Horses for hunting

hay and feed wouldn't be an issue, I know at least a 1/2 dozen people around here that run hay fields.
My dog situation is Rottwiellers and I seem to bond well with the breed so there it is. I don't plan to mix dogs with horses.
Our dogs are our children, my kids are grown and doing their own thing in life.
Adding a horse to the family would be no different. Heck my wife treats the chickens like they are family hahaha

I'm firmly on the fence about the whole thing, lots of good points to ponder here and I'm in no rush. I'll take up riding again first and then decide what to do about the horse situation.
 
45ACPKING said:
this all stems from me wanting to get into flying recreationally with one of those ultralightish planes on floats or skis for getting into the lakes around here, flying out of horse lake.
My wife..... and my buddy thought I was nuts and the wife threw some expletives in for good measure LOL So he suggested horses might be a safer alternative

and here we are :)
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There was a company sometime ago that rented Searey’s in BC not sure if there still around and one of the trips was to Desolation sound. You can get a parachute for it too if that helps with the wife so you could buy one :cool:

https://www.searey.com/

 
Suther said:
Those look super cool! I'm scared to ask what they're worth though...?
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You should be. $115,000USD assembled - as of 2015.

If one wants to get a small float plane, be prepared to pay through the nose if you want anything even remotely new-ish, or anything larger. Prices for Piper Super Cubs, Cessna 180/185s, and many other aircraft are ridiculously high. "Cheapest" option, if you can call it that, would be a tube and fabric two seater on floats.
 
My hunting partner flies a 172 on floats. The original cost is one thing, insurance and annual inspections? I can charter a lot of flights for those costs.
 
savage 110L said:
My hunting partner flies a 172 on floats. The original cost is one thing, insurance and annual inspections? I can charter a lot of flights for those costs.
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would be handy to have a airplane owner as a hunting partner hehehe

your pm was enlightening. I've not given the fly in hunts much thoughts as my hunting partners never make time for such ideas.
I would like to start investigating some options there.
Might be a better option than getting horses.....
 
45ACPKING said:
would be handy to have a airplane owner as a hunting partner hehehe

your pm was enlightening. I've not given the fly in hunts much thoughts as my hunting partners never make time for such ideas.
I would like to start investigating some options there.
Might be a better option than getting horses.....
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I think you are on al least sorta the right track. Planes and horses have a lot in common. Mostly, you gotta be incurable stupid in love, with the idea of having either one, because the costs, work, upkeep, and crazy retards you end up dealing with all the time, have to not put you off the idea.

Wife has two horses, got to know LOTS of horse set folks. Dealt with not quite as many private pilots and home builders, but enough.

If my wife got run over by a bus tomorrow, I can tell you this. I would have those horses out in a likely spot and be shooting coyotes over their carcasses, before her body was cold. And good frikken riddance, too.

Not meant as a funny. Her hobby. Happy wife=happy life. For that, and that alone, they live.

Too many vet, farrier, massage, supplement, medication, wormer, hardware, equipment, and feed costs. Especially too much drama, at boarding stables, at horse clubs, among horse chicks, etc.

Put two horse chicks in a room talking about training, you end up with three opinions, a cat fight, and hatred that doesn't go away until both they and all their friends have died. Ugh.

I'd rather not go, if horses is the only way.
 
There is some serious mountain riding experience on here. So maybe you missed my earlier question about not shoeing horses for mountain work.?? My riding experience was very extensive as far as hours in the saddle, pretty much every day for about four years. But also pretty tame stuff terrain wise. The old guy who owned the place was a fruit peddler who grew up using horses to pull his wagon around Montreal. It was his idea to run without shoes. You can imagine how much time and money we saved. So not a practical thing to do in the mountains?
 
growing up my dad was a private pilot and took it very seriously. He worked through all his hours to get his instrument only ratings and was able to fly float planes and i'm not sure what all he was able to do. He did get his commercial pilots license I think in hopes of becoming a west coast bush pilot part time. He never owned a plane but he did take us up with friends planes and rentals out of boundary bay and Langley. My Dad's two best friends were the late Fred May , a well known west coast pilot who's family is a big part of the east Richmond berry farming industry.... well known people. Fred was my sisters god father and we grow up spending a lot of time with his wife and kids. My dad's other best friend , Doug Mcloud , life long pilot flying above the arctic circle full time. He was based out of Resolute Bay and kept a home in the lowermainland when he was off rotation. I think he flew a Dehavellin on skis? He owned a Piper Cherokee that he kept at the skyway/Langley airport and I had to chance to go flying with him a couple times and he was teaching me. I never picked up flying as a young man even though I was exposed to it on a regular basis up until my 20's when I became a steelhead junkie and spent every penny chasing fish in remote and not so remote places LOL
I didn't catch the hunting bug until my late 20's.

anyhow...…. airplanes …… I'm not rich, I get by and a horse is possible, an airplane..... not so much I still have a small mortgage LOL
 
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Bland said:
You can imagine how much time and money we saved. So not a practical thing to do in the mountains?
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Generally not if you are headed up into the mountains as the rocks will usually chip out their hooves in very short order. The last thing you need 20 miles from the trailhead is a lame horse. If your riding is in a grass paddock then you can get away with going barefoot if they are trimmed regularly. Old type horses like the Norwegian Fjord, and aforementioned Icelandic, usually have very tough feet and may go a fair way barefoot if not loaded too heavily.

We used a pair of Fjords as pack horses on a hunting tip into the Mountains 20 something years ago. I have to say they were the calmest horses I have ever been around.
 
Bland said:
There is some serious mountain riding experience on here. So maybe you missed my earlier question about not shoeing horses for mountain work.?? My riding experience was very extensive as far as hours in the saddle, pretty much every day for about four years. But also pretty tame stuff terrain wise. The old guy who owned the place was a fruit peddler who grew up using horses to pull his wagon around Montreal. It was his idea to run without shoes. You can imagine how much time and money we saved. So not a practical thing to do in the mountains?
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For serious mountain work, shoes are essential, but we used hoof boots for more casual riding, work well even crossing rivers, but have to fit well and some brands are better than others. Saves a bundle on shoeing costs over time. You won't go far on an unshod horse.

Grizz
 
Suther said:
lol thanks for the laugh.
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I always claimed, horse trainers are heroes for a while, then they become Ass Holes. A good portion seem to be as dedicated to getting into the owners pants as training the nag. Not many stable relationships in that business. :)

Grizz
 
well gents, thankyou all for the replies
has given me lots of things to consider.

another angle that I never thought about was how much hunting I can do for the value of a horse and years of keeping a horse well plus associated tack n such. That value equates to many reasonably affordable fly in hunts, non guided during regular seasons. Problem is I don't have many friends that can just drop everything and do fly in hunts so I'll have to work on that.

anyhow, thanx for all the replies, much appreciated.
 
conor_90 said:
Horses are great but I really wish you could use llamas up here
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Llamas, along with miniature donkeys. the preferred food of Grizzly bears. :) Can't pack buggar all and you can't ride them, likely to scare the #### out of any horses they meet. Enough said.

Grizz
 
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