do you do flatwork/schooling with you happy hacker

[bella0987]

just wondering with your happy hacking horse do you do faltwork or any type of schooling or is hacking and then lunging ok?

 

[moosea]

Schooling for me is any activity ridden or non ridden where you and you/ or your horse learns something.

You open a gate? you turn on the forehand to hold it open, go through and close it.
You move out to avoid a drain? you are leg yielding.
You push on to keep up with a friend? you are lengthening strides.

Define schooling.

 

[planete]

I do quite a bit of in hand and mounted suppling exercises, transitions between and within gaits, halt, reinbacks, leg yields. i will do it anywhere anytime I think he needs it, no schooling sessions as such as he seems allergic to those right now.

 

[J&S]

You do not need to be in a school to be doing either flat work or schooling per se. The more you do with your horse out on a hack to educate them the happier your hacking will be. The best hack is a very well schooled horse/pony, a" go any where, do any thing" sort. Hard work in the beginning but worth it in the end.

 

[DabDab]

Yes of course.

 

[Hackback]

I'm not very motivated in the school but I do have flatwork lessons so my horse gets his weekly workout, using his muscles correctly- a bit like pilates for horses. I believe this helps his overall fitness and condition. He has mild arthritis too, so it's even more important to keep his muscles strong. I also get a workout during the lesson, human needs to be quite fit, as well as the horse ?

 

[View]

Access to arenas was much more limited, so all schooling was done while hacking. I was lucky enough to find one are with a good grass surface that was useful for e.g. Half passes.

 

[I'm Dun]

Nope, hes getting on a bit now and his job is being a safe and reliable hack. He does this brilliantly and loves it, so I leave it at that. With a younger horse I use any opportunity to educate them.

 

[Spotherisk]

I did, but only when hacking. Leg yielding, shoulder fore etc on the lanes, transitions trot canter trot ten strides of each in the woods, walk to canter taught on the byways.

 

[catkin]

A well-schooled horse is an absolute pleasure to ride whatever activity you are doing. What rider would not want to hack on such a horse?
So yes, worth the time, expense and sheer hard work in training both horse and rider. Also correct training and riding can help keep both sound.

 

[Haha123]

Nope, hes getting on a bit now and his job is being a safe and reliable hack. He does this brilliantly and loves it, so I leave it at that. With a younger horse I use any opportunity to educate them.

Good choice!

 

[Sealine]

My horse has hock spavins so we can’t do any work on a circle. He was very supple and well schooled and I’ve noticed how much he’s changed and how much muscle he’s lost over the years. If I had the choice I’d keep schooling a horse only used for hacking to maintain suppleness and generally make the horse more pleasant to ride.

 

[View]

My horse has hock spavins so we can’t do any work on a circle. He was very supple and well schooled and I’ve noticed how much he’s changed and how much muscle he’s lost over the years. If I had the choice I’d keep schooling a horse only used for hacking to maintain suppleness and generally make the horse more pleasant to ride.

But this can be done while hacking - the only thing that can't be done is circles.

 

[Antw23uk]

Yes, through the summer i will have weekly/ bi weekly lessons so if i wanted to i could go and do a prelim (for example) and a pole clinic or pop round XC schooling.

It helps with our connection, so safety out hacking, his strength, our posture ... a nicely schooled horse can be a happy hacker and i can see the difference between someones horse just enjoying the countryside and slouching along and a horse that hacks but also schools and works 'correctly'. The forma normally look like a pile of poo and the latter tend to look strong and balanced.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Yes, leg yielding from one side of a track to another, turn on the forehand to open a gate etc. Schooling I essentially making your horse the safest it can be in terms of behaviour and the best he can be in terms of his suppleness and muscle tone . You don't need to go around in a school to school.