Advice please re novice hacking out alone.

[A1fie]

Hi I would be grateful for people's opinions and advice. I am a novice rider who has recently started sharing a horse. She is stabled at a yard where there are a couple of hundred acres of off road hacking. I have been out on a couple of walks with another person walking beside me but never on my own. Horse is mainly used for hacking and is good when out. She can get a bit excited with other horses but she is not awful.

I have always thought that I should stick to the school until I am confident in all paces but a part of me thinks that I should try going out for a walk. I am not a confident rider. First time I sat on a horse was less than a year ago. I have loads of "what if" fears and I worry (justifiably I think!) that the horse will pick up on this when out and will do her own thing due to having no confidence in me. I think if I do go out a few times my confidence will shoot up and my riding will improve but if she bolts off then I will be even more of a quivering jelly in the future!!!

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[mole]

if you are confident when you have someone with you there is no reason not to go out on your own. just make sure that on your first few times you stick to really short distances and stay in walk then when you are happy doing that on your own increase the distance and/or add in some trot work.

and if you feel nervous or your horse is nervous sing 'bob the builder' to it - it always seems to calm my neurotic pony down when shes in a state!!!!

 

[vicm2509]

Is it possible you could get someone to come with you on foot and maybe walk behind. That way if anything does happen you will have someone there.

Yes your confidence probably will shoot up but all horses are unpreidctable and you confidence could quite easily go the other way.

Good luck & have fun

 

[Tinker_Belle]

I can be the same re confidence issues. Why don't you try just going for short walks rather than full on hacks & build it up gradually?

There's no rule to say that a ten minute walk outside of the school & then home again isn't good enough. Try just pushing yourself slowly & then building up to an hour or so as your confidence increases.

If you start to feel out of your depth then take a step back & build up again.

Good luck

xx

 

[A1fie]

thank you all for your replies. I really do want to go out but worried it's too soon. I think i'll brave it this weekend.

Mole - only song I can ever remember all words to when I'm nervous is away in a manger!!!!

 

[YorkshireLass]

As with most things in life... don't do anything that you don't feel comfortable with.

Evern the most laid back bombproof horse can feel if the rider is not confident. They can smell adrenalin and feel tension in the riders seat and through the reins.

Horses are heard animals, so being alone is unnatural, even the most lad back horse has its defenses raised when it is alone. If it has no confidence in the rider it feels totaly alone.

You need to be confident at all paces, because the unexpected can happen... you could find yourself unexpectedly going at paces you are not happy with!

Having said that, you are going to have to bite the bullet at some point. When you feel up to it start going for little rides alone, may be with a more experienced rider following five minuites behind. That way, if you run in to problems help is only just round the corner.

This goes for all hacking.. Remember your hi viz & mobile. Remember to tell someone where you are going and how long you expect to be.

 

[Gorgeous George]

I sing to George if I am nervous out hacking and it does work, and like you I only seem to be able to remember christmas carols! Good luck.

 

[jumpthemoon]

[ QUOTE ]
I sing to George if I am nervous out hacking and it does work, and like you I only seem to be able to remember christmas carols! Good luck.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ooooh I'm glad it's not just me with a thing about Carols! Also Wham's Last Christmas always seems to come to mind for some reason

Good luck with your hacking

 

[A1fie]

Yorkshire lass - thanks for your advice. The thing is that I AM nervous and I know that I can't convince horse that I'm not. She is generally quite patient with me. She does seem to know that I'm a numpty! It makes sense that she will feel totally alone so maybe I should wait a little longer.
GG - Do you think George acts different if he knows you are nervous?

 

[Gorgeous George]

George is better if I am confident, which frankly isn't that often! Luckily he isn't a particularly sensitive soul in that way, but I love hacking too much not to do it, so I just spray some rescue remedy, get on, get singing and go

 

[bedbug]

Alfiesmum....if you get nervous when you go out on your own just think of all those riders up and down the country singing Christmas carols to their horses...you will be so busy giggling, like I am now, you will forget to be nervous.

 

[trundle]

Alfiesmum, have you considered taking her for a couple of walks in-hand before you ride out on your own? Maybe hat will help your horse get the idea of you as leader (no pun intended) and it won't be quite so nerve-wracking when you do the same thing but with you on top.

I do sympathise as i was a bit nervy about hacking after being dumped twice in clsoe succession by my Moose. I got over the worst of it by simply going for progressively longer wanders up the drive on my own. now I have no problems with pootling around the fields on my own (although I am still jumpy about cantering her out in the fields on my own).

 

[A1fie]

GG - thanks, will try rescue remedy. Bedbug, I am really aware of how silly I look and sound singing away in a manger, first verse over and over in a very tuneless way!!!!
Trundle - I have been out on a lead rein, it really relaxes me but makes me feel like I'm 4 years old!!

 

[cashter]

Perhaps your friend who walks out with you could start off with you then hang back a bit to let you go on alone. She will be there, not too far away if you need her, and as your confidence builds you could go further on ahead and meet you friend on your way back. Good luck and enjoy xx

 

[Bert&Maud]

You could start with a session on the school, and then just 5 minutes "hack" to cool off while you are both warmed up and a little tired! Build up the little hacks when you are feeling confident. I am quite nervous too, not helped by being bucked off last month by my new 5 year old! Kalms (you can get them from Boots) help to take the edge of anxiety. Also, I am much braver when it's warm and the sun is shining - perhaps you will be too, and you can use the summer to build your confidence for hacking. Don't force yourself to do anything that you don't feel ready for, and don't worry about feeling like you're 4 years old - if you are safe and confident that's great. Perhaps you can go on the lead rein while you go away from the yard and come off it to go back. Also, can I recommend "The Grand Old Duke of York", especially good while trotting!

 

[A1fie]

Thank you both

 

[Orangehorse]

Perfect Confidence by Kelly Marks is a good book to read, gives you tips and hints.

 

[Stella]

Speaking from unpleasent experience, I agree with YorkshireLass. You really should be confident in walk, trot and canter as you can never be sure that you will not have to ride them. Hacking alone makes completely different demands on a horse than hacking in the company of another horse or person on foot. For it to be safe, the rider really needs to be in charge - 'lead horse' so to speak. If the rider is a passenger, the horse is in charge and that isn't a relaxed position for most horses!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but you have been riding only a very short time and these things only seem like a good idea until it goes pear shaped. It may not of course, but the risk of more than a dip in confidence is there.