Hacking Alone

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cobalobM

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Who hacks alone?
im 18, have a saint of a horse, my mum is absolutely refusing to let me hack alone. sounds petty I know but I would absolutely love to have a plod around the bridleways on my own! and a little trot now and then. I would have to go on quiet roads for about 10 mins before the bridleways but horse is 110% sensible. i've been out with other horses when they have been silly/spooky and he just stands there. i've cantered him through open spaces and struggled to keep him going! I go out wearing hi-viz, have my phone all the time etc etc etc.

it's just one thing I would love to do.
 
I hack alone all the time! If your mum is worried then you can get tracker apps for your phone so she can see where you are in case you don't come back. You can also get tags for your horse and for you with your ICE details.

I'd ask why she's worried and then you can cover those points off with her,after all you are 18 so she has no 'legal' right over your decisions (although if she pays for the horse/house etc then I think you must respect her decision).
 
What a shame your mum won't let you, but as a parent I can understand she is probably worried about you. I have ridden alone since I was roughly 12 years old but the roads were alot quieter in those days.

How about she push bikes with you or you ride out with another sensible person.
 
LOL - I'm nearly 50 and my Mum still worries about me riding alone. Your mum will always be your mum.
 
I was going to say the same, I used to hack out alone from being about 13 years old ...

Try asking her to walk with you instead?

As an 18 year old surely you can be trusted to hack out ?
 
shes walked with me before, on the roads, horse did a little spook, well as in 'spook' I mean stopped and snorted, then carried on! think my mum had a heart attack ahah!
 
also have ridden out loads with others. cantered with others. etc etc. anyone know what the tracking app is called?
 
It might not be you your mum is worried about, rather the idiots you can get on the roads. I was trusted to hack by myself all the time, then my horse got hit by a car by someone doing a hand brake turn at high speed round a blind bend - just for the fun of it. That was hard work trying to get hold of someone to come and trailer my boy back to the yard as he was lame, luckily that was all but the idiot didn't even give insurance details.
 
yep she is worried about the idiots on the road but also being on my own on bridleways etc.

you can only get the horse rider sos app on android or iphone :( she has android but I have windows :(
 
I hack alone all the time, have done since I was sixteen!! If I didn't, I'd hardly ever hack. I prefer hacking alone, my horse is much less excitable alone and I can use it as thinking time. Plus I'm a nutter who sings to my horse while we hack. :)
 
khalswitz said:
I hack alone all the time, have done since I was sixteen!! If I didn't, I'd hardly ever hack. I prefer hacking alone, my horse is much less excitable alone and I can use it as thinking time. Plus I'm a nutter who sings to my horse while we hack. :)
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You're not the only one. I always sing lots when I'm out hacking alone

If it's the road she's worried about, how about someone comes with you just as far as to where you can go off road for the rest of the hack?
 
hi.. don't blame your mum for worrying but equally you do have to be allowed some freedom. Mums can be like nervous horses and need to work up to things gently. How about this - Organise to hack along a known route, for a known time - say 30 minutes only - with your mum at the yard waiting for you. If there is a bit where you go on the road, she can meet you there in the car and drive along a good way behind, very slowly, then go back to the yard. If you can get over the fear of you being alone, by doing this a few times for slightly longer periods, then she may find it easier to let you go. You can agree that you will always tell her where you are going and ring her when you get back, or something. Good luck!
 
how long have you been riding.

my daughter has been hacking alone since she was 10yrs on the farm and everywhere (it turns out) since she was 12yrs. it is either that or just go round and round in circles in the school and bore them her to death and kill any interest in riding that she has.could get hit by a bus tomorrow crossing the road on foot
 
I also prefer hacking alone.
My mum worries a LOT about me and if I don't call when I'm untacking back at the yard, she'll worry even more.
I don't know what to suggest, as I just kind of...did it! I didn't consider asking Mum after I turned 16 (Dad used to come with me on a bike before).

Good luck, I hope you can come to some sort of agreement :)
 
We hack alone most of the time, and I love it. Can do what we want, looks at the views, go at our own pace, and we have great fun. I do like hacking in company occasionally, but our solo plods are my "thinking time".
 
I hack out on my own, I can be quite a miserable cow at times so I like hacking alone so I don't have to talk to anyone ;)

I would imagine your mum is worried about other road users rather than you, and something nasty happening. Do you have a smartphone? If so, you can do things like turn on the GPS so she can track where you are. BF told me about this - with his phone, if he and his friends, me, whoever, turn on GPS on their phones, there's some way to then see where each phone is all of the time. Maybe this is an option?
 
I have always hacked alone - since I was 13 and before the days where everyone had a mobile phone. I ALWAYS told someone the exact route I would be taking and ALWAYS let them know how long I was going to be. I never had anyone to hack with so it was my only option. Yes, roads are busier now but if you are sensible, and wear hi-vis (both you and the horse), carry your mobile phone, wear a hat and BP, you are minimising the risk as much as possible. I know she is your mum but you are 18 so old enough to decide for yourself...
 
personally i think you have to have a discussion with your mum, I know hacking alone can be a little dangerous, but you are 18!!! As soon as i had my own horse at 15 i hacked out alone, he is well behaved and my mum or dad, or some else at the livery yard would know when i went out and what route i was going on, so they would know how long i should be gone. if you have a mobile you are traceable: no special apps, with vodaphone in an emergency they let emergency services track where your phone is to find you ( but of course this is very very unlikely! ). I'm now not on a livery yard, but if I feel the horse I'm riding might be spooky and something could happen i text my bf or friend to say i'm going out and should be back and text by x o'clock.
i mostly like company, but there is nothing like just you and your horse.
 
yes I know im 18 and should make decisions for myself, but I do live under my mum's roof and she pays for horse sooo......
i've been riding 8 years. I get so bored of schooling, and don't enjoy it- dont like jumping. all I want to do is hack to be honest!
 
I use the SOSsport app - if you're stationary for longer than a set period it asks you to tell it you're allright, if you don't it sends your coordinates by text to your specificed contact - don't know if that comes in Windows form?

I hack on my own 95% of the time and have done since I was 13, although that was nearly two decades ago (eeeek) so I guess the roads were a bit quieter then
 
I never had any choice about hacking alone as my horse was a nutcase and infinitely worse when she had company - once I did go out with a friend and her horse which was a full hand taller, 10 years younger and 7/8 TB to my welsh D x was exhausted and couldn't keep up! I enjoyed being able to talk rubbish to my girl, and to go where I wanted how I wanted without having to worry about upsetting someone else or having to rescue them from a situation. I suspect your mum is worried about people hiding in bushes, intent on rape or whatever. Well, I'm not saying these people don't exist but it is INCREDIBLY rare. I regularly used to come back having been out for 2 or more hours and people would say they'd seen the local flasher but I can honestly say I never did (shame!) and I was riding close to urban areas which had better access for cars. I remember a friend of mine who told me as a young teenager she had been bothered by one who put himself across the path so she wacked his widge with her whip and galloped off. My biggest problem was with dogs and their stupid owners.
 
I am a mum and can confirm that we do worry even though we know how competent a rider our daughters are (mine is 22 now). Why don't you suggest that she follows behind you on foot or bicycle a few times just so she can see how you and the horse react to things and then hopefully (once she has got fed up with the hard slog to keep up) she will see that you are ok and will let you go out on your own. I would echo everyone else's comments about making sure you always wear a hat and hi viz, have a charged up phone on you at all times and that you let her (and people on the yard) know when you set off, how long you think you are going to be, where you are going and what time you should be back. Good luck.
 
I think mums are just natural worriers - I'm 21 and I still have to text my mum to let her know when I'm getting on / when I've returned home safely, but saying that I've never been lucky enough to have a saint of a horse so can understand why she insists!
Is your mum horsey?
Do you know exactly what it is that she's worrying about? - I'm guessing she's probably more concerned about other road users than your horses behaviour? I'm not too clued up on what apps are available for windows/android, but it's definitely worth having a search to see if there is anything that is available on both - I know on the iphone there are lots of tracking apps for situations like this and they are so useful. It may be worth purchasing a "locata" - just something else that could put her mind at ease. I always ride out with them, they're tiny packs which attach to your saddle with all of your details / horses details / emergency contacts / vet numbers / yard number etc - very small but easily seen, so that if anything was to happen, the person who would find your horse would be able to ring the appropriate numbers straight away. You can now get them for riders too, you put them around your arm so that if the worst happens and someone finds you unconscious somewhere, they can not only ring for help but also contact your parents/yard owner etc. I know it's made me feel a lot safer going out alone.
You can find them here: http://www.unicornleather.co.uk/locatas.html x
 
I always hack alone and on a horse who is far from an angel! I used to hack on my own from the age of about 14 becuase that was the only way the horses were going to be exercised. I used common sense to keep safe - always said what route I was doing and stuck to it, mobile phone (did not have them then), high viz gear, not talking to people I did not know, not dong anything silly to put myself in danger, being road aware and sensible in traffic, paying attention...the usual stuff really. But some of this will help to put your mum's mind at rest.
 
starryeyed said:
I think mums are just natural worriers - I'm 21 and I still have to text my mum to let her know when I'm getting on / when I've returned home safely, but saying that I've never been lucky enough to have a saint of a horse so can understand why she insists!
Is your mum horsey?
Do you know exactly what it is that she's worrying about? - I'm guessing she's probably more concerned about other road users than your horses behaviour? I'm not too clued up on what apps are available for windows/android, but it's definitely worth having a search to see if there is anything that is available on both - I know on the iphone there are lots of tracking apps for situations like this and they are so useful. It may be worth purchasing a "locata" - just something else that could put her mind at ease. I always ride out with them, they're tiny packs which attach to your saddle with all of your details / horses details / emergency contacts / vet numbers / yard number etc - very small but easily seen, so that if anything was to happen, the person who would find your horse would be able to ring the appropriate numbers straight away. You can now get them for riders too, you put them around your arm so that if the worst happens and someone finds you unconscious somewhere, they can not only ring for help but also contact your parents/yard owner etc. I know it's made me feel a lot safer going out alone.
You can find them here: http://www.unicornleather.co.uk/locatas.html x
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, I've just ordered one for me and one for the pony! Fab!
 
I am 15 and have been hacking out alone for about two years now and my Mum is fine with it. Parents can't wrap you up in cotton wool for the rest of your life although I understand why they worry.
 
I would think your mum is more concerned about other factors rather than you and your horse hacking alone. What if she walked with you the first time so she can see how sensible your horse is, that's if she doesn't know already. Other idea, what if you told her where you were going, how long you would be and take your mobile phone. That way, she will know what time to expect you back obviously, you'd have to aim to be back when you say or she'll go into panic mode. If she agreed I'd make the first hack a short one.

Like someone else has already said, it doesn't matter how old you are once a mum always a mum and they have a built in protective button.
 
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