falconry from horse-back.

[Kazahk]

I was wondering if their is any falconer's from this forum who have practiced falconry from horse back.
Im giving it a go soon on one of my Andalucian mare's.
At least they can go where a 4X4 cant go.
Yes i know Nick Fox does it.

[Misty]

nick fox springs to mind but wether he is a member of this fourm I don't know:yawinkle:

[Mark Springthorpe]

ive flown my harris from a clothes horse does this count lol (sorry):supz:

[Haz]

the last i heard of anyone doing falconry from horse back was back in the late eigties,
well respected falconer by the name of george roach from notts area

[Mark Springthorpe]

the last i heard of anyone doing falconry from horse back was back in the late eigties,
well respected falconer by the name of george roach from notts area

yes he did in displays i know mr roach very well arab horeses i think:)

[Falconry Equipment International]

Harry mc~Elroy I beleive still hawks from horseback. HTH

[GyrXPeales]

Harry mc~Elroy I beleive still hawks from horseback. HTH
Yup you're right Julian, Paso Fino's I believe, like sitting in a rocking chair.
It would be nice to see more doing it.
I think Laruen "berkutchi" was at Harry's this last summer, don't know if they got to go out or not, it would be interesting to hear.
Best Regards,
Jeff

[Kazahk]

Harry mc~Elroy I beleive still hawks from horseback. HTH

yes he does and with Aplarmado's and Harris's,im planning on doing it with my falcon and Golden's.

[Kentish Falconry]

yes he does and with Aplarmado's and Harris's,im planning on doing it with my falcon and Golden's.

Seems like an interesting idea to me. There are not many Falconers around now who still hunt from Horseback.
Ronnie Broos used to do Demo's from Horseback when he was at Park Paradisio, Ath, Belgium and I found it amazing when he was flying 3 Falcons to the Lure at the same time hard enough to do from the ground let alone from a 16 HH Stallion.
Would be very interesting to see a Goldie hunting from Horseback so make sure you get some Pic's when you get going, I look forward to seeing it
Terry:supz:

[Kazahk]

Im schooling one of the mares now and they are used to hawks etc,plus ive a couple of fantail doves that roost in the stables and the horses are used to flapping wings around their heads.
Both my imprint Goldie's have seen them since the downey stage and ive exercised my gyrkin in the padocks with them and shoudnt have any teathing problems,and i should add that this training is for the hunting field and not for the display arena,ive more than a few acres of open ground to fly shall i say and this means i could slip at hares etc that before would not be feasable on foot,if people are interested should i do some form of diary?
This means i shall be hunting Golden's in the traditional way from the saddle.

[Kentish Falconry]

Im schooling one of the mares now and they are used to hawks etc,plus ive a couple of fantail doves that roost in the stables and the horses are used to flapping wings around their heads.
Both my imprint Goldie's have seen them since the downey stage and ive exercised my gyrkin in the padocks with them and shoudnt have any teathing problems,and i should add that this training is for the hunting field and not for the display arena,ive more than a few acres of open ground to fly shall i say and this means i could slip at hares etc that before would not be feasable on foot,if people are interested should i do some form of diary?
This means i shall be hunting Golden's in the traditional way from the saddle.

A Diary would be a great idea and I am sure it will be well recieved on the Forum. It will be new to many Falconers here and should cause quite a lot of interest from our resident Eagle Hunters as well, nothing ventured nothing gained
Terry :supz:

[GyrXPeales]

By all means Kazahk, I would love to see a diary on that, and I think most everyone else would too.
Go for it mate!
ATB,
Jeff

Im schooling one of the mares now and they are used to hawks etc,plus ive a couple of fantail doves that roost in the stables and the horses are used to flapping wings around their heads.
Both my imprint Goldie's have seen them since the downey stage and ive exercised my gyrkin in the padocks with them and shoudnt have any teathing problems,and i should add that this training is for the hunting field and not for the display arena,ive more than a few acres of open ground to fly shall i say and this means i could slip at hares etc that before would not be feasable on foot,if people are interested should i do some form of diary?
This means i shall be hunting Golden's in the traditional way from the saddle.

[Haz]

yes he did in displays i know mr roach very well arab horeses i think:)


they sure were pure arabs,
met mr roach on a couple of occasions,
and each time was more pleasurable than the last,

very talented bloke,
and will always beheld in the highest esteem in my eyes

[Dartmoor Hawker]

I've been flying falcons at Crows from horses on Dartmor for the last 5 years, using a team of 2 female peregrine sakers and 2 male and 1 female gyr saker, in my opinion the most exciting form of Falconry.
I have done most of this from a little thouroghbred (ex racehorse) with a very laid back temperment but a good turn of speed and very quick on her feet.
From experience at least one other rider is needed (normally to pick up the piieces when things go wrong).
The hawks are the simple part of the equation, the horse can be a lot more comlicated, but if you get it right you will be in for an amazing time.

[Afshimo]

I did some riding with a falcon on the fist mainly to see what it was like. The horse was a relatives and more then used to birds and wings flapping but the Saker was hooded for most of the ride. But I'm no great rider and hope to get more lessons before I have ago at that lol.

Han

[Berkutchi]

Richard,

Josef Hiebeler often flies his eagles off horseback, and details his training techniques and hunting strategies in his book "Der Steinadler in der Falknerei". Its a masterpiece, although, you do need to be fluent in German. Even if your not, its filled with brilliant step-by-step photos.

Hi Jeff,

Yep, after hacking aplomados all summer, and fighting the urge to just jess one up and fly it, I had to see them in a falconry setting. Who better to see then the legend himself? I stopped by Harry McElroy's place on August 31st, the day before quail season opened (D'oh!). The day after I left he was geared up and ready to take his new aplo and gos out after quail on the horse. But, when I was there we did get the the female imprint alpo out to give the sparrows a hard time--and she caught and cached a few for us. Extremely interesting to watch. Here's a photo of the master at work...

[GyrXPeales]

Pretty cool stuff Lauren!:supz: I hope Harry is with us for MANY more seasons. One of the greatest falconers of our time IMHO.
Thanks for sharing that with us.
Jeff

Richard,

Josef Hiebeler often flies his eagles off horseback, and details his training techniques and hunting strategies in his book "Der Steinadler in der Falknerei". Its a masterpiece, although, you do need to be fluent in German. Even if your not, its filled with brilliant step-by-step photos.

Hi Jeff,

Yep, after hacking aplomados all summer, and fighting the urge to just jess one up and fly it, I had to see them in a falconry setting. Who better to see then the legend himself? I stopped by Harry McElroy's place on August 31st, the day before quail season opened (D'oh!). The day after I left he was geared up and ready to take his new aplo and gos out after quail on the horse. But, when I was there we did get the the female imprint alpo out to give the sparrows a hard time--and she caught and cached a few for us. Extremely interesting to watch. Here's a photo of the master at work...

[Mark Springthorpe]

they sure were pure arabs,
met mr roach on a couple of occasions,
and each time was more pleasurable than the last,

very talented bloke,
and will always beheld in the highest esteem in my eyes

could'nt agree more my friend a nice chap been hawking with him a few times we both flew female ferruginous top man:supz:

[Haz]

could'nt agree more my friend a nice chap been hawking with him a few times we both flew female ferruginous top man:supz:

i brought a lanner from him some 24yrs ago,
put me through my paces before i could have it,
sterling bloke,

do you see much of him????

[Mark Springthorpe]

i brought a lanner from him some 24yrs ago,
put me through my paces before i could have it,
sterling bloke,

do you see much of him????

not since two falconry fairs ago m8 that was when i lived in derbyshire moved to lincs now i used to go out alot with one of his mates garry with his goldies but thats another story (sorry to but in on your post re falconry on horse back )

[Oli]

i had been wondering about this myslef actually...just kept forgetting when it came to the forum. would be interesting to see how fast you could go with a bird on your fist tho, canter would be, hmm, interesting to say the least, bordering difficult, but i'm by no means an excellent rider. would a bop be uncomfortable on a fast moving horse?-by no means the most comfortable way to travel, tho the more fun.
a diary would be a great idea, will look forward to reading about your experiences.
although fox hunting with bops seems to be ridiculed on here, it would be interesting to see it...imo.
oli

[Berkutchi]

Thank you, Jeff! I couldn't agree more!

Something that might be of interest to this thread:

Here is a picture of the set-up on a horse in Olgii, the western-most providence of Mongolia (we were just 85km from the Russian border). I was lucky to see both a passage and an imprint bird flown--both were as placid as could be on the Kazakh's fist on horseback. We rode for hours and hours (simply because of the sheer amount of ground you have to cover to get a single fox slip), from sunrise till sunset, and the birds were absolutly statue-esque. The passage bird was flown strictly out of the hood, but the imprint would wait-on over us. When your done for the day, and the frigid night starts to set in, believe me you gallop back as fast as you can home. So close to Siberia, its bone-chilling at night in the dead of winter.

One day, during such circumstances, the Kazakh man I was hunting with (Aralbai) handed me his eagle and whipped my horse--which took off at a gallop. I had virtually no horse experience at the time, and was somewhat (okay, I was) hanging on for dear life. But the hooded eagle on my glove simply had its wings half-open, as if she was enjoying the breeze, and didn't stir otherwise. I was amazed. No doubt it can be done.

--Lauren

[GyrXPeales]

Now that's what I'm talkin about Lauren. I was hoping you would tell us about some of the time spent with the Berkutchi. I don't know about anyone else but I think it would be great if you could do a thread on it sometime.
Best Regards,
Jeff

Thank you, Jeff! I couldn't agree more!

Something that might be of interest to this thread:

Here is a picture of the set-up on a horse in Olgii, the western-most providence of Mongolia (we were just 85km from the Russian border). I was lucky to see both a passage and an imprint bird flown--both were as placid as could be on the Kazakh's fist on horseback. We rode for hours and hours (simply because of the sheer amount of ground you have to cover to get a single fox slip), from sunrise till sunset, and the birds were absolutly statue-esque. The passage bird was flown strictly out of the hood, but the imprint would wait-on over us. When your done for the day, and the frigid night starts to set in, believe me you gallop back as fast as you can home. So close to Siberia, its bone-chilling at night in the dead of winter.

One day, during such circumstances, the Kazakh man I was hunting with (Aralbai) handed me his eagle and whipped my horse--which took off at a gallop. I had virtually no horse experience at the time, and was somewhat (okay, I was) hanging on for dear life. But the hooded eagle on my glove simply had its wings half-open, as if she was enjoying the breeze, and didn't stir otherwise. I was amazed. No doubt it can be done.

--Lauren

[Kazahk]

One of my father's friends had a trip of a life time about 11 years ago as he went to Kazahkstan to partake in hawking with the Berkutchi - ethnic Kazahk's and ethnic Russians.And yes he payed big $ for the trip,but he had a few expenses paid by the fuel/oil company he worked for (mixing business & pleasure!).
Of course he had the experience of the " Berkut ",and witnessed a 3/4 wolf taken by a huge female,but added that it add a whole new dimension with the horses.And on his return to the South Downs on the Kent/Sussex border he added the equine element to his Rook hawking and loved the horse,rider and falcon forming a partnership as this branch of falconry is one of the most demanding practised becouse of the skills required.You get the same buzz as the mounted Fox-hunts/packs and i cant wait!...

[Berkutchi]

Aye, will do Jeff. Will you be stopping by the NAFA meet this year?

One of the brilliant things nowadays, is that travel to Mongolia/Kazakhstan is not that expensive, especially considering the distance your traveling. Gone are the days when it was an arm and a leg. The only thing one must be wary of are the tourist companies, and the tourist "falconers".

But, its pure falconry in a timeless setting. I don't know what beats having a steady horse under you, a strong eagle over you, and a fox in front you--all in vast, limitless surroundings without so much as a paved road or a telephone pole. ...And after you cross into Kazakhstan, many falconers there use tazis/salukis to help flush game.

Of course, once you go, you can't stop thinking about going back. I've already started saving for a 'very extended' vacation after University.

--Lauren

[GyrXPeales]

Glad to see you're starting to realize your dream. Can't wait to see your first goldie when the time comes.
Yup, I'll be at NAFA, staying at the Wingate, I'll see you there!
Best Regards,
Jeff

Aye, will do Jeff. Will you be stopping by the NAFA meet this year?

One of the brilliant things nowadays, is that travel to Mongolia/Kazakhstan is not that expensive, especially considering the distance your traveling. Gone are the days when it was an arm and a leg. The only thing one must be wary of are the tourist companies, and the tourist "falconers".

But, its pure falconry in a timeless setting. I don't know what beats having a steady horse under you, a strong eagle over you, and a fox in front you--all in vast, limitless surroundings without so much as a paved road or a telephone pole. ...And after you cross into Kazakhstan, many falconers there use tazis/salukis to help flush game.

Of course, once you go, you can't stop thinking about going back. I've already started saving for a 'very extended' vacation after University.

--Lauren

[ChrisJ]

I have been thinking of trying falconry from horseback myself. I work a Shire, who is very steady and has been trained for riding as well. I thought I would try flying a harris from him initially. Apart from the obvious training process of getting bird and horse used to each other, has anyone any other advice on techniques, training, etc?

Looking at book covers - Diana Durnham-Walters seems to be sitting on a horse with a bird of prey. I've not got the book, so I don't know if there is any information on this topic in that.

Chris

[Austringer84]

I to want to try falconry from horse back. I used to ride atleast once a week and loved hacking, so it makes sense to ciombine the two. My dad is a well experienced rider and so wen i delve into this path I will try and get him to get me more proficient so it can be enjoyed to the full. would love to see some more footage of it. I've seen Nick fox's video bout crow hawking, that was good. but not enough footage about in my opinion.

would love to see eagles hunt from horse back.

si

[White Sea Eagle]

I,m going to try it to have my on horse vesuevius,. See how it goes its something you dont really hear about now a days. sure if you can do it from a land rover you can do it from a horse.
As amber and horse are already acquainted makes the task much easier.

[Argee]

ive flown my harris from a clothes horse does this count lol (sorry):supz:

load of old flannel :yawinkle:
(*v*) ...

[Francis]

yes he does and with Aplarmado's and Harris's...

He's not the only one to fly harris and applomado from his saddle...
for birds and horses, get them use to each other, and keep your bird well away from the stables...

[Argee]

He's not the only one to fly harris and applomado from his saddle...
for birds and horses, get them use to each other, and keep your bird well away from the stables...

hi ..
was wondering if we would hear from you ,
(*v*) ...

[Smelleken]

Me and a German friend (Jurgen Steiger) did some Rabbit hunting a few years ago on the island of Sylt with his Harrishawks. He is the owner of three Icelandic ponies, wich are perfect for the rough terrain of dunes and sand on this Island. Hunting was done in the very early morning, while riding in the dunes. Jurgen's Springer spaniel managed to flush some Rabbit's out of the Brambles, and the HH caught a few.

Great sport !! :supz:

Rob

[Kat67]

Apparently one of the difficult techniques to learn is mounting your horse with a hawk on your gauntlet, hence the reason smaller horses and ponies are preferred. This is avoided by either mounting from the off side of the horse with the hawk on your left hand or simply passing the hawk over to someone until you'd mounted.... It sounds great, 'bring my horse here boy' and 'pass me my hawk boy' and 'fill my glass again cos this is gonna be one hell of a ride..boy!!'

[Smelleken]

Kat,

It is not that difficult at all. Simply use a Shetlandpony as your hawking and falconry horse :lol:

Rob

[Kat67]

Being only 5' I rarely look under-horsed! In fact something 13.2 is about right for me lol I do fancy a go at this one day, advise noted..but i'll pass on the shetland pony!!. And it might be an idea if I did a lot more of the bird bit beforehand!! Alternatively I might just saddle up and take the gun and go calamity Jane!..

[Kazahk]

I have been thinking of trying falconry from horseback myself. I work a Shire, who is very steady and has been trained for riding as well. I thought I would try flying a harris from him initially. Apart from the obvious training process of getting bird and horse used to each other, has anyone any other advice on techniques, training, etc?

Looking at book covers - Diana Durnham-Walters seems to be sitting on a horse with a bird of prey. I've not got the book, so I don't know if there is any information on this topic in that.

Chris

Yes Diana Durnham-Walters book does cover a very brief intro of falconry on horses on the corvid hawking chapter.She use to offer horse backed falconry days/holidays,but i dont know if Lenny Walters still does them.

[Kazahk]

;quote;

[Dan Paradis]

Horse-back hawking is a way of life for all the love and work you have to put into it. Quarter horses, pointers and the birds... My wife and me are addicted since so many years now.

Dan

[Berkut]

I have to say the thought of flying from horseback,especially the eagles,really appeals to me.

[Kazahk]

I have to say the thought of flying from horseback,especially the eagles,really appeals to me.

In my location ive a vast amount of land to cover and you find it hard going on foot looking for a feasable slip .You can take a 4X4 on some parts but a horse can go where a 4X4 cant go,i take out my Saluki's with my horses and have great fun.
What you have to remember the line of sight in my location is vast and ive slipped at hares at around a 1/4 of a mile away and then add the pursuit distance between eagle and hare = a long treck ( ive done it twice on foot now ),and im not keen on doing that!,with a mounted falconer you keep with the action and dont miss anything,its the same as mounted fox hunting if you ride with them you gain the whole experience,but on foot only half the experience is there.
Ive just been schooling one of the mares now (as im in for a cuppa i thought i type this) and have been rideing in the manarge with my eagle hooded and at the momeant all is going fine,my goldie flapped its wings in the breeze as i was rideing and my Andalucian is'nt spooked one bit,this breed is very calm tempered and has great endurence and not skitty like Arabian's.
So all is going to plan for the time being..

[Kazahk]

:quote:

[Kazahk]

Just got my male Golden flying to my fist with me rideing yesterday afternoon,my goldie has learnt to balence whilst my horse is trotting and going into a canter,ive practiced at home in my paddocks so that eagle and horse learn without dangerous distractions of unexpected farm traffic etc.
I called my eagle from a post to my fist approximately 30 yards in front of the horse,i kept checking the horses reactions and shes accepted this all calmly.

Role on the next stage...

[Falcon]

Got to admit Richard It's something that i've always thought about doing myself, as I used to be into horse riding before i got into falconry and it could be fun to combine the two.

[Kitetrainer]

It must take a lot of doing to get your Eagle that fit how long have you been flying it and who did you get it from.
Have you caught much with it yet

[Kazahk]

It must take a lot of doing to get your Eagle that fit how long have you been flying it and who did you get it from.
Have you caught much with it yet

sent PM.

[Kazahk]

Richard,

Josef Hiebeler often flies his eagles off horseback, and details his training techniques and hunting strategies in his book "Der Steinadler in der Falknerei". Its a masterpiece, although, you do need to be fluent in German. Even if your not, its filled with brilliant step-by-step photos.

I now have the book!,luckily my mother is fairly fluent in German from working/living there for many years.

This book is a must have for any Falconry bookshelf and of course Eaglers.

[Kazahk]

It must take a lot of doing to get your Eagle that fit how long have you been flying it and who did you get it from.
Have you caught much with it yet

answers,
Yes,Every day,Friend in Germany,YES!:yawinkle:

[Kazahk]

I slipped my male goldie from the saddle today at two hares missed one got the second on a long coursing flight,when he was slipped from out of the hood he flew over the horses neck and all my mare did was ***** her ears.
Then of i went in a canter to recover the eagle on his hare that was just under 8lb,it felt amazing following a Golden on a horse and keeping with the action.

For information and a course for falconry on horse back go to www.ditchlingcommonstud.co.uk

[saluki_dog]

Hy i have got a 17.2 mare that will do anything and it not botherd by anything. i have always wonted to do this but never realy new how to start it. i think i should start small then get bigger with the birds i got. i no wen im out riding and i see every thing and im sitting there thinking only if i had my bird or dog.
how did u start to train your bird and horse to get along with each other> i think my mare would be fine just the bird! the only thing that im am botherd about is if i am trotting with the bird on my hand and if it bates.
plz email back soon
i am realy interested in this!
kez:grin:

[Kitetrainer]

I slipped my male goldie from the saddle today at two hares missed one got the second on a long coursing flight,when he was slipped from out of the hood he flew over the horses neck and all my mare did was ***** her ears.
Then of i went in a canter to recover the eagle on his hare that was just under 8lb,it felt amazing following a Golden on a horse and keeping with the action.

For information and a course for falconry on horse back go to www.ditchlingcommonstud.co.uk


Sounds great

[saluki_dog]

so can u help me !?!?! :cool: