Disaster Hack on Loan Horse!

Is the owner riding the horse too?

I was just wondering...if you're currently the sole rider and he hadn't hacked out at all for a couple of months, he'd have been quite excited I imagine!

Add the other horse to the equation, and I can understand how he managed to build up a head of steam, as it were. And as someone mentioned above, horses do generally feel fresher during the winter months.

I think you're wise to stick to the school for now. I'd definitely think about having an instructor come to you a couple of times a month. Maybe the owner can suggest someone.

You may find by the time spring comes around, you're ready to try again with steady eddie companion.

You did really well to stay on, so don't beat yourself up!
 
southerncomfort said:
Is the owner riding the horse too?

I was just wondering...if you're currently the sole rider and he hadn't hacked out at all for a couple of months, he'd have been quite excited I imagine!

Add the other horse to the equation, and I can understand how he managed to build up a head of steam, as it were. And as someone mentioned above, horses do generally feel fresher during the winter months.

I think you're wise to stick to the school for now. I'd definitely think about having an instructor come to you a couple of times a month. Maybe the owner can suggest someone.

You may find by the time spring comes around, you're ready to try again with steady eddie companion.

You did really well to stay on, so don't beat yourself upot sure if it's out on hacks very much, but definitely in the arena. Actually, last week (when I attempted our first hack), he hadn't been ridden at all during the week by her, so while he was a bit excited, he was still surprisingly calm and responsive. I knew she'd been riding him this week and I'd ridden in the arena the day before and you could definitely tell as he wasn't as excitable - which is why I thought he'd be calm the following day for a hack!
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southerncomfort said:
Is the owner riding the horse too?

I was just wondering...if you're currently the sole rider and he hadn't hacked out at all for a couple of months, he'd have been quite excited I imagine!

Add the other horse to the equation, and I can understand how he managed to build up a head of steam, as it were. And as someone mentioned above, horses do generally feel fresher during the winter months.

I think you're wise to stick to the school for now. I'd definitely think about having an instructor come to you a couple of times a month. Maybe the owner can suggest someone.

You may find by the time spring comes around, you're ready to try again with steady eddie companion.

You did really well to stay on, so don't beat yourself up!
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His owner does ride in the week usually, not sure how often he hacks out but she usually rides a few times in the arena. Actually, last week (when I attempted our first hack), he hadn't been ridden at all during the week by her, so while he was a bit fresh, he was still a lot calmer than you would expect. So I knew she'd been riding him this week and I'd ridden him in the arena the day before, and his energy was a lot lower than the previous week - which is why I thought he'd be more chilled out the following day for a hack!

I've told his owner I'll be sticking in the arena, but maybe in a few weeks/months when I've done some more arena work with him and he doesn't have so much winter freshness, I'll ask her again if we can try hacking again (in company of some kind!). Thank you for the kind advice :) Honestly I couldn't believe I stayed on myself lol
 
Could you walk out with the owner while she rides? This will give you a chance to see what he's like with her and how she rides him. I think you need to build up your relationship with him so I would get someone in to teach you some groundwork with him in the school - don't just ride him in there. There are lots of games you can play with him on the ground. You might also want to think about taking him out for short walks in hand - in a bridle. That will also help him to see you as a leader to follow. In the summer when it's hot and he's stuffed with grass you will have a completely different horse to ride and you'll probably be complaining that he needs too much leg.
 
Chianti said:
Could you walk out with the owner while she rides? This will give you a chance to see what he's like with her and how she rides him. I think you need to build up your relationship with him so I would get someone in to teach you some groundwork with him in the school - don't just ride him in there. There are lots of games you can play with him on the ground. You might also want to think about taking him out for short walks in hand - in a bridle. That will also help him to see you as a leader to follow. In the summer when it's hot and he's stuffed with grass you will have a completely different horse to ride and you'll probably be complaining that he needs too much leg.
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Some great ideas! Unfortunately it can be a bit inconsistent when she rides, and typically she'd ride on days when I can't get up to see him anyway. I used to do liberty lessons with an old instructor, I actually did some groundwork and games with him in the arena the day before the hack! I might try some hand walking out of the yard too though. Only issue is that he's getting old and it's only a short-term loan, so it's highly likely I won't still have him in the summer which is a shame! I think he's the kind of horse who'd be a real plod in the summer 😅
 
Spirit3106 said:
A bit of background - I've ridden in riding schools for years, however I've never been particularly confident and I always struggled with progressing in my riding. I was having a big confidence knock over the summer, and I saw a really good part loaning opportunity come up (in my area loans are basically non existent, let alone ones suitable for anyone who isn't super advanced). So I thought maybe doing a few months of just working on riding in my own time, and getting the hang of handling general horse care outside of riding, would be a nice change of pace to try.

So far it's been going really well. My part loan is an older guy and he's great in the arena, I've been riding him 2x a week and I've been getting really confident on him. I've had him on loan for about 2.5 months now, and I thought it was time to try hacking him out. I was really excited about it, and I tried him on a very short trip last week and he was fine, just a bit forward on the way home but still responsive.

This weekend, I took him out for a hack again. I did a few minutes in the arena first and he was fine, and he was ok going out, but then another rider passed us and he was napping a bit while they were behind. He was ok when we went up a different road to them, but then once we turned back it all went downhill (I know it's better to do a loop but I wasn't able to do a full loop today). He just got so strong, I tried giving and releasing but it wasn't having any effect. He started jogging which escalated into trotting. I would've dismounted but he was just moving too fast and I was afraid of losing my balance and losing him then.

Then he took off galloping all the way back home (at that point probably about 3-4 mins till we were back) downhill on the concrete road! It's just lucky that there were no oncoming cars. I wasn't going to do a one rein stop but I did a bit of the "pulley" method which helped a bit, and then he stopped at the yard gate. I don't know how I didn't fall off. I dismounted at the entrance but I checked he was ok, then got back on in the arena and did some walk/trot just to keep my confidence.

Now that I'm not in that immediate danger, I just feel so miserable about the whole thing. There's no way I can take him out hacking again, I'm just not strong enough as a rider and it's way too dangerous if he does that again. I was looking forward to having a horse to get to try solo hacking on (which he's capable of with his owner), but I totally blew my chance. It's not the first time something like this has happened either - for some reason, no matter where I go or what horse I ride, if there's any chance a horse will take off, it seems to happen with me. I was doing well at keeping calm up until he started trotting uncontrollably. It feels ridiculous that I couldn't even de-escalate it at that point too.

Now that it's all over and we're both safe again, I just feel embarrassed and disappointed in myself. I've been really doing well otherwise and thought I was finally making a breakthrough with my confidence, but now I just feel upset that I wasn't capable of handling the situation and keeping us both out of it getting that bad. 😞 Does this kind of thing still happen when you become advanced? What could I have done better? I just feel discouraged about the whole thing!
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Spirit3106 said:
A bit of background - I've ridden in riding schools for years, however I've never been particularly confident and I always struggled with progressing in my riding. I was having a big confidence knock over the summer, and I saw a really good part loaning opportunity come up (in my area loans are basically non existent, let alone ones suitable for anyone who isn't super advanced). So I thought maybe doing a few months of just working on riding in my own time, and getting the hang of handling general horse care outside of riding, would be a nice change of pace to try.

So far it's been going really well. My part loan is an older guy and he's great in the arena, I've been riding him 2x a week and I've been getting really confident on him. I've had him on loan for about 2.5 months now, and I thought it was time to try hacking him out. I was really excited about it, and I tried him on a very short trip last week and he was fine, just a bit forward on the way home but still responsive.

This weekend, I took him out for a hack again. I did a few minutes in the arena first and he was fine, and he was ok going out, but then another rider passed us and he was napping a bit while they were behind. He was ok when we went up a different road to them, but then once we turned back it all went downhill (I know it's better to do a loop but I wasn't able to do a full loop today). He just got so strong, I tried giving and releasing but it wasn't having any effect. He started jogging which escalated into trotting. I would've dismounted but he was just moving too fast and I was afraid of losing my balance and losing him then.

Then he took off galloping all the way back home (at that point probably about 3-4 mins till we were back) downhill on the concrete road! It's just lucky that there were no oncoming cars. I wasn't going to do a one rein stop but I did a bit of the "pulley" method which helped a bit, and then he stopped at the yard gate. I don't know how I didn't fall off. I dismounted at the entrance but I checked he was ok, then got back on in the arena and did some walk/trot just to keep my confidence.

Now that I'm not in that immediate danger, I just feel so miserable about the whole thing. There's no way I can take him out hacking again, I'm just not strong enough as a rider and it's way too dangerous if he does that again. I was looking forward to having a horse to get to try solo hacking on (which he's capable of with his owner), but I totally blew my chance. It's not the first time something like this has happened either - for some reason, no matter where I go or what horse I ride, if there's any chance a horse will take off, it seems to happen with me. I was doing well at keeping calm up until he started trotting uncontrollably. It feels ridiculous that I couldn't even de-escalate it at that point too.

Now that it's all over and we're both safe again, I just feel embarrassed and disappointed in myself. I've been really doing well otherwise and thought I was finally making a breakthrough with my confidence, but now I just feel upset that I wasn't capable of handling the situation and keeping us both out of it getting that bad. 😞 Does this kind of thing still happen when you become advanced? What could I have done better? I just feel discouraged about the whole thing!
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Most people would be really scared to be galloping home on a road whatever the reason ..and I think you did really well to not fall off and should be really proud of yourself … and you got back on and took him in the area afterwards too ? Well done you !!
There is obviously something going on with this particular horse and it may be nothing to do with you … stay in the arena for now , take some lessons and arrange for an experienced rider to hack the horse out and see if they can feel a problem .. you will have to pay them for their time but it will be money well spent xx
 
Fire sign said:
Most people would be really scared to be galloping home on a road whatever the reason ..and I think you did really well to not fall off and should be really proud of yourself … and you got back on and took him in the area afterwards too ? Well done you !!
There is obviously something going on with this particular horse and it may be nothing to do with you … stay in the arena for now , take some lessons and arrange for an experienced rider to hack the horse out and see if they can feel a problem .. you will have to pay them for their time but it will be money well spent xx
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Aw thank you so much for the support 😊 I used to have issues with trying to bail if things like that happened so I was actually really glad I was able to keep on him! I feel like if I'd fallen off it would've been much more dangerous for us both!

Definitely going to stay in the arena for the time being! I think that he just really got worked up by the other livery horse having been out at the same time as us and I wasn't experienced enough and confident hacking out alone to handle him like that is all. His owner said nothing like that's ever happened with him before but she's said things before about him being very keen on the way home and being spooky! With a more experienced rider I'm sure he's manageable but for me trying to start out solo hacking, he probably isn't the best fit in that sense!
 
You poor thing, so scary! I also think this time of year doesn’t help, even the sanest calmest horses can be more reactive in cold weather!

I’d stick to the school for now, is there anyone else that can hack him for you? Or hack with you? I’d maybe put a call out on fb groups or something and see if you can find someone who can help. If that’s not possible then I’d seriously consider ditching the hacking till spring and hopefully he’ll forget the whole experience 😂
 
For those that DON’T feel fear when their mount bolts, get your adrenal system checked. Seriously.

My work brought me into contact with a chap I honestly thought was about to die (and he would have died, from dehydration if nothing else). Turns out his adrenal system had shut down. The doctors only realised when he happened to mention he’d broken down on the slip road of a motorway and not had any sense of fear. So you see why I bring this up.
 
Frankly my dear ! I think you did rather well ! It was just a surprise to you how bloody minded the loves if our lives can be>. You did the fundamental most important thing in equitation which is to keep the horse between you and the ground .YOU DID GOOD!!!!!!! Next time you will be so much readier. No more miss nice guy . Tell the tw>t his future and ride! Edited to add that Bob and I are proud of you ,You did some hard stuff that would break the nerve if a lot of people but you survived ,we are both sure you will grow from this!
 
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The horse isn't a <banned word> - he's a horse, who was unsettled by circumstances he couldn't control. Just a horse, being a horse.

The OP doesn't have to stop being "nice" to be prepared, and to deal with it more effectively next time.
 
How are things now OP? I'm quite impressed that you got back on and took him into the school. You can be proud of that. I did the turn around thing stupidly once on mine who gets as your's did. My other horse TB ex racer- you'd think should be the more difficult of my two I could go anywhere, turn and plod back on a long rein if I wanted.
Got my coloured, he wasn't sat on in a few weeks as I had to wait for the saddler, I had led him off the other so he had been out and about. The day before the saddler I thought id just hop on and take him down the road so he'd been sat on before I had to ride trying saddles..... what a complete disaster 🤣 I now know never to turn him round.
So I don't think it was an entirely silly move, some are fine with it some are very definitely not, generally best not to try it out if you don't know!

Hope your getting on ok now.
 
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