Dumbo
Well-Known Member
After owning him for over a year, I've finally found out that he does actually hack perfectly alone, falls asleep when being clipped and doesn't throw a tantrum when the dentist goes at his teeth with big scary tools!
I put off hacking alone at first purely because I didn't know the area well and my confidence wasn't great. I had a sharer about this time last year who said she tried hacking alone and couldn't get down the lane as he was bucking, rearing, spinning etc so I had in my mind that he simply won't hack alone and it's not worth the risk. He also occasionally spins round when he leads in company (literally just turns round, I make him turn back and we continue happily). Forward a year later and I'm getting fed up of going the route's I don't want to go, going at a pace I didn't set etc so asked my Mum if she would walk out with me, however we haven't had the chance yet!
Yesterday I was on my own at the yard, the rain had stopped, the exit of the yard wasn't blocked by cars as usual so I saw it as the perfect oppotunity just to tack up and try to walk down the drive way. If he was going to play up I could turn round and go in the school, no big deal. Anyway, ears were pricked, we strided down the drive so I kept him walking on. We rode for nearly an hour, 3 miles and it was bliss! I'm thrilled, still grinning today!
I'm moving yard in a couple of weeks (YIPPEEE!) and they'll only be one other livery to hack with, but now I have the confidence to go alone I'm so excited to go exploring new bridleways together with no one to catch up with etc.
I can't believe I doubted him and missed out on a year of hacking alone but so happy my horse is more than what I could wish for
I put off hacking alone at first purely because I didn't know the area well and my confidence wasn't great. I had a sharer about this time last year who said she tried hacking alone and couldn't get down the lane as he was bucking, rearing, spinning etc so I had in my mind that he simply won't hack alone and it's not worth the risk. He also occasionally spins round when he leads in company (literally just turns round, I make him turn back and we continue happily). Forward a year later and I'm getting fed up of going the route's I don't want to go, going at a pace I didn't set etc so asked my Mum if she would walk out with me, however we haven't had the chance yet!
Yesterday I was on my own at the yard, the rain had stopped, the exit of the yard wasn't blocked by cars as usual so I saw it as the perfect oppotunity just to tack up and try to walk down the drive way. If he was going to play up I could turn round and go in the school, no big deal. Anyway, ears were pricked, we strided down the drive so I kept him walking on. We rode for nearly an hour, 3 miles and it was bliss! I'm thrilled, still grinning today!
I'm moving yard in a couple of weeks (YIPPEEE!) and they'll only be one other livery to hack with, but now I have the confidence to go alone I'm so excited to go exploring new bridleways together with no one to catch up with etc.
I can't believe I doubted him and missed out on a year of hacking alone but so happy my horse is more than what I could wish for
