Am I doing right??? (hacking)

Bluebelle666

Bluebelle666

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I have slowly been working on my horses confidence / manners when hacking.

(I'll first mention that we hack around the yard owner's fields - nowhere near roads or public)

I started with having hacking lessons so that I wasn't having to worry about anyone else when she chose to BOGOFF. From this I learnt that she is happy in walk but as soon as you up a gear she takes the opportunity to go at warp speed. Anyway, with my instructors calm horse we overcame her spookiness but not her speed. Next move...

Going solo. Again if she is kept in walk all is fine but ask her to trot and she BOGOFF's again. Eeek. I've spent several months attempting to change this behavior without resorting to changing her bit (she's in a snaffle). My last ditch attempt is this...

I am only going to do this on a weekend when I have the time; (I tried it yesterday and today and it worked a treat but I don't want to harm her) I have schooled her with lots of trotting and cantering for an hour and then took her for a hack, this has mainly involved walking with a couple of brief trot to walk transitions just to make sure i could.

Is this fair or does it sound too much?
 
That sounds like a good plan to me. My friend lunges her ex racer before hacking him out. I think you are right to work on transitions and keep practising :)

Good luck x
 
I never asked the instructor to ride her, it was more about her providing me with the support that what I was doing was the right thing and to persevere.

Thanks for the replies. I worried a little that I was just getting her fitter to BOGOFF faster but I'm hoping that with her having a calmer attitude when out she might learn that the need to go that fast is not so much fun and it's a nicer ride if she goes with me than against me. Fingers crossed.
 
I would ask if it is an excitment thing. If you only ever walk out hacking, when you do go quicker I am not surprised she goes off when you up the pace. Mine would not be happy walking for any length of time, and would soon take off if I tried to walk everywhere. I also don't really get what wrong with a stronger bit as a short term training aid? Just because you up the brakes, doesn't mean you can't go back again when it has done its job, and the horse learns respect. To me it sounds like the horse is fresh, I would have it on its knees when you went out, then it will be much less inclined to cart you.
Slightly surprised your instructor hasn't suggested this.
 
I see no benefit for her or you to stick with the snaffle, having to haul her back with a snaffle is less desirable, to me, than using a different bit, which allows you to have more control with less force. Also there are many types of snaffle, so sticking with one is not necessary. With regard to schooling before hacking, see no problem with that at all.
 
I agree with the above, nothing wrong with a "stronger" bit, it's how you use it that matters. In any case, if you're using a jointed snaffle that won't feel particularly nice if you have to pull back hard on both reins.
You could read up on a one-rein stop and see if it might be worth doing some work on that in quiet circumstances, so that you can build in a bit of a muscle memory for her. Then when she gets excited it might help you to just check her and step a hind leg under until she relaxes.
If it's about getting home, then you could try going home with her, straight into the arena to have a bit of a hard work schooling session for ten minutes or so, then hack her out in relaxation. In other words, change her expectation of what is going to happen to her when she gets back to the yard.
 
YorksG said:
I see no benefit for her or you to stick with the snaffle, having to haul her back with a snaffle is less desirable, to me, than using a different bit, which allows you to have more control with less force. Also there are many types of snaffle, so sticking with one is not necessary. With regard to schooling before hacking, see no problem with that at all.
Click to expand...

Agreed. :)
 
Agree with the comments about the bit. Bogging off with you is not acceptable!

Working her in the school first should help, at least initially, and by the time she gets fitter, hopefully you will have got over that hurdle and broken the pattern.

I'm also wondering if hacking around fields is helpful - its the terrain that a horse would associate with faster work. Could you go out on quieter lanes or roads (with company) perhaps? Even if it meant boxing out somewhere..
 
stick with the snaffle in the school

have a second bridle and bit for hacking (and poss jumping)

it's a perfectly normal and acceptable practice

how many eventers go XC in the same bit they do dressage in ?
(even prior to double bridle 'level')

I always aim to have mine do everything in a snaffle
- but at the end of the day some horses need something stronger for other than flat work
for THEIR safety AND yours

personally I prefer to try a flash noseband with the snaffle first,
but if that isn't sufficient I find the 'lightest' bit that does the job

as some other posters have said
(and assuming you have good hands and a true independent seat/balance/position)
a stronger bit CAN be kinder if used correctly
than hauling on a snaffle
.
 
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