Do you work your horse while it hacks?

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_jetset_

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I was just wondering what people did with their horses while out hacking.

I like to keep what I expect pretty consistent so try to keep Han in a soft contact, round over her back and stepping under when out hacking. But I see lots of people just walking around on the buckle too.
 
Start on the buckle when we first leave the yard, then has to work properly after a bit of a chance to stretch, add in leg yeild etc past cars, bits of shoulder in/fore, travers etc. Stretch again once we are on the lane going home
 
Being able to stop atm would be a bonus
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Start on the buckle when we first leave the yard, then has to work properly after a bit of a chance to stretch, add in leg yeild etc past cars, bits of shoulder in/fore, travers etc. Stretch again once we are on the lane going home

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I do this too with Dexter but do a mixture with Spider as she is young and especially now coming back into work.

Dexter naturally comes round when I pick my contact up anyway
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I do see a few people on weak young horses working them round all the time and on hacks and do think they hsould let them have a stretch now and then
 
Mixture really. they have to have a bit of fun time too! I dnt normally spend the whole time working or chilled just a happy medium
 
I walk out forwards but not on a contact, I always trot on a contact, and if I canter sedately then it will be on a contact but if I go hell for leather, well...
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I never push a horse and get it to work while hacking though, unless hacking is the only schooling I can do. They need time off to chill and have fun!
 

Depends on the horse. I use hacking as a break from schooling and helps to relax her and I let her go at her own pace ie striding out. If you tried to make her go round you will end up fighting with her as she loves looking over the hedges. Although I do keep a contact for most of the hack and then let the reins to the buckle for the last 1/2 mile
 
I do allsorts when out exercising - but I try and make it fun. Do lots of leg yields on the road (very quiet country roads - not the dual carriageway!!), good trot up hills, pop the odd jump on the way round and generally a good canter/gallop at some point to let off some steam and have some fun.

We do a bit of ambling too so my horse can relax and stretch and have a bit of time out.

My horse is a hunter and that's all we do so not really any need to do anything else.
 
I alternate, one hack is on the buckle and the next I'll ask him to work with some lateral work, in an outline, alternating with being on the buckle during the ride. I think he likes to have a look about and have a bit of a jolly. More often than not these days, as soon as I shorten my reins a bit he takes a nice contact.
 
Usually a bit of both. I rarely keep them in an outline when just walking but often do in trot. Cantering I vary it, depending on the canter speed I want to do.
 
as there's so much hill work involved in hacking where we are, I use hacking as a chill out and fitness session. Mainly as she goes "stale" after too many schooling sessions, tbh, so do I. If she's too lively then I will ask her to work to get her concentration.
 
Depends on the horse i'm on! On baby horse who is chilled out i tend to hack him on the buckle to let him chill out and enjoy himself, on the older dressage horse he is so spooky and silly that most of the time i daren't give him his head otherwise we would be heading back home pretty sharpish! I try to give him a loose rein when he starts to relax to encourage him to enjoy himself a bit more.
 
We usually work them in a soft round slightly low outline.

OH tends to work Blitz a little deeper and rounder purely for safety
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We do some sideways stuff either leg yield or half-pass in and out of single file to let cars park and then we do walk-trot-walk transitions uphill. We usually mess around and see who has the best trained horse and do drill exercises.

For example we walk for four strides, trot for 4 stride, walk etc and see who is the best balanced, most accurate etc! We both hate hacking so we find doing stupid things makes the time pass quicker!
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Yeah, sounds as though we are doing the right thing then... we have a mile track, so always on the buckle there and back (except today when a car started up behind her and she shot off
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). Then just get her working a bit lower, a few bits of her in a higher contact, and then back lower
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I only hack in walk pretty much, though will trot up hills and to get out of the way of cars.
Walking is always on the buckle, and we do our lateral movements like that
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Trotting I will take the contact, but still not ask them to be round. As long as the back end is motoring I don't care where the head is out hacking.
Me and my horses hack to relax, so that's what we do!
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I only hack in walk pretty much, though will trot up hills and to get out of the way of cars.
Walking is always on the buckle, and we do our lateral movements like that
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Trotting I will take the contact, but still not ask them to be round. As long as the back end is motoring I don't care where the head is out hacking.
Me and my horses hack to relax, so that's what we do!
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Perhaps you'd like to 'motor' your back end to set a day to collect this foal slip, too?
S
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I practice transitions between free walk and medium walk on hacks. Tend to do most of it in free walk (not on the buckle), with intervals in medium walk on the bit. I also do leg yield, shoulder in, travers and half pass in walk, to keep horses attention and keep things interesting. I like to make sure the horse is actually walking - marching forward and tracking up well, but otherwise I agree, hacking is for relaxing.
 

Depends on pony's mood. When she's chilled I chill, when she's jumping in the air every two steps due to lions in hedges (like this morning) she has to work. She'll get a long rein once we're inside the gate back at home as she can't get very far then
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I only school on a hack if the y horse is being silly, push them up into a collected trot on the contact and even the silliest soon realise it's hard work! At all other times I don't school at all as to me it is chance for both to relax. I do however keep a light contact if on the road, but off road slop along on the bucke!
 
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