does anyone else get nervous hacking out?

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Frances28

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I tend to go in the school more than I go out hacking. Its not because she needs schooling, but because I feel safer within the realms of the fences so she can't bolt off (or if I fall its softer ground!).

Whenever I go out I am constantly on edge worrying incase she speeds and goes for it! I do try and relax so she can't feel my angst, but I would love to just go for it! Not sure exactly what it is I am frightened of!

She's not a nutter but does get excited once she feels she might have an opportunity to go.

Anyone have any recommendations? I know I should just go for it and have a canter but....well, see above!

Thanks!!
 
I do get nervous but only of cars/lorries not seeing us and killing us, because in 2004 we had a very near miss in a narrow lane where the car crashed into the hedge to avoid us. George is sound as a pound and dead easy to hack out these days, but other road users are not always considerate.

Have you got her in the right bit? Have you got her on the right feed? The more you do it the less exciteable she will be as it's all so fresh and new to her. Try to hack out with others if you can.
 
Why do you think she is going to bolt off? has she done this before, or are you just making youself paranoid that she will?

If you are going to go for a canter in the open, though I will prob get shot down for saying this, I would go somewhere big ish, so that if she does 'bolt' with you you have plenty of room to stop. I always liked the crossing your reins over their neck method to stop ponies when they wanted to go faster than I did
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I always like stubble fields, although these might not be ideal, if she does go. at least you have plenty of turning room and can go round until she has run out of steam.
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Ditto!!!!

My Tb (who was an amazing hacker) - go anywhere, not scared of massive trucks and tractor type had to be retired, and ive had a green 5 yr old cob since april. I havent had him on a main road but he isnt scared of traffic - just everything else!! I am building my confidence ATM, but some of our roads are busy with motorbikes and trucks so i want to be 100% before i do this.

My instructor is lending a clients horse in a couple of weeks so we can go for a little hack on the road together - and ive also put a stronger bit in him (as he is a leaner too). It may be an idea to get an instructor to walk out with you a few times to get you used to it, even if you build it up after going in the school (like 45 mins school and 15 hack) - its amazing how this has helped me!! It may also settle him so he is less likely to do anything.
 
I used to - because my Arab/tb x can be very sharp/spooky and when he gets excited we get the old cantering on the spot, tail in the air business...
i used to get really pee'd off, because when I was (a lot) younger i would hack out for miles on my own with my old mare.
I just forced myself to go new places, kept to a walk if need be...the more I went different places and he saw different stuff, the better he has got.....
also, I never feed any of my horses mix/cereals- they are on oil/fibre based diets with plenty of turnout.....i feel this makes a difference. I also give my gelding magnitude calmer because of his temperament.
I think the main problem is your fear, rather than your horse though....just build up to it gradually...you can just do a few strides of collected canter and bring her back to trot/walk and build it up gradually. I used to be scared of cantering/galloping my gelding because he has a habit of suddenly spooking and throwing himself sideways if he sees anything he doesnt like...I just worked on getting a secure seat ...it will just take time...good luck!
 
Start small and build up your confidence. Start by hacking down the road and back, doesn't have to be very far! Then once you're confident doing that, increase the distance that you go gradually.
Try to envision having a wonderful hack out, being able to deal with any situation calmly, then try and keep that image in your head. Take some rescue remedy, have someone walk alongside you for that extra feeling of security (someone to grab the reins if you feel really nervous about something!) and just take things slowly.
Good luck xxx
 
Thanks so much for the help and advice. I am walking round fields but just WALKING.

I see open fields ahead and just think to myself how wonderful it would be to gallop across them! But then something inside me says 'don't push your luck!'

The only time she has bolted was when we cantered up a hill 6 months ago. She started good but then got faster and faster until I just couldn't stop her. It was awful. I felt sick. I was with someone too but they managed to stop.
 
QUOTE:
I always like stubble fields, although these might not be ideal, if she does go. at least you have plenty of turning room and can go round until she has run out of steam.

Absolutely - best time of year!.....Start slow and collected and build up to it....if you can't stop her, just hang on!!
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QUOTE:
I always like stubble fields, although these might not be ideal, if she does go. at least you have plenty of turning room and can go round until she has run out of steam.

Absolutely - best time of year!.....Start slow and collected and build up to it....if you can't stop her, just let her run out of steam
 
In my day we used to go to a traditional riding schools who would mainly hack out on the roads so we got lots of miles under our belts.

Todays riders are taught the finer art of riding in Menages or Indoor arenas but don't get the experience of riding out.

Also many of todays young horses suffer the same problem as they are schooled and ridden in arenas but never get and experience when young being ridden on the roads with older more experienced horses.

I blame this all on the demise of the traditional riding school and too much emphasis on competitive horse riding.

(It is not the fault of increased traffic as we learnt to ride in London with cars, trucks and spooky things everywhere).

The horses and riders where used to it.

In your case you don't want to teach your horse to zoom off as soon as it touches grass. Just make it walk everywhere and as the post above said start with small circular rides (clockwise and anti-clockwise) and then gradually increase them.

If you don't want to go out when there is traffic about get up at 04.00 a.m. and go out at first light each morning. Don't forget to wear Hi-Viz on your horse and long sleeved Hi-Viz and crash had band on yourself so that drivers can see your arm signals and head above the hedges. Also have a tag on your horses saddle and bridle with your telephone number and that of your vet. Take the BHS Road Safety course as well as this will give you valuable tools for when you ride out.
 
havent got the answer just you are not alone. I'm scared sick of going in the fields out hacking dont even know why, but reading your post brought me out in a cold sweat and sick feeling in stomach ! my boy is sensible and has never done anything bad got a bit strong a few times and bucked a few times but not bad, but I just cant bring myself to do it, like you i'm just walking round the fields but would love to canter. I'm not a novice i've hacked for years, I've just lost my bottle and cant find it again. If you can do it good on you but i've just started trying to enjoy doing what i do do rather than beating myself up over what i dont as I was making myself miserable.
 
Ive been riding for over forty years and unless I am on a very ploddy horse I still get nervous . I bought a thorobred last year and have moved to a place where I can hack in the middle of nowhere. I make sure I am wearing the correct gear so I am comfortable. use a neck strap and have found a few places where i can have a steady canter. I just push myself a little further each time and its going well at moment. I found my legs were shaking last time but feel really pleased we are now cantering on our hacks as Ive never had a school to use.
 
You are definately not on your own in this. I've just moved my boy and he is full of it at the moment which has given me a bit of a confidence crisis. You just need to do what you are happy with and build it up gradually at your own pace. To be honest as long as you are enjoying your riding how much you do is entirely up to you xxx
 
Hi,
I totally know how you feel! i HATE hacking on my own at the moment because my pony naps when she is somewhere unfamiliar, but i am making myself go for little hacks to keep building up the distance. Like you, i always panic over 'what ifs' which makes me tense which passes to her.
A friend bullied me into taking my pony for a gallop in the huge field at our yard last week and she was such a good girl and i think it's because i just went with my friend and i relaxed and did not put pressure on her to be perfect. i just tried to trust her to look after me, which i have found difficult to do in the past! i also tried to think if she takes off, what is the worst that can happen as long as i just hang on and go with her? If you have a secure seat I would say you should be fairly safe no matter what the speed, and if you struggle to stop try turning her in ever decreasing circles or bridge your reins. or even let her have a canter if you can, just to prove to yourself that even when she is going faster than you might like, you can stay on and be in control. Good luck, and if all else fails try rescue remedy or port!! x
 
is it just the cantering side of the hacking that is causing you problems or the whole hack?
with my current horse i can canter/gallop in fields if i am on my own, in company she gets strong and feels the need to race
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now sometimes I find it funny and just aim for the biggest hedge i can find
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she can't jump 12ft so I know we'll stop lol. some days i'm not in the mood for a tanking so i just don't canter.
if it is the cantering aspect why don't you find a quiet field, walk half way up a side ,away from the gate and then just have a little canter up to the end of the field, stop at the end and then leave it at that, don't push yourself to do any more. keep on doing it extending the distance you canter, in different fields so that she doesn't associate one field with yeehahh time
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I used to hack out for miles on my own but one day I got chased by a dog and its knocked my confidence totally. I hate it now, have radar eyes and imagine every dog is going to attack my horse. Stupid I know but I just cant get over it. Im much better out with someone else but that isnt always an option. Its not dogs Im afraid of, I love dogs, its just hacking out and meeting dogs. My horse is great with dogs.
 
rescue remedy and take it slow !. if you miss it then you obviously want to get back out there, so take it slow, but frquently. the more you go out, the less exciting for your horse and she will relax a bit. if she is relaxed, you will relax.
my mare has tanked off with me a few times, each time knocking my confidence, but i just go steady on the "safer" hacks until i re-build my confidence. when i first got her i was so nervous i used rescue remedy and it seemed to help a little, the more i hacked out, the more i relaxed and enjoyed it. now i hack out 4-5 times a week.
you could also get someone to cycle out with you for a few rides( not too hilly), or even walk with you.just until you feel a bit better.
once you've met dogs on a hack and nothing happens, you will relax a bit more each time. good luck, you're not on your own....i'm sure if everyone is honest they feel it at some time in their ride.
it's worth it in the end!!!!!
 
I hate hacking, and used to love it. My dream was to do endurance. Had one too many accidents on the forest now and its just more worry than its worth. To add to it my mare is not yet confident on the forest either on her own or in a group, mostly because of the damn deer. I knwo she wouldn't do anything, but we both dislike it, so I don't hack out more than I have too. Am moving to a new yard in Gloucestershire with hacking on the black mountains, so hoping this environment will be better for us. The forest I swear has more deer than trees
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Best of luck with you and your horse.
 
I hack for miles on my own, canter past scary things all the time, with no spooking or stopping, my horse does not bat an eyelid at anything.
But he wasn't like that a year ago. Its taken 4- 5 hacks a week every week since June 07 to get my cob to trust me and my decisions totally, and that has included a lot of getting off and leading him past things and pulling him into driveways as hay wagons and logging lorries pass us down single track roads.
Also I always have a hunter breastplate, on any horse I hack out and an effective bit. ( Hackamore for Jack).
Teaching a horse to be safe fun hack is just as much of an objective as getting him to do an Elementary Dressage test.
You need to start slowly and gradually build up his confidence levels.
I could hardly get Jack down the path to the road the first time out he was so anxious. so I started by leading him out and riding him back.
Treat the whole thing as serious training not just letting him relax and take control.
Hacking out is one of the most dangerous activities we can do with our horses so its important to train a horse properly for this job.
Being bolted with round a very large field is not a nice experience that I would ever want to repeat - terrifying!
 
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