Hacking alone..

LaurenM

LaurenM

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My YO's partner seen my riding alone a few days ago and said I should really be riding in company. I agree with her but out of the 23 horses on the yard, only 1-2 are ridden in the week and maybe 3-4 on the weekend.

Is there anyway to make it safer to hack alone? I always wear a body protector, hat and have my mobile with me.

Does anyone ride with people from different yards? If so, how did you meet?
 
I always hack on my own as its not possible for me to hack with anyone else most of the time! As long as the horse your riding is (fairly) safe and your all kitted out like you say, I'm sure you should be fine :)

xx
 
I very rarely ride in company - and have never felt in any kind of danger (or any more so than when riding in company).

Why do they think you should be in company - and where are you based???
 
I hack alone and in company.....

I always take my mobile, have hi-viz on AND my horse has a luggage tag on her saddle lest become parted! It has my husbands mobile number on as well as mine and the house phone, with names, and what yard she is from.....
 
i hardly ever hack out in company and have never felt unsafe.... i do keep phone on me though in case horse and i part company - nothing worse than seeing horse and phone buggering off into distance lol!
 
Thanks both.

I am based in Cardiff. There are two yards close by but rarely see people riding from either of them aswell!

I've had Zorro for over 5 months so he's still settling in. He gets abit spooky but I ride through it. I haven't ridden him out on his own much but due to wanting to fitten him up and no one else riding I have been hacking alone alot more. I have been sticking to the usual routes though.

I do feel safe with him on my own, it just takes me 10 minutes or so at the beginning of the hack to relax. I think I'll straight myself on a calmer!
 
I have hacked almost always alone for 15 years and love it, I much prefer it to riding out with others as we can go at the pace we feel happy with and very often i will plan a hack, but end up re-routing to go for a bit longer if we're enjoying it and that can be difficult if you're going with someone else.

As long as you are confident riding on your own i see no problem with it. When i backed my 4 yr old at the beginning of the year her very first hack was alone as no one on the yard we were at really did any hacking. She's only been hacked out a couple of times in company and i dont think she really liked it, she likes to just amble along the road taking everything in, looking into houses and gardens and stuff which is fine by me, its for her to enjoy as much as me!! But when we were with the other horses the riders made them walk all collected and forward (we tend to only do a bit of "proper" work for maybe 10-20 mins during a hack as i see no need for it at the moment) and she had to keep rushing to keep up with them and she was nowhere near as happy and settled as normal. So now i just hack alone with her :)
 
I sometimes hack in company but prefer going alone, I just make sure I have my phone keys hoofpick and some bailstring with me, and let someone know where I'm going. Usually I just stick to the bridlepath but I wear hi-viz regardless because of cyclists and dogwalkers!
 
As dragonslayer says, wear migraine-inducing hi-vis when you hack out alone. If anything happened, you'd be easy to spot lying unconscious in a field and unable to use your mobile. Put hi vis on your ned too, in case he's thundered off somewhere and is lost. Seriously, when the Air Ambulance was scrambled to me after a stupid fall and head injury, they couldn't see me even though we were on a single track, tarmac lane. Tree cover overhead. And I had 4 other riders with me to help! Tell someone where you're going, how long, mega hi vis, take your mobile, spare headcollar and lead rope, hoof pick ... have a look at what you're supposed to be carrying/wearing if you enter a Best Hacking Horse class and you'll be fine x
 
i always hack on my own :)

always have my phone
ICE in my phone. InCaseofEmergency number
hat and bp
highviz - even in summer, enabled neighbour to find me in 4x4 once after i came off across some fields.
id tag on bridle with my mobile and husband's mobile number on
 
I ride alone as keep them in fields i rent, which is not a problem at mo, when it comes to next year when my youngster gets backed well have to ask friends to come over and hack out with me or ask someone to ride my other one out with me. Ive mostly always ridden alone even when on a big yard as like you i found people didnt hack out etc.
 
this was me yesterday, is the sushine;)
charlie1month014.jpg
 
LaurenM said:
Thanks both.

I am based in Cardiff. There are two yards close by but rarely see people riding from either of them aswell!

I've had Zorro for over 5 months so he's still settling in. He gets abit spooky but I ride through it. I haven't ridden him out on his own much but due to wanting to fitten him up and no one else riding I have been hacking alone alot more. I have been sticking to the usual routes though.

I do feel safe with him on my own, it just takes me 10 minutes or so at the beginning of the hack to relax. I think I'll straight myself on a calmer!
Click to expand...

I have PM'd you.
 
Thanks for all the replies! It's quite reassuring to see that there are no horror stories on the post yet!

I had Zorro doing a collected canter yesterday on our hack - something that I haven't mastered whilst out hacking with others yet!

I just find it abit frustrating as I am quite new to the yard and everyone is has been there so long that they have lost interest. I'd love to do a beach ride but they've all been there and done it so not overly excited about doing another one. Zorro is almost a non loader so would prefer to hire a lorry with everyone in a bid to transport him.
 
I'm self employed and work strange times, so end up riding during the day when everyone else is stuck at work!!! I can count on my fingers the times I've ridden with other people in the last five years, say.

Yes to the "equipment" recommended by others here; but the bottom line is take a deep breath and go for it. Its so lovely to be out with just you and your horse and it bonds you in a way that nothing else will.
 
If you can hack alone, you will build trust between yourself and your horse so you never need to have company. I often find with a new horse its the best way as you will be suprised how many people have very little bond with their horses and in an emergency it shows. Its probably why the rest of the yard don't hack out!!
I ve often felt far safer just me and my horse than with some of the numpty riders I ve hacked out with in the past. I was surprised to hear from one girl I used to hack out with, one day on finding her horse lame half way round our regular ride, she announced that to try to return to the yard on her own without me would mean that her horse would bolt with her or rear if I rode away from her!!
 
Love the picture Neversaynever! I got caught in the rain yesterday when I went - I was still smiling though haha!

Storminateacup - I do agree! When we hack out with one horse in particular all the other horses do not settle. Said horse rears and reverses into all the horses - squishing my leg on one occasion. Said owner/rider also runs up the other horses bums and clicks the whole way round - not good as my horse is voice trained to trot when I click!
My horse tends to tank off with me too when the other one is about.
 
Honestly I don't like hacking out alone... But that's because my mare is spooky and it's like riding her through the lions den. Very eyes on stalks and very nervy and jumpy and really way too forward (not in a fun way)... But it's not going to change (have only recently been able to get her out alone due to napping) until you keep plugging away at it.


Another horse i ride is a bit spooky but nothing nasty and in that case, yes I do enjoy it more. But nothing beats going out with a friend and having a good laugh! Plus I always feel much safer when riding in company, especially with a certain friend as I know she will get on my Mare for me and swap if she becomes too much.

OP, if you feel safe on your horse then I see no issue. There is a site called bridlepaths or something (google it) and from that site there is another site advertised where you can buddy up with hacking partners. Might be worth a look to see if you can find someone local. Or why not put out an ad?

x
 
Hi There,

I have to hack out alone as my horse is kept at home with my retired horse so dont have the option of company.

Sometimes we meet riders out and join them for part of the ride and occasionally my dad will come along on his bike but generally I am happy out on my own.

I always have hi vis and my mobile just in case :)
 
I nearly always hack alone as, like you, I'm on a yard of 30 horses but no-one ever goes out at the same time as me. Plus they all just like to plod along and I find that really boring and my horse is quite lazy when out in company. Ditto all the comments above.

Another suggestion would be to have a whiteboard somewhere on the yard where you write the date and time that you are leaving, plus the route you plan to do. At least then if someone reads the board two hours later and you haven't returned they know where to look for you.

Happy hacking!
 
LaurenM said:
My YO's partner seen my riding alone a few days ago and said I should really be riding in company. I agree with her but out of the 23 horses on the yard, only 1-2 are ridden in the week and maybe 3-4 on the weekend.

Is there anyway to make it safer to hack alone? I always wear a body protector, hat and have my mobile with me.

Does anyone ride with people from different yards? If so, how did you meet?
Click to expand...

That's mad:rolleyes:. If they are soooooo concerned, then they should get their jods on and come with you.

More often than not, I have to hack alone as we have a yard of few riders/hackers and I love it. My mare was a real handful when I bought her and I'm sure the solo hacks have helped our relationship in tons. She loves to go through a little housing estate in the village as she can get a good look in the windows and have nose, which tickles me. It's great, as she has gotten used to kids screaming, lawn mowers, dogs running and other suburbian activities. No doubt if I had someone else from the yard with me, a good many of them wouldn't want to risk it, whereas I will go looking for issues:D.

You carry on as you are and if your happy to hack, then don't let anyone stop you, after all, it's your horse and it's for you to enjoy him.

NeverSayNever......What a stunning gelding!!!
 
I think you do yourself and your horse a great favour hacking alone - your horse learns to trust you and builds up confidence. There are far too many people who seem to have horses that "won't hack alone" it's just madness. Start them hacking alone from early on and your horse doesn't think it's anything out of the ordinary. My horse is very spooky but never dangerous - think he just likes the 'buzz' of finding a few things to jump a bit at. I trust him 100% and have hacked him out on his own (I do also hack in company) since he was 4 yo when i first got him.

There is no reason why hacking alone is more dangerous than hacking with someone else. I guess the only thing to advise is to always make sure someone knows where you're going or how long you're intending to be. That's what we had to do in the 'old days' before mobile phones - or make sure you had 10p for the phone! But if the worst happened and say you were unable to call then at least if two long a time passed someone would be able to do something about it and raise the alarm as it were.

Other than that don't let it bother you, enjoy your hacks out. Life's too short to constantly be thinking about the what ifs!
 
Bizarely, I feel safer hacking alone.
I'm not sure the reason for this is that I worry what the other horse is going to do.
If you are a younger person, I can understand why your YO feels you should go hacking with others.
However, I also agree that hacking alone gives you the oportunity to build a bond with your horse.
 
I think she said it because my horse is quite spooky and can be abit nappy. I don't think he's seen many farm animals with previous owners and were he is stabled is surrounded in farm land. He's not keen on sheep/cows etc but just needs a few minutes to suss them out before passing them.

Thank you for all your comments. I don't feel like such a div for riding on my own now!
 
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