Equestrian

Finding The Right Hunting Horse

Hunting horses are a type of horse that have been used for hundreds of years in the UK for the sport of fox hunting. Although now banned in England and Scotland hunting is still growing in popularity.

If you are just looking to take part in your first hunting season then you will need a great horse for hunting. So just what makes a great hunting horse? Well a good hunting horse should have a good parentage, be awesome in the jumps and be able to gallop for extended lengths of time. Basically a good hunting horse is a good all round horse.

Just where do you find a good hunting horse for sale these days? Well I would start looking for horses for sale at your local hunt, then try riding club notice boards, magazines and best of all on the internet. If it’s your first time hunting then it is advisable to take an experienced hunter with you.

A Few More Pointers When Looking At Horses For Sale

All this talk of buying horses has actually thrown up another couple of lessons that I have learned when looking around to buy a horse (I have learned some of these the hard way). The first lesson that I have learned is that no matter how bombproof a horse seems, always get it checked over by a vet. I really can’t stress this one enough. Ten years ago I bought a mare that looked like the perfect horse so I did the deal there and then and took her home; four days later and she had to be shot and I was some thousands of pounds out of pocket. Apparently they had drugged the horse to sedate it and to keep it alive just long enough to sell it to some horse buying novice. Now I always have my local vet check over every horse I buy.

So what else might you expect from me if I am buying a horse from you? Well you could expect a suprise visit or a visit at very short notice. “Hello is that so-and-so? Hi it’s Paul – I viewed your horse the other day, well I am just passing and wondered if I could take another look”.

Finally I have a rule of if the horse has no papers then I have no time. Passports and papers should come with every horse these days. Don’t buy without them.