First Hack...baby steps, baby steps

Hippophilia

Hippophilia

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4 July 2011
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Saskatchewan, Canada
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I have owned my girl for about 18 months now and today was our first hack :D
Her previous owner warned me never to hack her out as she's a TB and in the five years she had owned her she had never taken her out :( It has taken a while but I finally feel like she is mine and that I know her best, so she ties nicely (another no-no from the old owner), goes well in a french-link snaffle (was in bitless) and now hacks out.
Today is a lovely sunny day, spring is in the air (only -1 after all!) and I just went for it. We ambled down one of the farm tracks, had a little bit of napping but nothing major and came back after 20 minutes feeling AMAZING.
Please excuse the scruffy state of her, under all that fluff and crazy mane there is a lovely sleek TB, (or there will be in the spring!)

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Gosh where are you? That's still quite a bit of snow it must be getting rather boring now!

Well done on your hack and the other achievements, no such word as can't!
 
Yay! Its so rewarding when you reach these milestones:)
Bet youre well chuffed....
I was told not to buy my horse cos he wouldnt hack out etc etc etc.
Well.....proved em all wrong. Just like you :)
Youve got a great summer ahead :)
 
Do you mean you hadn't hacked out alone til now? My tb mare who I had in October will happily hack out in company with minimal napping, but on the couple of occasions I tried alone I saw my life flash before my eyes and wondered why I put myself through it! Since then I've concentrated on lots of hacking in company and schooling to get to know one another. What/when is the next step?
 
LifesRemedy said:
Do you mean you hadn't hacked out alone til now? My tb mare who I had in October will happily hack out in company with minimal napping, but on the couple of occasions I tried alone I saw my life flash before my eyes and wondered why I put myself through it! Since then I've concentrated on lots of hacking in company and schooling to get to know one another. What/when is the next step?
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This was our first hack at all. I felt confident to do it alone as we have schooled and ground-worked to death over the past year, the route goes on the other side of the pasture fence where she lives out 24/7 so nothing new or exciting, we ride in a bit now which gives me a much better feel, and she is 25 and I think her crazy days are behind her! We will have to work on the napping but the plan is to extend our route a little each week and not to push it. I had a baby in May so I don't get much time to ride. I realised last month that keeping her competition fit just won't be possible so she is now in semi-retirement and a just couple of hacks a week will suit us both, I think. Making the decision has lifted away a huge amount of stress and maybe this new relaxed me helped her be confident and calm too.
 
That's fantastic, well done you. I think you're right about taking the pressure off yourself, they always know if you're carrying stress. Have fun together :-)
 
When I first visited Canada and realised that people are able to keep horses outside all winter in with all that snow, I was amazed, but it has given me confidence to leave mine out in all weather this winter, and they have survived!

Hope spring starts with you soon and you enjoy your hacking.
 
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