Hore retired from international rugby after playing Ireland during the 2013 All Black Northern Hemisphere tour, with a total of 83 test caps to his name.

In the final pool match of the tournament, he was selected to captain the side against Canada when both Richie McCaw and Dan Carter were injured and unable to play.

During the All Blacks end-of-year European Tour, controversy arose during the Wales versus New Zealand test match on 24 November 2012 after Hore tackled the Welsh lock Bradley Davies across the head off the ball.

The offence - a red card one - was missed by the match referee, Hore faced the judiciary and received an end of season suspension.

Judge Rollo said he believed the aggravating features of the offending were the number of shots fired, the close proximity to the public and the fact that the area in which they were shooting was world-renowned for its wildlife.

He considers farming central to his identity—so much so that when he first met his future wife Francine Hore (née Lister) while on a flight with the Hurricanes [10] and she asked his occupation, he replied "I'm a farmer."