I know there is a lot of people out there that uses horses for hunting. I like to my self. I was wondering what breed people use. My one horse now is a mustang that has draft blood in him. We adopted a mare at a BLM adoption here in Laramie about 3 years ago. Four days after we got her she had a colt. Kinda got 2 for the price of one. He turned 3 on Sept. 13 and is the biggest baby around here. He loves attention. My absolute favorite breed of horse for hunting in the mts. is a mustang. They have stamina & their senses are tuned almost beyond belief. I used to have a mare that seemed like she could hear a fly crawl accross the wall. They can smell danger before most domestic breeds.

I have seen a lot of different breeds used for hunting & was wondering what are some of the favorites.

[ 10-22-2003, 16:38: Message edited by: WyoJoe ]

No mountains here, Joe, but Thoroughbreds or TB crosses will get you over and through the woods or fly you across the fields in comfort and style. I've had a lot of different breeds but none can match the heart of a Thoroughbred, they never give up.

There are a lot of ranchers that like to cross their quarter horses on a thoroughbred for their stamina.

My direct experience with hunting horses is pretty limited, but I have come to two conclusions...I prefer them big and I really like them bombproof.

My favorites are draft crosses.

Canuck

I like short horses in the mountains and tall horses when there are rivers to cross.

We run foxtrotters here in the mountains. Nothing like a gaited horse for covering some country. Walkers stride out too much and tend to step all over you when you are leading them. I really like the foxtrotter.

The best horse that I've ridden in the mountains on steep trails was a Tennessee walker cross Cleveland Bay. And this mare would seek out or take you to the elk. I wonder if this was illegal?

I have two horses that are percheron/quarter cross and I have 3 horses that are Norwegian Fjord/Percheron/quarter cross. They are lacking somewhat in the withers but it has not been a problem for packing in steep country. These cross breeds have great strength and stamina and are generally calm. The FjordsX are fast and have smooth gates. My Percheron/Quarter X don't. But they all can pack alot of weight. I use my horses for pretty much hunting only. I do plan on training a few for driving.(Pulling wagons etc.) I plan on picking up two more Fjord cross. At 5 horses, I am a little shy on space for gear, camp and meat. An Alaskan/Yukon moose takes a minimum of 3 horses to pack out.
These are not nessesarily my favorite breed but they are breeds that work best in the country which I hunt. I have seen some excellent horses of other breeds become bear & wolf bait because they were not suited to the country.
Some day soon when I figure out how to post pictures I will post a few. I got some good ones.

Daryl

I have Quarter horses...I had quarter horse/throbred crosses at one time but they didn't hold up well in the long run, they broke down because you put all that weight on the small bones of the running horse...I do like a running type quarter horse with just a little throbred in them....but I pretty much judge horses on their ability and mind set...All my kids are into team roping, so I just ride whatevers left around here....

Hmmm...there are a lot of Ludite farms up the road from me. They have a lot of draft horses and what look like crosses. Dont know what kind though. This could be worth checking out.

I have to agree with Ray I prefer a Quarter horse with some thoroughbred.But I have seen good horses of almost any breed I can think of.The most important aspect is their line of breeding and how they have been handled and trained.w/regards

No mountains here in Wisconsin, but I have a blue roan Appy that stays in the pasture. A .22 would spook her. But I have a pair of palomino paint geldings that I can pop a cap from my 45-70 and stay in the seat. Took a few spills in the training process though. Over the handle bars I went a few times.

I prefer a big stout quarter over any breed. But I will buy any horse that has a good mind, heavy bones and big hard feet for mountain trail stock. My cheapest horse ($200) is as good a horse as my most expensive one for trails and packing out game. I also like horses that are easy to catch, I won't waste time playing games to catch a recalcitrant, knob headed cayuse. When they see all their freinds heading out they have second thoughts about not cooperating the next time.
I like Wyo Joes' mustang program. I met a guy whose BLM mustang looked like a Bull Dog on steroids! It had feet like trash cans and was very people friendly. He told me he turned $10K down for him. One of these days I am going to go to one of those BLM sales.

Wyo joe,

I have a big bay Quarter/Thoroughbred cross that's the best Mtn horse I've had. Lots of stamina and big enough to carry me all day. I'm 6 ft 4 in and 260 lbs so it takes a good horse to carry me in the steep country. The next best was a Leopard Appy. Plenty tough and big,but he was spooky. Never knew when he would blow up. Loved the old boy but not enough to chance getting hurt.

Hawkeye47

What's wrong with a good mule?!? Saeed, we need a new forum.

I prefer a Quarter horse wtih some running blood in their background somewhere for just about anything. Unless I'm in the cutting pen. Horses are like rifles everyone has a favorite brand, but as long as you get along and it stays with you all day who can complain, but for packing there is no replacing a good mule.

Nothing better than a good mule, it just that they hardly exist these days, no one rides them enough and they take a lot of riding before they are worth fooling with and then every one of them has a flaw and don't worry you will find that flaw sooner than later.

I grew up breaking mules and horses, and as soon as you got one to stand and get on him, he went to someone else and you started all over...My brother and I used to lie our ass off telling my dad that some mule wasn't quite ready to sell....

I have owned some good ones, but if I want to get a good days work done I will be riding a horse...just my preference...However, I have always wanted a blue roan mule to break and keep for hunting only...

Atkinson,
You are right there are not as many good mules around. I worked for a guy that was a mule man deluxe I always admired him for the way he could pick a good minded mule out of a bunch. Mules tend to be more one person oriented also it seems. You gotta love'em if you don't there are lible to kick your head off.
I like them better to pack because they seem to handle the "dead weight" better than a horse, but I will always be riding my horse leading a pack train.

I wish I had the time to start learning mules. It seems like all the oldtimers love 'em. (no offense Ray)

I second the vote for gaited horses. Mine are Big Lick Foxtrotters. I can head up the trail to camp at 7mph and when I get there my eggs are not scrambled. I bought some of mine off the desert down by Blanding Utah. They are as wary as any wild mustang.

They are not as fast in short burst as the Quarter horses. Don't have the big muscles for climbing the really steep stuff. I have to give them a breather or two on the steep climbs. But I don't need a bottle of Ibuprofin after a day in the saddle.

I use mine year round. Hunting in the fall, back country fishing and camping in summer, Competitive Trail rides in spring. I even haul them south several times each winter for riding in Southern Utah/Northern AZ in the winter.

[ 10-25-2003, 22:14: Message edited by: Painted Horse ]

TN Walkers and MO Foxtrotters. Use them for working, trialing, and handling bird dogs mostly. Ride a lot but not much of a horseman- more of a hanger oner but hang on to smooth gaited horses better.
Jeff

My first choice would be a morgan and my second an appolusa. Probably because that's what I have mostly used, but for you guys that like gated horses, a decent morgan has about the smoothest and fastest trot of any saddle horse breed (trotters are a harness breed) and they will go alllllllllll day at the trot. The appolusas I have been around all seemed to generally have their heads screwed on pretty straight, but I will agree that they tended to be a little slow.

While I have no personal experience with them, I have also heard good things about mustangs, except that I understand that they tend to require more patience than the average to break.

Hi,
Is it true that mules are more comfortable to ride because they are slab-sided? By this logic, the percheron-crosses would be hell on earth after 8 hrs in the saddle!

AS to the query of whether a mule or a draft horse is more comfortable to ride;my experience with both has been only barebacked.I can assure you a draft horse is the more comfortable of the two.

Riding a draft horse can be compared to sitting astradle a 55 gallon drum,where as riding a mule can be compared to sitting astradle a 2x4,edge up.

WC

A more slab sided animal is a little more comfortable to ride. That is one reason I don't like to ride draft or draft crosses. Draft crosses also take more feed to maintain than smaller breeds. One must understand draft horses are and have been bred to pull not ride so comfort in the saddle is a non issue.

There are really several different reason to use horses hunting. Each reason will require a different horse.

Packing horses = load carrying. Stout strong horses that I can pack a load on. You want a vary calm horse that you can load ANYTHING onto. It will plod along calmly. It will follow the leader. If I were a guide, packing in customers alot. This is what I would have.

Riding horses = Carry people and I want to cover ground with out feeling beat up at the end of the day. Usually a lighter breed. I like a spirited horse that likes to move out. I want the horse that prefers to be the leader, that doesn't want to follow. The horse that I can push through the stream/over the bridge/through the snow bank first and the others will follow him. One that is in shape and conditioned to cover 20-30 miles in a day.

But this isn't usually the horse for a beginner or those that are timid around horses.

Once I shoot an animal, I pack on my riding horse and walk out, I can't put as much weight on him as a good pack horse, but he is sure a lot more fun to use the rest of the year.

Hello;
Asking a guy what breed or type of horse he prefers is about the same as asking what type of women he prefers. One may have preferences, but sometime the best is the one that comes along at the right time. We raise Appaloosas, mostly because we just stumbled into the Breed about 20 years ago and I have hunted with them just about as long. About two weeks ago, I rode my 9year old gelding in, shot an Elk, and packed most of him out in meat bags on the return trip. No muss, no fuss, no bother.
Grizz

Appys are pretty good for people who can't decide if the want to be cattle ranchers or horse owners...
My horse is a Belgian Thoro cross...17-1 high. A mare who doesn't like you to hang in her mouth and will let you know it. Sweet and will go through or over anything. Totally fearless except for big round hay bales...even though she gets one during the winter...go figure.

i had a retired race horse. nothing could spook him. but when the money gets tight , the luxuries are the first thing to go. he is now owned by a man who will not sell him back.

I'm going against the flow here and say my favorite hunting horse is a mule. I haven't had the bad experiences with them that some of you have mentioned, just lucky I guess. In a close second place I would say my Walker/Quarter mare is the best mountain horse I've ever had. Sixteen two and built like a tank she goes all day. Her appetite matches her size though.

I prefer Tenn. Walkers. I once had a double-registered T.W./Mo. Foxtrotter stallion that was something else! He'd crash his way through woods, etc., like an elephant! Nothing stood in his way!! I also had a Pride's Genius mare that was a little over 17 hands and 1200 pounds, but Genie could find her way through thick stuff like a little quarter horse! Despite her size, she had lots of stamina, and heart that wouldn't quit! She's keep going until she got to where she thought I wanted to be, no dawdling for her!! I used to foxhunt with these two, and they could jump higher fences and coups than I was willing to try! The mare hated the checks, 'cause she thought we should keep chasing whatever it was we were after before quitting! My wife and I once did a 6.5 mile poker run with these two at the Limestone Creek Hunt in upstate NY in 33 minutes, and beat the 2nd place team (who were riding thoroughbreds!!!) by 3.5 minutes! Besides being excellent performers, even the T.W. stallions are generally calm, gentle fellows. I can lead my current stud around with just a halter on his face, even when there are mares in heat in nearby stalls!! Give me a good T.W. any day!!

[ 11-16-2003, 19:15: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

I have raised Morgans, Morabs, Appys, Arabians and Quarter Horses. I haven't yet seen much difference between the good ones in any breed. I had a Morgan mare that I used to hunt for several years. Before that I used a Quarter Horse.

I have since sold all my horses and don't miss feeding them during the winter. Of course I do miss the workout of hauling and stacking the hay. Feeding during a blizzard is a lot of fun. My wife loved feeding the horses when I was out of town.

I found I could rent horses cheaper than owning them. The honor of owning horses gets a little thin after the farrier and vet take there bit out of you.

Steve

I am surprised no one mentioned an Arab, best horse I ever owned and very-very tough!

Also like quarter horses and qh/thoro mix but still the Arab makes my heart skip, best looking horses on the planet!

gcp

[ 12-07-2003, 04:32: Message edited by: gcp ]

Hello;
Hell, I know lots of Arab owners. They always rave about how beautiful they are, swift as the wind, with pedigrees a thousand years old, tough as a camel. Funny thing though. They never ride them.
Grizz

Rode mine all the time and loved every minute on him. He has since gone to horse heaven and yes he was one hot steed to ride but after ironing out the wrinkles, like that of any spirited initial introduction (lasted about a week), when ever he saw me he would come up to me and follow me around like a dog, had no need for a halter to lead him with. People were amazed at how devoted a horse he was.

And on trail rides/cross country races there was no way he would settle for second place. Boy do I miss him!!!

gcp

[ 12-07-2003, 13:46: Message edited by: gcp ]

Mustang, if it's trained and handled right. Mine is the toughest pony I've ever been around -- will go all day and would climb a ponderosa pine if I pointed him at it and asked him to go up. He also stands like a rock when I tie fresh, bloody deer parts on his saddle. Never has foot problems, doesn't get sick, eats sagebrush when the rest of the horse are scratching around for grass. Plus he has the personality of a Labrador retriever and points deer and elk like a German shorthair on pheasants.

He was a BLM adoptee too, and was trained at the Honor Farm in Riverton. When I look for more horses, I'll go to the BLM sales looking for more prisoner-trained mustangs.

Appaloosas , for sure , if the Native Americans rode them into battle there is a good reason . I belive it's so by the time they arrived they would be good and pissed off , puts you in a good frame of mind to kill something .