Exterior: well set head and neck; slanted shoulders; strong, as short as possible back with steep ribs and great depth in the girth; strong lower back; powerful croup; strong legs with well-defined joints and broad bones; strong, regularly shaped hooves.
Height at withers: from 147 cm and above.
Suit: any.
As the name suggests (English hunter - hunter), Gunters are intended for horseback hunting with dogs. It's a type, not a breed, and therefore there is no ready-made “recipe” for how to get Gunther. However, it is a generally accepted fact that the best Gunters are bred in Ireland, the UK and to some extent the USA.
The type of horse suitable for hunting varies depending on the type of hunting area - the tall, elite thoroughbred type is good for galloping and jumping across the grassy expanses of English shires, but is not so ideal for plowed fields and trap-filled hills, where boldness and Speed is less important than caution and stability. And yet, any type of horse must have a good exterior, without which he cannot withstand the severity of the work required of him.
The gunter must be well balanced and comfortable for the villager. He must be agile and fearless, but at the same time have good manners and be manageable. He must maintain the necessary speed to keep up with the dogs and have the stamina to withstand a long day of physical exertion, often twice a week during the hunting season. The gunter must also have jumping ability, the degree of which depends on the type of hunting grounds.
Irish Gunters are often produced by crossing thoroughbred riding stallions with Irish draft mares, while the best British Gunters combine the blood of local ponies with the same thoroughbred riding horses. In England, a stud book is kept in which stallions and mares used to produce Gunters are recorded.
There are no height limits, and in show classes in Great Britain and Ireland horses are divided according to their carrying capacity. A light Gunter is considered a horse that can carry up to 79 kg. The average one should carry 79-89 kg, and the heavy one should carry more than 89 kg of weight. Horses are judged on conformation, movement, health, performance under saddle and manners. There are also classes for female Gunters (with side saddle) and short ones - 147-157 cm. In practical hunting classes, horses are required to overcome a jumping distance with obstacles of a natural type.
History of breeding
Gunter is a riding horse, born from a thoroughbred riding stallion and a draft mare, often quite heavy. It is not a breed, because The resulting crossbreeds of the first generation have a purely user purpose and are not used for further breeding. Their production is a typical example of industrial crossing. In England and Ireland, gunters have long been produced for use in horse hunting, where the horse is required to have great strength, endurance and the ability to overcome a variety of natural and artificial obstacles. Currently, the outstanding sports qualities of the gunter are used in show jumping, eventing, and steeplechasing. The type of horse suitable for hunting varies depending on the type of terrain where the hunt is taking place - the tall, elite thoroughbred type is good for galloping and jumping across the grassy expanses of the English "latitudes", but is not so ideal for plowed fields and trap-filled hills, where boldness and speed is less important than caution and stability. And yet, any type of horse must have a good exterior, without which he cannot withstand the severity of the work required of him. The gunter must be well balanced and comfortable for the rider. He must be agile and fearless, but at the same time have good manners and be manageable. He must maintain the necessary speed to keep up with the dogs and have the stamina to withstand a long day of physical exertion, often twice a week during the hunting season. The gunter must also have jumping ability, the degree of which depends on the type of hunting grounds. Irish Gunters are often produced by crossing thoroughbred riding stallions with Irish draft mares, while the best British Gunters combine the blood of local ponies with the same thoroughbred riding horses. In England, a stud book is kept in which stallions and mares used to produce Gunters are recorded.
Exterior / Constitution
Since the gunter is a half-breed bred specifically for hunting, and not thoroughbred horse, its exterior can vary greatly. a). The head is beautiful, sometimes with a convex profile. b). Neck: Moderately arched, muscular neck. c). The chest is quite developed. d). Color: bay, red, black, gray. e). Dimensions - height at withers - gunter 147-157 cm, Irish gunter -157.5-170.
Temperament/Movement
These horses have a unique character - they are calm, attentive, and at the same time, lively and energetic when necessary. In addition, they are persistent and resilient. Irish Gunters have natural jumping abilities, they are smart and courageous.
Breed Features
Outside of racing, purebred gunters are overly hot and “carry” a lot. Gunther is an excellent jumper, has a wide stride, a sweeping and fast gallop, which can support quite long distance. The Gunter is exceptionally suitable for hunting with dogs. A good gunter can successfully participate in hunting at any time of the year.
Scope of use / Performance
Hunting, eventing, show jumping, steeplechase.
The creation of representatives of the Gunter riding horse breed occurred through the reproductive crossing of a purebred riding stallion and a draft mare, which often has heavy characteristics. Despite the excellent qualities of such horses, Gunter is not considered as an independent variety. It's all about the initial purposes of breeding, and they turned out to be limited, for a custom purpose, but for further breeding as an independent breed, the horses were not examined. Such creation of users is quite common in Great Britain and in the territories of Ireland, where pets were bred for special purposes, as assistants in hunting, where certain types of horses are needed. Horses for horse hunting must be very resilient, able to overcome and withstand all sorts of natural as well as artificial obstacles. Today, gunteras are popular with high sports characteristics In addition to the type of entertainment presented, pets are also willingly taken to various competitions, triathlons, and steeplechases. This direction of horses is different good results in hunting processes, but this also depends on the area in which the hunt takes place.
Gunthers are distinguished by a massive and prominent constitution, a feature of the line is considered to be their thoroughbred, such horses are considered elite, suitable for galloping and jumping in areas with grassy expanses of English valleys. But, for areas with cultivated fields, and besides, where there are all sorts of field traps in the form of hills, horses are a little unsuitable, because there other qualities are more important, such as caution and endurance, rather than speed and agility. Despite this, the developers practically do not notice any disadvantages. External characteristics are especially important for such pets, because it is thanks to their exterior that horses can withstand everything that is required of them.
In addition to the processes already described, which are subject to the direction of the horses presented, they can also be used for a well-thought-out and comfortable rider. To do this, the pet must have certain qualities, such as energetic agility, fearlessness and courage, in addition, the horse must demonstrate excellent manners and be amenable to control by the owner. Another category of required qualities is to maintain a limited speed, without overtaking, and, at the same time, keep up with the dogs, to remain stable and enduring throughout the entire day of physical exertion, and during periods of heavy hunting, in just one week it can be from two such trips. In addition, the jumping ability of purebreds is welcomed, which must necessarily correspond to the conditions of the hunting process.
In Ireland, Gunter horses are created through reproductive crosses between purebred riding stallions and Irish draft mares, but British horse breeders have slightly different methods for breeding Gunter representatives; for this they use the blood of ponies that live in local territories and purebred riding stallions. It is in this way that they are produced best horses gunter in Great Britain. British horse breeders also created a special book in which all the stallions and mares that were used to create the presented type of horse - gunter - are recorded.
To date, there are no specific restrictions on the growth or development of pets, but some divisions still exist. England and Ireland divide animals into certain directions, which are characterized by weight category load that can lift a gunter. Thus, three categories of thoroughbred horses were divided: light, medium and heavy. The light ones are distinguished by their ability to carry a load of up to 80 kg, the average pets carry about 80-90 kg, and the heavy one has the ability to move more than 90 kg of weight. Other assessments of what happens to pets depend on exterior characteristics, energetic movements, behavior under the saddle, as well as demonstrative mannerisms. All the characteristics were about representatives who are very suitable for men, but there are also so-called female gunters. This, of course, is just a name, because often such pets are also used by teenagers. A side saddle is put on them, and the top can be an individual with a height of 140 to 160 cm. For those representatives of the Gunter, whose existence is more practical, special obstacles have been created that the pets must ideally overcome for further development in the best pens. It is known that the distance is quite difficult, there are more aesthetic obstacles on it. But, if the horse can pass such difficulties without problems, horse breeders have no doubt whether it is worth pursuing gunter further.
On at the moment horses have unsurpassed qualities as sports stallions, they are taken to participate in various competitions, used as part of eventing, as well as steeplechase.
The owners of the presented line speak of their pets as energetic, frisky, and high-endurance pets.
Exterior characteristics are never absolutely identical, the whole point is that stallions are bred absolutely in different ways, therefore, the appearance that is inherent in them constantly varies. Some representatives are ordinary half-breeds, which were originally intended for hunting. And as a separate breed, with the title of independence, the Gunter is not. A large percentage of pets have a prominent constitution, a strong and large back. Horses are moderately tall, they have long and powerful limbs. Methods for breeding this line were previously described; all this depends on the specific climate and local conditions in which the pets will live. The direction is distinguished by three divisions, which include heavy, medium and light horses, which directly indicates the body type. The original purpose of creating pets was hunting, but, as it turned out later, they can also be used as sports stallions. They have excellent jumping qualities, a confident and wide stride, are very agile and sweeping when galloping, and can also maintain endurance over long distances. Some say that Gunter stallions are purebred stallions, but this is not always justified, since often only crosses of purebred representatives are involved in the breeding process, that is, many pets are just half-breeds. If you use such horses for hunting with dogs, then they perform their role perfectly, and the process itself can be carried out both in summer and winter, because at any time the gunter will support your desire to hunt.
Gunther (English hunter - hunting horse) is a riding horse born from a purebred riding stallion and a draft mare. In England and Ireland, gunters have long been produced for use in horse hunts, where the horse is required to have great strength, endurance and the ability to overcome a variety of natural and artificial obstacles. Currently, the outstanding sports qualities of gunters are used in show jumping, eventing, and steeplechasing. Gunters are not a breed, since the resulting crossbreeds of the first generation have a purely commercial purpose and are not used for further breeding. Their production is a typical example of industrial crossbreeding, which was used in horse breeding much earlier than in other livestock sectors. Since Gunters are bred from mares of different draft breeds, their appearance can be quite different. Usually a gunter has a deep chest, short dry strong legs. The height of gunters ranges from 155 to 170 cm. The color is often bay or black, but there are gray, red and even piebald gunters.I read it myself
The Irish Gunter originates from Ireland. The breed appeared by crossing an English thoroughbred with an Irish draft horse.
The Irish Gunter combines the best features of the Irish draft horse - intelligence, character, and the English thoroughbred - athletic ability, agility and endurance.
The Irish draft horse has traditionally served in Ireland as a versatile horse: as a means of transportation, for working in the fields and for riding.
Then, with the advent of the era of mechanization, the demand for them decreased, since the main focus of selection was on breeding riding horses.
The Irish Gunter satisfied the demand for quality riding horses, and at the same time the demand for Irish draft horses increased.
In recent years Ireland has produced many quality horses which are sold in Europe and America for significant sums.
These horses have a unique character - they are calm, attentive, and at the same time, lively and energetic when necessary. In addition, they are persistent and resilient. Irish Gunters have an innate jumping ability, they are intelligent and courageous, making them one of the most popular horses of recent times. Irish gunners perform very successfully in various competitions, including triathlon.
The height of the Irish Gunter is from 157.5 to 170 cm. Any color except spotted.
There are three types of horses of this breed: light, medium and heavy. They have a beautiful head, sometimes with a convex profile, and a moderately arched muscular neck.
High quality sloping strong shoulders and a short compact body with a short muscular croup. The legs are well formed with healthy hooves.
