anyone NEVER hack their horses??

i'm so limited all my hacking has to be on roads and rough ground and i am extra limited cause the gates which lead to the good hacking areas aren't horse friendly, so i would have to get off abby. i'm not allowed to mount her from the ground cause of her back and there is never anything to stand on to get a boost. might be moving yards soon tho which has direct off road hacking!!! woohooo!!!
 
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I hack mine! However when I think about it, how traumatic must it be for a horse to go somewhere strange with all the nasty monsters that could jump on him/her at any moment! Perhaps it is humans that need the change. Mine are actually quite happy in their field all day, everyday and don't get bored!!! I might think they look bored but are they bored? or are they just resting cos there is nothing on the telly? I am not sure horses have the intelligence to get bored.
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Now if they could speak...!!!
 
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girl at my yard has 'dressage horses' and wont hack them out
i do, hacking is the best way to educate a baby, and the best fun
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I taught all my horses to go forward whilst out on hacks, they all learnt to canter whilst out and it is a great way to educate a horse, totally agree.

My poor horse has only been schooled for the past year as I've not been able to ride due to an accident, he is schooled twice a week by my instructor and is coping ok and not upset in the least by not hacking out. However, I still feel that they need to get out and let their manes down
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Before I got my own horse I mainly rode at a local RS which had no hacking facilities and was right on a busy country road. Any time I did hack I felt nervous as I was so used to being enclosed in a school - basically I was petrified but I tried to pretend that I just found it boring!!!

Took me a long time even after I got my own to really get into hacking - I'm not someone who can go off on their own for hours but I now enjoy short road hack on my own and will gallop around the forest til the sun goes down! It's good for keeping my youngster interested - he finds schooling a bit dull!
 
i adore hacking!
im currently riding a friends horse for her and he gets so bored in the school so i have taken to schooling him when out hacking! he is by no means bombproof and we have had some very interesting moments recently but the only way to bombproof a horse is to be persistant with it and to persevere (sp).
I fell in love with hacking with my first horse (an insane little welsh chestnut mare), she was fine with traffic but trees and birds were horrid monsters!
I think hacking is a great way to unwind (horse and rider) and IMO nothing beats a good gallop at the end of a stressfull day
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i do hack but only road work - my horses are lethal to hack if they see grass.

i have tried giving them a canter to get it out the system but they always do the same plunging bucking and spinning which isnt worth it to me.
 
How would you manage if you genuinely couldn't hack out? I have a blind daughter so hacking is not an option for her but our horses have a very varied life with daily turnout. We've installed a horsewalker as a necessity not a luxury.

Our horses are dressage horses and definitely not wrapped in cotton wool, they are aninals first and foremost. Their 'schooling' involves ridden schooling with plenty of variety including music, lungeing and long reining and whenever someone is kind enough to help out a nice walk out in hand or a quiet hack. They seem very happy with their lot it's us who feel guilty about the lack of hacking.
 
I still enjoy hacking, but not as much as I used to. I think I was spoilt at my old yard as our hacking was fab and I had lots of friends of similar ability to hack with.
Where I am now I still have excellent hacking, it just takes longer to get anywhere and I often can't be bothered so school instead. However, in the right mood I can quite happily go off for hours.
I do still try to hack at least once or twice a week as we both enjoy it, he likes a good blast every so often and it helps keep him fit.
 
I used to love hacking out but have to say have not ventured out on the roads in years. My last horse was near enough bomb-proof but she still managed to be involved in an accident that ended her life. We were on a relatively quiet road in a country village - only about 2 minutes from home. The driver said the sun was in her eyes and therefore she didn't see us when she ploughed into us and somersaulted us over the roof of her car. It was THE most traumatic experience of my life and not something I would ever care to repeat.
So I don't hack Jenny - she's not as reliable on the roads as Amber and the roads are just so much busier round where I keep her now that its just not worth the risk. I do sometimes ride her round the farm - don't know if that constitutes hacking and on the odd occasion I will take to the beach or local forest for a ride. To be completely honest I'm not sure she particularly enjoys hacking - I think its more me that needs a break from the school than her at times. Her schooling is very varied - with flat and jumping and she is away competing a lot so its never boring. And yes she has daily turn out too.
 
For many centuries horses have been domesticated animals which have become used to being ridden.

There are still some herds of ponies that still graze as wild horses but there are very few of these about these days.

Horses should be used to and be regularly hacked out and those that are not are being denied a part of their life which they are entitled to. There is nothing better for a horses physical and mental welfare than to be gently hacked out on a daily basis . It keep the horse fit and keeps it 's body in good condition. A horse that has suffered an injury to for instance it's legs will as part of it's post injury treatment need to be gently hacked out with the workload being gradually increased so as to assist it in making a full and permanent recovery from it's injuries. When recovering from a leg injury a horse is far better to be gently ridden in a straight lines on a gentle hack than ridden in circles within the confines of an arena as this puts far more stress on the soft tissues and joints of it's body.

A horse that is regularly hacked out on a daily basis is less likely to suffer injuries to their legs and more likely to recovery quickly from an injury of this nature.

Anyone that restricts a horse life to it's stable, work in the menage and competitions without hacking it out is denying a horse a good quality of life and this should be treated as a welfare issue.

A horse that can not be safely hacked out is a result of it being badly trained and educated as a young horse. It is fundemental to a horses basic education that it should be taught to safely hack out as a young horse and anyone buying a horse should as a priority check that it can be ridden out safely by itself.

Possibly part of the problem is riders themselves whom are not trained or given the skills to ride out these days. This is a serious situation as without these skills many horses are being denied a life in which they are regularly hacked out for both their physical and mental well being.

I feel very strongly about this issue as I have seen far too many privately owned horses of a working age that are confined to a life in their stable or menage. This is a very sad life for the horse.
 
I take mine out round the village once a week IF we have someone to go with, as she doesn't hack alone very well at all - last time we put a HUGE dent in an overtaking lorry and nearly put our front legs through the pub window... However she's out 12 hours a day and seems to really enjoy her schooling, she relaxes, goes beautifully, is forward and attentive, whereas out hacking she sweats just walking dwon the drive, shivers if we see anything scary, she'll go past if I'm on her but if anyone else tries to hack her out she just rears and rears and rears. I always take her for a warm dwon round the XC field and sometimes a good canter round there to give her a break from the school, as she does work really hard on the flat. We don't jump.
 
I've had some great 'fun' hacking out three year olds from the yard, but hey, it was great experience for me and the horses.

Inflatable santas? Tractors? Evil donkeys? Artics with air brakes? Dumped three piece suites? They've seen it (and sometimes run away from it) all.
 
How boring not to hack. I think the best results come from a horse that has a varied workload and does a bit of everything. Keeps them keen! Hacking is also great for getting your horse fit - you can't get fitness from just riding in the school and it must put a tremendous amount of strain on the horse's joints to do that everyday. A mixture of schooling, jumping, hacking, turn out, has got to be the way to go.
 
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I've had some great 'fun' hacking out three year olds from the yard, but hey, it was great experience for me and the horses.

Inflatable santas? Tractors? Evil donkeys? Artics with air brakes? Dumped three piece suites? They've seen it (and sometimes run away from it) all.

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Haha you've found an inflatable santa too? I thought I was the only one who attracted things like this!!!! wheeeee!
 
Stopped hacking our mare out at our previous yard because the roads were so bad, but she had plenty of turnout, and in good weather I would ride her in one of the big fields. She also goes to lots of shows and clinics etc so has plenty of variety.

At the new yard we have some off road hacking (again roads are lethal so best avoided) but had just got her confidence when we got buzzed by a military helicopter. I'm about to broach the subject again, but would hate her to get injured so in no rush unless conditions are perfect.
She's perfectly happy with turnout, walks and grazing in hand, round pen and big outdoor arena. We can walk round the paddocks and she likes doing that but rather limited when there are colts and stallions in the paddocks.
I think it depends on the horse. Altho, he wasn't brilliant in traffic, my old hunter would have BURST if he didn't get to hack so I just used to con my OH into coming with me on a traffic proof horse and brave it at weekends.
 
We have no facilities so I only hack. We hack for fittening work, fastwork & to my trainers for lessons & to school. IMHO teaching them to cope with hacking asap sets them up for everything they will face in their competitive career.
 
I personally dont like hacking....maybe if it was a glorious day and i could just ride for hours over rolling hills i would feel differently but that not an option and the cars scare me (not the horse!) but it works out nicely as mum loves hacking so hacks her for me on the weekends and she goes for lovely gallops through the farmers fields (if the leave the gate open haha!) well tihs was all before she broke
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Nowadays all I do is hack - my girl is old and arthritic - schooling is too hard on her joints. She loves hacking though and we have miles of varied (fields/woodland/bridlepaths) off road hacking straight from the yard.
 
I passionatly hate hacking. We have no off road hacking avalible. I do make myself do it 1 or twice a week or go out for a long hack with people from the yard at the weekend.

But I still HATE it!
 
I don't really hack.

Ginga hates hacking, even in a group he doesn't really enjoy it and is tense. He is perfectly controlable, but it isn't enjoyable.
Pip loves hacking, and is as bold as anything, but I don't get a chance to hack him. In driving marathons you usually get about a 20KM route of offroad driving, round stunning parts of the country and he loves that.
Dad takes his team out most weeks down the road as even in a large area it is good to get the boys going fowards and straight and not be turning all the time.
Ajay is too slow to hack, so we take him round the fields
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Do you have proof of all that or is it your opinion?
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The fact is there are many ways of raising and keeping happy, well adjusted horses and not everyone gets to have everything they want. I'm a bit leery of making the assertion not hacking is "abuse" - I've known a few horses who might take the opposite view!
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How can you really compare hacking on a busy road or other potentially dangerous situation with off road hacking on good footing? Not everyone has the facilities or the situation to hack safely - would it be better for the horse to do something patently unsafe/not enjoyable just to prove a point? (Although horse people seem quite good at that sort of reasoning sometimes.;) )

As for questions of temperament and training, again, not everyone has a perfect situation. I've known some VERY sharp young horses who have gone on to have fantastic competitive careers - would it really have been in their best interests to stress and endanger them as youngsters to do a job they aren't bred or destined for? Isn't that like saying every horse should jump because horses in general have been used for jumping, no matter how unsuitable it may be for the job?

There is no one way to be a horse.

Don't get me wrong, I think hacking is great for horses and riders. But sometimes you just have to do the best with what you have and implying someone who doesn't hack regularly, whatever their circumstances, is necessarily providing an unacceptable quality of life it pretty harsh. I'd also like every horse to be ridden only by highly skilled, sympathetic riders. Surely that's in the horse's best interests too? The fact is that's not everyone's reality and while we might all hope for better, sometimes you have to make the best of what you've got. I'd rather see a well cared for, well ridden horse that doesn't hack than one that gets out on the road everyday but might be lacking other basic requirements.
 
My horse used to hack all the time in Devon and I felt it was very important but since moving to the Midlands I have a choice between sharing narrow 'offroad' pathways with dogs/people/push bikes/quad bikes and motor bikes! or hacking through a very busy industrial estate.

To be honest when it got to the point that my horse only used to relax when he got home I thought - what's the benefit/point?? He has a varied worklife and competes regularily. Would love to be able to move back into the countryside but you can't have everything!
 
We take our boy out usually once a week. I used to love hacking on my old TB but i loathe hacking my current loan horse.
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I do it but i do not enjoy it. My horse doesn't enjoy it either. But i grit my teeth and hack once a week so that i dont get abuse from other people who think it is cruel not to!
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His lack of training in younger life is not down to me and despite our best efforts he is not improving. Once a week is quite enough for me! Once horse is sold i will be sharing something more suitable and will be enjoying a nice hack at least 3 times a week - cant wait
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Not read all the thread so far, but this is my opinion.

Hacking [can be] overrated. It is useful for fittening purposes and getting horses used to being obedient in different situations. Its also enjoyable if you have company, which makes it safer also.

On the other hand, I don't suscribe to the idea that it is necessary. If a horse has good turnout to have a good heels up, then I don't think it is necessary to go hacking. Likewise, I do not believe all horses really enjoy hacking. Provided a horse has a good routine, variety in workload and a good amount of turnout, I think they can be perfectly happy without hacking [or doing so much.]

I have hacked every single one of my horses out, but in all honesty, I don't enjoy it much alone. As a social activity its great, but alone, unless I'm riding a moreorless bombproof horse and have lots of offroad hacking, I just don't like it. I hate riding on the roads and its generally not much fun anyway with a spooky horse - or one like I used to own who jogged or cantered sideways everywhere.

I can see it both ways. I think it is a good thing to do with a horse to add variety and aid fittening and obedience, however I can fully understand why other people wouldn't want to do it - if you don't have the right horse and the right area it can just be miserable and dangerous for everyone involved.
 
There are definitely reasons for and against. As for variety, at my yard we have 4 schools to ride in, a field, turnout, a horsewalker etc, I would consider this good variety for the competition horses there and I can fully appreciate why their owners do not want to take the risk with such valuable animals (these are not pets!)

Hacking can be dangerous these days. I had 2 incidents on my old horse and hence 2 insurance claims. Although it didn't put me off hacking, I always had to be extra careful when cars went by as he was very highly strung (although I did pass my Riding and Road Safety on him somehow!) I don't find it enjoyable at all having to thank drivers of cars every few minutes and planning where to let them pass - that is not relaxing riding for me!

On the plus side, hacking does give horses something to look at and it is good for them to walk over less-than-perfect surfaces to improve balance. However, I would try and stick to off road as much as possible. And I wouldn't use hacking purely for enjoyment and a "relaxing" ride, I would use it to make my horse walk out actively and hence to help improve this pace.
 
Quickly read so apologies if already said etc, but I personally would never not hack out any of my horses - I think mentally for the horse it is unfair.

I wouldn't want to stay in my house and garden for ever, so wouldn't inflict the same boredom on my horse.

But hey - everyone has different views. I am not one of these people who sees their horse as a competing machine who is worth too much money to have a balanced life - obviously some people are.
 
I don't hack out, I can't as the road outside my house is straight and long, consequently cars and lorries hammer along at approx 70 - 80mph. When we moved here I was under the impression (wrongly) that I could hack out round the tracks at the back of my fields - in reality this is for about 3/4 mile tops. I do box sometimes if I want to hack and, although this is a far from regular occurence, Sirena is not extra spooky when we do.

Upshot is, I school and compete - I did worry about Sirena's wellbeing, but have to say, she is no different now than she was when we hacked five days out of six. She gets plenty of turnout with her mates and is a happy, healthy horse.
 
I hack, at my last yard that was all I could do, and Norman is fab for hacking, forward going but safe in any traffic etc and sensible even in a field/on grass. Recently moved to a yard with a school which we have been in twice, (he's not been "schooled" before, and he is not as forward going but he does some nice work,but he does seem to "like/love" going out and about...and I do too, I often go out on my own, more often than with company.
 
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