Does your horse walk on while hacking??

Starbucks

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 May 2007
Messages
15,799
Visit site
either because you make it or they just do??

If not, why, and doesn't drive you mad???

If I'm out riding with someone and they are lagging behind it really gets on my nerves!!! especially if it's one of my horses and I know it is capable of walking at a reasonable speed!
tongue.gif
 
My horse walks on....at 80 miles an hour
but he is 16.2hh and has long legs.
We used to hack out with a 13.2hh who really couldn't keep up to save her life and it started to wind them both up, so now i try to hack out with horses that are about 16hh or over because they usually keep up with Mattie and its a lot less stressful for him and the other horses
 
Some days Bear is a real plod and I have to give him a few reminders to put one foot in front of the other, but other days as soon as we leave the field he's on one! I think it depends on my mood though because if Im in a bad mood I'll get on have contact on straight away and he knows I mean business but other days I get on in a happy mood and moochy along, but theres still no excuse to go slow as moses!
I put it down to a man thing?!
 
I rode for our farrier one summer while I was at uni, he's also a dealer and has a lot of baby pony/cob types, and OMG they drove me insane!!!!! I think it was more the baby aspect than that they were little cobs, but it was like an hour workout at the gym to get them to walk/trot about a mile!
tongue.gif
 
When I bought P she had NO idea as to how to walk out - I would spend my whole time kicking her on, trotting to catch up, etc. Now she has a gorgeous walk that OTHERS have to kick on to keep up with
laugh.gif
 
My share is a lazy wimp when it comes to walking, but his owner lets him walk as if he is half dead. By the end of ride, he's up for it - but it's a bit of work to get there!
 

Personally, I like mine to walk out & keep a brisk pace. I had a dartmoor cross once who was awful for leaning on the but as previous owner had ridden her out allowing her to mooch along. It took a good lot of riding her up to the bit to get her to walk out but we did get there!

I also think it's good from a safety aspect. Horse will tend to be more alert & awake rather than if they were just being allowed to mooch along, head lolling slightly.
 
Yes Monty always walks out and leaves anyone I'm hacking with miles behind. I feel like telling them to get a move on, especially if we are having a chat and I can't hear a word they are saying. Very irritating!
 
[ QUOTE ]

Yes Monty always walks out and leaves anyone I'm hacking with miles behind. I feel like telling them to get a move on, especially if we are having a chat and I can't hear a word they are saying. Very irritating!

[/ QUOTE ]

lol, thats the thing isn't it! How can you have a conversation if one is miles behind!
tongue.gif
Maybe we should all be slow, makes for much more chat in the long run!
smirk.gif
 
ha ha every one on my yard lets their horse mooch along but i always expect my horse to walk out (it's the only pace he is lazy in!) it annoys the living day lights out of me when i have to ask him to wait for the others to catch up. i once told a friend 'this is MY ride so we go at MY pace so keep up!' she has a real 'slow bum' if you know what i mean
 
Both PF and A do. However, I once hacked out with someone who was riding a little mare who really, really cracked on and I had to trot every now and then to keep up
blush.gif
In my defence, it was almost a jog and I've had to work quite hard to get PF to walk properly!
 
charly is very slow...walkers over take him...although yesterday he had a slight spring in his step!
I tend to have to push him on all the time just through lazyness...but he is meant to have a slower walk because he is quarter horse....so I cant push him too much...I just take hours out on hacks rather than minutes...my husband is used to meeting up with me in an hour rather than 30 mins...!!
 
April used to be very slow on hacks and just wanted to tuck in behind the other horses' tails! In her defence she hadn't left her field for about 2 years but it used to drive me mad.

Now she is bolder, fitter, enjoys her hacking and strides out well
smile.gif
 
I used to own a Shire Horse that i drove. On times off he enjoyed a hack. I used to ride out with a friend on an ex-racehorse.
My steady Shire turned into a speed freak.
One day my friend decided to have a gallop. Joseph decided he wanted to go too and gave a big buck when i said 'no'
I then thought why not and let him go. He actually kept up!
It must have been a right sight.
 
This is one of my OH's pet hates.

When we first got H, he was very much a riding school pony, a really plodder. A few trips on the leading reign helped, plus lots of work on my riding skills and a different saddle, and he now happily stays alongside, and has a little left for the odd overtaking manoeuvre
grin.gif
 
oooo raw nerve.... it's my pet hate, a horse that doesn't walk out.

both ours are just about military in their marching habits, and my Ron has to be held back from speed walking (complete with funny wiggle cos he's so short backed!)

when we hack out with other people, or hack back from hunting with someone it really really really annoys me when they let their horse just about crawl along!
 
My pet hate too. My boy was a doodler when I first got him. he soon learned to walk out properly and now although we are only 15hh, with short legs, we outwalk pretty much everyone!!

i won't allow dawdling either
smile.gif
 
Both of mine walk out properly, well when S isn't busy spinning around and going backwards he does walk forwards nicley. I used to hack E out (13.1) with a 17hh horse and we were over taking him because the horse was soo slow it was unbelievable. It did E the world of good if we ever hacked out with someone bigger than him with a faster walk as we were always having to trot to catch up.....great for getting him very fit!
 
Pony is like a coiled spring - all the time. Bounce...bounce...bounce. To tell you the truth, I can't remember the last time I had to really push her on, its normally a case of loosening my reins and she goes yay!!!!!
 
Willow is practically backwards on the roads unless we're on the way home - I don't think she likes roadwork much, or at least she perks up when we get on grass even if we don't canter. But it annoys me so much, and I use my legs a lot lol! She's just a bit lazy and spooks every 3 seconds.

Lacey walks faster than horses 3 hands bigger than her, so I much prefer riding her out as we actually get somewhere.
 
Daisy is a dawdler *ducks and hides from the disapproving looks*. If we go out on our own she walks at a good speed because she is a bit more on edge but in company she dawdles. She even did it out hunting
shocked.gif


I'd quite like to know how to speed her up but she isn't having any of it, she just says "oh you want me to trot then and trots to catch up". I can't seem to find that elusive speedy walk.

TBH I'd rather have her any day than a horse that you can't canter in groups because it gets too excited. There's alot to be said for dawdling
 
my new one is a pain - he is really sluggish on the way out, keeps trying to stop and stare at everything. on the way home he really marches out and has an absolutely fab walk. i'm just worked on making him the same on the way out as he is on the way back - not had him a month yet and he is improving but still infuriating - i hate having to nag him to walk faster.
 
my 14HH welsh walks faster than any horse I know! he's always on a mission whereas the one i had before walked slowly and i had to nudge it along, i hated that!
 
my mare marches out and marches back.she loves it!if im hacking with anyone slow she gets really really wound up and starts jogging and piaffing in annoyance,she hates waiting for people to catch up.i used to go hacking with one of my friends-her horse was a really slow walker and i woud have to stop every 10 strides to allow him to catch up.it drove my mare mad.in the end she started to fart about if they both even had their tack on at the same time in case he was coming out on a hack with us lol.
bailey walks out but alot slower unless i get after him.
 
When in company there is no stopping merlin.... I have yet to find a horse he cant outwalk!!!

When we go out alone he is slower away from home, but not so slow that you have to nag..... as soon as you turn for home though (and it doesnt need to be an about turn... just a circlular ride and he can tell) he speeds up and walks out beautifully....

He always has his ears pricked right forward too..... as if he is really enjoying it!!!
smile.gif
smile.gif
smile.gif
 
Top