're never guaranteed soundness, but having been hunting wouldn't be a concern for me at all.

I'd be interested to know why it isn't hunting any more, though? (Unless it's hunted recently and I've misread!) Good, made hunters generally command big prices and are snapped up very quickly, so it seems odd that this horse isn't being advertised as such.

Hunters can be awesome. Brave and trusting and game. My DSS nicked my dads hunter to go eventing. And he was brilliant almost immediately. Shot up to advanced. Big character who loved a party. When I was 11 I used ride him and he'd do whatever you asked.

Dad did find him a bit of handful afterwards because he no longer trotted into everything!

Sadly he had navicular and had to pts. Still miss him.

Try him over coloured poles when you can.

My only issue with horses that love and have only done hunting is that they can sometimes be nappy. Not used to going xc on their own!

He’s been with a showjumper for the last few months but he’s not going to make it as a pure showjumper - coloured poles are not a problem from what the videos we’ve seen. The last horse she tried failed a vetting - he’d been mainly hunting for most of his career and our vet said he’d been hammered, although he was a couple of years older, so I’m feeling a little wary... we’ve now had two failed vettings and I’m beginning to think there are no sound horses out there

@Pleasedontdothat

He’s been with a showjumper for the last few months but he’s not going to make it as a pure showjumper - coloured poles are not a problem from what the videos we’ve seen. The last horse she tried failed a vetting - he’d been mainly hunting for most of his career and our vet said he’d been hammered, although he was a couple of years older, so I’m feeling a little wary... we’ve now had two failed vettings and I’m beginning to think there are no sound horses out there

You just have to get him vetted and xrayed

I think as others have said, there's hunters and hunters, "one careful lady owner", someone that takes care of their horses legs and knows when to come home, great, yes if horse was in all other ways suitable and passed a vetting I would. A horse that's been a masters or whipper-inn's horse or has been regularly hammered along for full days at the front of the field regardless of the going, with a heavy or unbalanced rider then I'd be wary as that is a hard life and puts miles on the clock for sure...

Also I'd want to be sure he hasn't been ruined for xc by too much hunting if you want him as an eventer, in my admittedly limited experience some horses it does wonders for and teaches them to be brave and so on, but some horses that have only ever hunted can get nappy about going away from others in an xc collecting ring and 'lose' their brave pants when they have to do it alone and not as part of a big field. I only mention it because it can be hard to try xc when looking to buy, as requires a trip away from home etc, esp at the moment but if your dd wants him as a serious event prospect (if I remember correctly that's her discipline?) I'd like to see some videos of him xc schooling, not just out hunting...

My sister had an ex hunter when she was 15 , he was an IDx ,12yrs old, he was cheap as he was being sold in lieu of livery debts and had been turned away for a few months so we didn’t have him vetted ( this was donkeys years ago) . He had been used for 4/5 years just for hunting prior to us getting him and went out a couple of times a week as he was stabled at the hunt masters yard . We had no issues with his joints until he was in his early 20s when he became very arthritic and we did a fair bit of jumping with him / working Hunter classes / cross country . What’s the current problem with your daughters horse , you haven’t had much luck with him .

I specifically went out looking for a hunter for my DD’s latest horse. The one we found has lovely manners in company, extremely brave, needs a bit (ok, possibly a lot) of work on the flat. Very easy horse to have around.

Thanks everyone - so not an outright no, that’s useful - I’ll need to ask some more questions

@maxelly yes she wants him for eventing so the prospect of being bold XC is good but will definitely need to check he’s ok to go by himself

@Floralnomad we don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him sadly - after a lot of investigations we know what’s NOT wrong with him but can’t pinpoint a diagnosis which would explain his discomfort. He’s got mild hock arthritis but our vet says he’s seen plenty of horses with worse X-rays which have been happily out eventing. The most likely explanation is an old suspensory injury from before we got him which flared up every now and then (he’d have a couple of days coming up short on his right hind and not being happy - we’d give him a few days off and he’d come back happy as larry so we assumed he’d just twinged something being a loon in the field). That seems to be interacting with the hock arthritis which seems to have been precipitated by the prolonged box rest he had after a field injury in the spring. Our vet says there isn’t really anything more we can do so we’re turning him away and then will try to bring him back into work in the summer. If that doesn’t work then he can be a field ornament for as long as he’s happy.

Dd had a fab ex hunter as an eventer but he developed djd a year later, vet said because he'd been hammered when young.

It's impossible to say without seeing him! Get x rays!

OP if he’s only 8 he can’t have done many seasons? Unless he started at 4 which admittedly would be worrying.

Id definitely ask how many seasons he’s done and how many days a season on average. I used to hunt mine very lightly as I wanted to do other things with them (eventing and dressage) so only went out once a week and only till about 2-3 o’clock (rarely past second horses). If it’s done something like that I’d see it as a positive, as part of an all round education.

But others go out twice a week or even five times a fortnight, till 3 or even 4, and on deep going. That’s how they get hammered.

Why is he being sold?

I’d also second the comments about nappiness. Lots of people hunt horses to sweeten them up, or because they aren’t quite good enough for other things. If it’s got a big jump but isn’t careful enough for SJ why isn’t it eventing already? Or perhaps he is and I’ve misread your post OP.

Yes people I know hunt their horses because they aren't good enough for eventing! Agree with the amount - I like anything we want to event to go hunting a few times to give them confidence, but not regularly. I know a few horses that hunt with teens who then try and event them. They are good showjumpers funnily enough but its the dressage and xc they struggle with - noone to follow over a hedge!

It’s hard to say. Have they been grotto by round at the back, leading kids and going round, have they been with an absolutely fruit loop thruster going out being hammered for 3 days a week for three seasons straight or somewhere in between!
I think knowing the full history is vital

Going round at the back no idea where that grotto came from!

We have an ex hunter for my teenager at the moment and whilst he was not happy going round his first xc he was extremely confused and clearly wondering where the other horses were. He was incredibly slow (especially for a very forward horse) and stopped a lot despite having been xc training a couple of weeks before but in a group. In his case it can be worked on but there is definitely a lack of confidence on his own even when showjumping.

My big question would be why he is being sold, presumably not as a hunter at 8?

If he was a good hunter, the sellers would be able to sell him to a hunting home easily and for more money than as an unproven showjumper/eventer.

So I would want to know why he is being sold and why he isn't being marketed as a hunter.

‘My big question would be why he is being sold, presumably not as a hunter at 8?’

This is my question too - especially as he’s being sold by a hunter master in the heart of hunting country .... it’s all academic anyway as we’re not close enough to go and see him and I suspect he’ll be long gone by the time we can ...

Hunt master not hunter ....

Get a four stage vetting done. If it's good at hunting it will be a very well behaved horse.
Something may be picked up that can help you negotiate a price. If you are willing to manage a condition.
Whatever you do get a vetting of some sort and have lessons with a professional for at least six months so you can properly assess and get to know the horse and it's quirks.

Sorry.
Just read your last question. Could be any number of reasons. Maybe the horse has jacked the job in, hasn't got the stamina anymore for a full days hunting but would be fine being ridden/jumped for an hour six days a week.

I'd put money on him being nappy.

Tbf, realistically hunting has finished for the year

What's your budget OP?

@MrsMiaWallis our budget’s £15k which is thought should have been plenty but it’s proving surprisingly tricky to find what we’re after ...