6 months of hacking solo...

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Conniemara1

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I am on a livery yard with 20+ horses and for 6 months I have hacked alone!!! People don't hack.. Or if they do its very rarely. Would this be a problem for you?
 
Same here. I am a bit of a nervy creature so like to go out with others, but not possible. My old yard, for all its faults, had loads of hacking buddies. Feel your pain!
 
Nope not at all. I much prefer going out by myself than in a group, and I spent almost 7 years hacking solo. Having said that my horse was an absolute star, wasn't scared of anything, you pointed him somewhere and he went, over or under anything.
 
I keep my horses at home so i just about always hack on my own. I do have company most Saturdays but the rest of the time i am on my own. I even take my 4 year old out on my own.
I love riding on my own as i don't have to thin about what anyone else wants to do and if i want a canter i can just set off and not have to ask anyone else what they want to do.
 
There are only 2 of us at our yard that regularly hack out luckily our horses are well matched and we have become good friends lol
 
I have my own yard so I pretty much always hack on my own (well, there are two of us, just she has 4 legs!). I can arrange to hack with people on the main yard up the road which is part of the same farm, but it's often a logistical exercise as they all work full time and I ride during the day. Most of them seem to think that hacking out for more than a couple of miles is way beyond them and seek the comfort of the school!
I prefer to ride with the company of just my horse most of the time, you can choose where you go, what pace, what time you leave and how long you are out for. My mare is good in company and alone, my old mare much preferred to be on her own.
I do think you get a much better relationship with you horse from riding out alone, they look to you to guide them and look after them rather than relying on another horse.
 
i was on a yard for a couple of years where all you could do was hack!! no where to school and no school to hire, I know what you are saying but for me was the opposite.

Hacking is great! I know it gets dull on your own, maybe see if there is anyone near on at another yard hacks?
 
I like riding alone too sometimes (especially when I want a canter) ... but not all the time!!! I'm fed up of riding alone my boy is good, but much better in company and I can enjoy it more in company, hacking is what I like doing and it's suffering (as is my confidence) BUT I'm on the best yard in other respects so I don't know what to do! :( was interested if others in similar boat!
 
My friend is like that. There's only 3 horses on our yard, none of which I can ride, my daughter goes out with her sometimes on our tb mare or the pony, but generally they tend to ride at different times. luckily the 3 are ok to hack alone or stay home alone.

I'm working on hacking alone with my mare, as I quite like the idea and would like to have the option. I admire those who can do it with confidence.
 
I love hacking on my own & I really feel it is fantastic for building up a solid bond & trust between me & my boy. I used to be on bigger yards but they didn't want to go far or would always school so I would always.out alone...sometimes I would go off most of the day...sheer heaven! :-)
 
Unless my stable mate has a babysitter then I always hack alone. I was on the farm alone for five years and it isn't bother me then either as I could do my own thing and not have to make sure anther person was at the same level/stage/confident as I was :)
 
TBH I'm usually braver/more confident I know how horse will react alone - because whilst I learnt a lot in riding schools most of my hacking has been alone.

I do hack in company sometimes, including with OH (both romantic... and, used to be, scary when I felt responsible and he felt like doing his own thing).

TBH day-to-day I'd mostly rather not have the company of someone I don't choose than focus on the horse who I did choose - although on an occasional basis it is very nice.

But I'm not riding as preggers atm so very grateful to others on the yard who hack out with (in my mind keep safe!) OH. :-)
 
like to hack on my won, bit of me time with my horse, my horse is a WB and has WB temp too but she does dressage one day and hacks the next. tracks, roads, etc., always on my own and last 6 months has been in the vilest weather too. phone in pocket, hi viz on, rug on horse and off you go.
 
I did my first ever solo ride last week and am working on building it up gradually so beast and I get used to it. Really enjoyed it although I was anxious because he's been rested for two months.:eek: It's great just being able to tack up and go and just concentrate on how horsey is doing and feeling.
 
I'm on a big yard but everyone rides different times. So not always about when others are and vide versa. I hack round the farm on my own, but won't go off site on my own. Horse is only 5 and we have to go down a busy road before we hit the bridle ways. So try and get out with others for that, but not many others that will hack off site. Which I want to do as want to make sure my horse is good with the traffic, but don't fancy attempting it on my own as yet! He has been a couple of times in company. I do sometimes get a bit bored just hacking round the farm on my own though so not normally out for long. Used to enjoy hacking my older horse off site on our own for hours, it was always an adventure finding new and different routes, just want to get myself confident with the younger horse to do the same :)
 
I'm in the same boat as well - we do the (very odd) hack with people on my yard, but probably only once every couple of months. In a way
I'd love to have company, but TBH I'm happy hacking alone most of the time, and I don't need to worry about one horse being fitter / one rider wanting to go further / waiting for the other rider while they faff about getting ready / finding polite ways of saying you don't want to hack out with the yard lunatic :p

I occasionally box to my instructors and hack out with her, which is great :)
 
Preferred to hack alone as I could do my own thing and go on new routes and generally get lost. More relaxing. I wouldnt purchase a horse that was a problem and couldnt do this. Same should be good in company as well. Miss the chit chat sometimes and getting splattered by the horse in front!
 
I am lucky enough to have people to ride with when I want to, but am happy enough to toodle off on my own when I want. It is nice to have company but if the group if too big or the horses are too on their toes I'd rather be on my own as I know I'll stay in charge!! Does help having a traffic proof horse although he can be a bit of a scardy cat about new routes.
 
That would be a dealbreaker for me.

I'm on a yard with around 40 horses, on moving on I struggled to find anyone who hacked and the ones who did just walked round the block and back again.

I put myself out there and spoke to pretty much everyone on the yard - along the lines of "we enjoy hacking and try to get out every weekend, you'll have to give me a shout if you fancy coming along". We had a few new people move on, 6mths on I've finally got a hacking buddy that's on the same wavelength :)
 
ive had fox going on 7 years and we hack ourselves more often than not :) if a huge group he gets too excited, think its the racehorse mentality.. if its just a pair of us then hes fine though. longer hacks are better with company, but at the same time if you need some headspace or quiet, a nice long hack is the ticket :)

not sure how i would feel if i didnt have the choice to hack alone or in company though!
 
Last summer I hacked my loan horse alone. Now I did miss the chats that you have when you hack with people but what I did find was that i bonded with my horse alot more and we became really in tune ( if that doesnt sound weird :o ) My horse was quite nervous but i think if anything hacking alone really helped him because he had to be brave on his own and he had no other horse as a crutch. I would recommend it to be honest does wonders for horses confidence :)
 
I've had my horse years it's not the case that i need to bond with a new horse, nor that I can't ride him alone... because I can it's probably the point a few of you have touched on that it is the fact I have no choice! In the past we have had lots of hacking buddies but over time they have left the yard for one reason or another, we used to go out for hours at the weekend but now there is no one, and alone I only do an hour hacking. With another horse life is so much easier and if you do happen to have a hack where something has not gone right then it's nice to go out again with another horse and put yourselves right again rather than having to tackle everything alone when your horse is good alone but not fantastic... :( it is good to hear so many people who have a lovely time hacking solo!!! I certainly wouldn't want a horse i could only ride in company -it would just be nice to have some company sometimes!
 
It would not be a problem for me, I have always loved solo hacking and actually I prefer it, though of course I do enjoy riding out with others sometimes.
Quite a few people hack at my yard but I tend to ride out with very, very few of them and just tend to just hack alone. My late mare was fab at solo hacking, and I have dived in with Nell and am doing it with her and she is doing very well thank goodness. I would hate to have to rely on hacking out with others as sometimes there is no one about who I would be able to or want to hack out with
Having the choice is always good though!
 
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I'm on a large yard and we used to go out with a lovely group, discovered some new routes, had a chat etc. However all of them have since moved yards :( so now we hack alone most of the time. Horse is not the best alone, and much prefers company. However we can just keep going, as he hates stopping and waiting!
 
Hey

well i was at a yard and i use to hack often with a couple of different people. Then when i knew i might be leaving i tried to get out on my own with phone blaring music and pup at my side and it was amazing :D
I did take Pads out alone the other day at my new yard and it was so stressful we did not know where we were going and so we were both on edge. I am going out with one of the ladies tomorrow from my yard so i might stick to that for a while as it a massive hacking area and knowing my luck we would get totally lost :D:D
 
Before I moved up here, I only ever hacked out with company

When I moved up here, for 6 years I've hacked alone and my lad doesn't really like it do I've craved company

Now my friend has moved just round the corner, I crave hacking alone - I really enjoy it far more lol so sneak out when she's busy. Had a super ride on my lad over the last few days

Sometimes you can't please me :D
 
I do find that a lot of people just don't like the thought of riding miles in the countryside anymore! They run away at the thought of riding 10 miles even! 10 miles is not a long way, I do wonder if many people are somehow ingrained into just riding in the school. They spend a lot of money on instructors so they spend all their time schooling. Me personally, I spent my teenage years riding a friend's horses, she didn't have a school and we would go out for hours at a time, usually at a fast pace (she was a bit mad, can't believe my mum let me go really!) but it taught me to ride at any pace, over any ground. I'd always been on ponies since a young age, mum always had them around. I think now a lot of people are coming to horses later in life, they start off in the school, and seem to stay there.
They are missing out!!
 
Wouldnt be a problem for me. My mare hacks alone (albeit is a lot sharper on her own!) I sometimes quite like riding alone for a bit of peace! But then again i like company of a friend or my mum for a good gossip! :D. And nothings beats a decent gallop! I cannot wait for the ground to dry up a bit
 
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