Hacking alone advise needed please

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luna88

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Hello well my new loan pony arrived today safe and sound and seems to have settled well. The thing is I'm all nervous of hacking alone with him his previous loaner has said he hasn't hacked alone for about 2 years but hacked alone a lot before she had him does this time scale make much of a difference or will he end up all spooky and nervous as he has no other horsey friend. One part of me is saying tack him up and away you go the other ( who I wish would be quiet) is mentioning all the dangers him rearing bucking all which I'm told he has never done since he was first brought by his owner at 4 he's now 15!
Any help or tips would be greatly recieved thanks
 
Is there someone to walk with you for the first outing? Just till you know how he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a bit tense to start with it's just how he copes with his worry. Sure he will settle to it though with time. Welcome to the world of a million questions that is owning a horse!
 
You got the right I've already asked a million questions and have a million more lol. When I rode him last he was absolute gentleman and only spooked as he saw a very scary gate lol
 
Practice makes perfect but to start with I would have a friend walking (or biking as we do) out with you. Take a leadrope just incase but the more you get to know each other and find confidence with each other the more he will reply on you in a scary situation.

One thing I wont do is get off. I think that does more to knock confidence than anything else but thats just a personal preference.

For some bizarre reason I lost my confidence hacking out alone but by forcing myself to do it and 'acting' confident means Im slowly but surly getting back to my usual self. Dont even know why/ when I lost this confidence as my boy is good hacking alone even when he is being an idiot its not because he is alone its because he is just an idiot :D
 
I find singing helps, not sure who it helps more, me or the horse but have always found with horses who are a bit tense about hacking, if I sing (very badly I might add) they seem to relax.
 
Doormouse said:
I find singing helps, not sure who it helps more, me or the horse but have always found with horses who are a bit tense about hacking, if I sing (very badly I might add) they seem to relax.
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Snap :D I do this as well. Off we go down the lanes and over the Quainton hills and I'm singing away like a good'un :p
 
I would either lead him round the route you intend to ride or tack up and go - take a lead rope with you in case you do need to get off and lead.

To get my mare confident hacking alone I used to get off if she was nervous/scared so that she could take confidence from me on the ground - now she'll go pretty much anywhere :)
 
luna88 said:
Hello well my new loan pony arrived today safe and sound and seems to have settled well. The thing is I'm all nervous of hacking alone with him his previous loaner has said he hasn't hacked alone for about 2 years but hacked alone a lot before she had him does this time scale make much of a difference or will he end up all spooky and nervous as he has no other horsey friend. One part of me is saying tack him up and away you go the other ( who I wish would be quiet) is mentioning all the dangers him rearing bucking all which I'm told he has never done since he was first brought by his owner at 4 he's now 15!
Any help or tips would be greatly recieved thanks
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Why don't yopu have someone else hacking 5-10 mins behind you so if there is a problem, help is not far away?
 
Soo glad other people used to sing too :) I used to get my husband to cycle with me ( when he realised walking was too hard/slow) It only took a few weeks of him coming,a few more weeks of deafening the birds with my trilling, and we were off, remember to breathe too and smile, talk to your horse like a friend/child/dog :)
 
I have just got my first horse a few weeks ago and had this worry too. I have found that if I ride out with a friend in front on a push bike, staying a few feet in front, my cob almost treats the person and bike as another horse in that he is more confident and less spooky. I also feel more confident from having someone with me so it's a positive all round!
 
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