Hi everyone! I would like to know what kind of personality hunter horses have. What makes them good at it/or have potential to be good at it? Why hunters vs dressage/eventing? What are some clues that your horse might be telling you he'd rather be doing hunters? Just curious, thanks!
From what little I've seen of US hunter classes the horses look like they have to have a very laid back attitude and be willing to jump with what appears to be the minimum of rider effort
They don't seem to work in such a collected frame as a dressage horse - but a dressage horse that can jump could still do hunters I would imagine
If I'm looking for a horse that's going to event I mostly focus on how well its going to deal with the X Country phase so its needs to feel like its going to 'attack' its fences with a lot more energy and enthusiasm than the hunters seem to show - I want to feel that I'm actually having to ask it not to be so forward not the other way around
Hunters need to go around the ring with a relaxed and happy expression so that's pretty much the personality you're looking for! The trend has gotten a bit so they look like they're half asleep loping down the lines so people are fighting to reward a horse having a little "expression" and showing that they're having fun. They'll get counted off for pinned ears and a ringing tail and you don't want something that gets too hot and fired up. And just like any horse, it's nice when your horse is brave to the jumps and has a good work ethic, which will be just as important to a dressage/eventing horse. I've seen a few jumpers turned hunters that had a career change because they simply did not want to go fast. And I know some dressage turned hunters because they got bored and acted up unless they were challenged with a few jumps. I also know a few hunters turned jumpers/eventers because they got tired of jumping the same boring jumps, went to fast, or loved jumping out in the open.
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Horse Forum
3.4M posts
92.6K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!