Hacking chums or not?

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Those who hack regularly, what is your choice of company?

Are you quite happy in your and your horses company and nobody else?
Maybe you prefer to have a buddy along? Or maybe you like riding in a group?

I'm quite happy riding my home patch on my own, it's occasionally quite pleasant to have a chat with another alongside, or box out to join others for a group hack, but I think pleasing myself to beetle or bumble around is my more favoured choice.

What's your preference?

 

[scats]

I like hacking alone. Millie can get a bit clingy if she goes out with others. Farm rides I tend to meet up with a friend, but I have gone alone and she was far better behaved on her own. She is very easily influenced by other horses behaviour, and not always in a good way!

 

[doodle]

I like hacking alone. I have nothing against hacking on company but my horse really strides out and is off in front which makes company pointless!

 

[Britestar]

I said companion, because I nearly always hack with my friend who keeps her horses with me.
Suits us both.

One of mine does not hack alone.
Other is not great in lots of company. She's very small and gets frustrated at being left behind, or having to jog constantly to keep up.

 

[Skib]

My personal history of being accompanied by RS girls on unruly horses, means that my accident rate for hacking with others greatly exceeds that when I hack alone. I feel very safe hacking alone.
However, the skills required for hacking solo seem to me a bit different from riding with someone else. I began to label myself as a rider who was able to ride only one horse, on one route and in one direction. Not very good for morale, so I rode out with the YM last week, to control my share horse in company with another horse, to prevent her racing. To prevent her following the transitions of another horse ahead, and to ride the track in the direction which had scared me.

 

[Cloball]

I have only recently discovered I don't like hacking alone, I don't catastrophise as much without someone else to sense check. If I didn't have to ride on the roads in think I'd be better.

 

[holeymoley]

I'm not fussed. Unfortunately I do a lot of solo hacking now as not many folk at my yard hack. There's two that do, but they speed walk to a pace I'm not prepared to ask my horse to go to, I think it damages legs in the long run and it's not overly enjoyable. I like to take in the scenery, chat to folk, take photos. The other one is a law into herself, the horse walks all over the place and in front of you and whatever else, does my head in.

 

[lynz88]

I like going in company but if I want to make it a working hack, then defo alone!

 

[palo1]

I don't usually have much choice! Solo hacking is my default and I am very happy with that. I enjoy hacking with some of my friends - who I love dearly and do other sorts of riding with, but most of them don't enjoy the same sort of hacking, or are too far away to want to join me. I live somewhere daft to get to so it adds logistical time for some that is too much. I love the fact that both my horses are confident to go anywhere at any speed on their own. I have solo hacking to thank for that and it pays off in other areas too.

 

[Peglo]

I’ve clicked a companion but happy with 2 or 3 buddy’s too.
I do enjoy having a natter with friends when hacking but my biggest reason is Tali is so much happier with company so when she’s happy, I’m happy. She’s a very sociable pony.

If my horse didn’t mind either way I would quite happily go alone.

 

[Rowreach]

I love hacking alone, communing with my horse, picking our pace and our route and not being bound by someone else’s timetable.

Other days I like hacking with my friend, having good chats, and the extra incentive to go out even if the weather is yuk.

I lead regular group hacks too, which are different again.

If I could only pick one, I’d go solo.

 

[cold_feet]

I need another option. I love hacking out alone, and I love hacking out in good company. Can’t really choose between the options.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I prefer hacking alone. No waiting for them to eventually turn up at the yard to tack up, can go own pace and own route. I do box up and hack with a friend occasionally and I do enjoy that, but it's not often.

 

[Julia0803]

It depends…

I love going in company if everything is compatible- in terms of horses’ speed within each pace, but also rider expectations. I like a forward hack, but not galloping about out of control and taking risks.

So someone that just wants to walk everywhere doesn’t suit me (I’ll be bored silly and I get a really sore back/bum walking for long periods. I did it during a very long period of rehab and I’m still sick of it!), nor would I hack with someone who only walks or gallops slightly out of control with nothing in between. I want to keep them moving so trot or controlled canter everywhere that is safe to do so off road.

I’m very lucky that I have a good friend at the yard and her horse is about the same speed within paces as mine, and has the same attitude to speed- let’s ensure we’re safe but not keen on endless walking, so canter/trot where possible.

I do low level endurance so for me hacking is also training/work. Sometimes that means we need to go alone as I need to build up distance or speed and that doesn’t suit others.

So I suppose if it was hacking in company with your ‘ideal’ hacking buddy/ies vs alone, then hacking buddy/ies wins hands down.

However, if hacking with someone incompatible Vs alone, I’ll go alone.

Sorry that doesn’t fit into a neat box!

 

[First Frost]

In the past I preferred hacking alone. But we now have to navigate some serious traffic before getting to bridleways etc - we have to cross a aroundabout on the town bypass. When alone the vehicles seem to find us invisible. So now I prefer to have just my friend as a companion. - they notice 2 horses. Our horses walk at a similar pace and are both reliable. I am not particularly fond of hacking in large groups.

 

[canteron]

I have no choice!! We hack solo, all my good local hacking buddies have given up

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I don't ride anymore but liked hacking alone as could go at the pace I wanted (usually fast when at the fields!) and could half switch my brain off while still of course paying attention to the roads! Like @Julia0803 I also wouldn't have been compatible with someone who wanted to walk everywhere

Occasionally it was nice to have a companion for a natter

 

[SEL]

It depends!

Both my riding ponies need to be able to hack alone because I work flexi time so ride around work commitments. I also want to know that who I'm riding with is broadly going to want to ride at the same pace as me.

My littlest cob is as bombproof as they get but has old injuries which means I'm very precious about the ground we do faster work on and I don't spend a lot of time in trot (walk or canter if ground is OK). She's a great hack companion because nothing bothers her but I have known people who want to trot for miles and we're not the right companions in that case - I also quite like taking her out on my own so couldn't care less if I turn people down!! We escorted a lady on her young eventer last year and despite the size difference (13h vs 17h) we hacked well together. Both of us considerate about what the other combination needed but happy to have a blast if the ground was good.

Baby cob can get wound up in company so whoever we are with needs to be ok with that. Its just silly jiggling around and I think he'll grow out of it but no point in riding with someone who is going to be bothered by him being silly. Good fun last week riding out in company though away from the roads. I'm less bothered about the jiggling around off road.

 

[MissTyc]

I love all of it! Usually alone as that's practical, but I enjoy the company of one or two specific friends, or every now and then of a bigger group. On my own, I tend to focus on schooling (no arena, so that's my chance), many gait changes, etc. With a friend or two, it tends to be chatting and relaxing, or sometimes we knuckle down and focus on schooling or sometimes we tear around like teenagers. A bit of everything!

 

[Surbie]

I'm currently a bit stuck as no one to hack with - and I have rat runs to navigate to get to hacking which makes me nervous after having a really bad accident.

Both my horse and I really prefer riding with one or two others who have a similar pace/style, but that hasn't materialised on this yard. If I had off-road hacking I might be able to get over my confidence issues.

 

[Upthecreek]

Hacking for ‘work’ I prefer doing solo as I’m quite set on what I want to do. I enjoying hacking in company for pleasure, but only with one other and the horse has to walk out well so we can chat and not be an idiot so it can be relaxing.

 

[Jenko109]

I like hacking with a friend, because I dont see her enough so its lovely to catch up.

Just her though. The rest of the world can stay away and leave me to hack alone.

 

[rabatsa]

I have nearly always hacked alone.

Now that I have a driving pony I need to have someone to come out with me and am finding that I really do not like it.

 

[YourValentine]

I prefer alone, or a very select few people to hack with.
I've seriously regretted agreeing to hack with some people and then have to make excuses as to why I don’t want to go again.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I like hacking alone but my horse can be a prat so I hack with my neighbour.
It’s difficult because we are not really the best match. I’d ride in all weathers but she won’t if it’s raining or rains forcast, this was much of winter.
I’d like to ride really early in the summer but again she won’t. Also she’s happy to just walk round a little route whereas I want to be doing a bit more. I’d love a horse who was better at lone hacking.

 

[dreamcometrue]

I hack alone most of the time and always have done. I have been at yards with great hacking buddies whose horses go at the same pace as mine so I’ve done a greater proportion of hacks in company but at present there is no match for us so we go solo.

 

[teddy_]

I won’t hack alone on the road these days, I have had too many near misses with crazed couriers and impatient road users in general.

Last summer, a cyclist, cycled at great speed between me and my hacking companion. Luckily, the horses were not bothered, but it was alarming, nonetheless.

It’s a shame as the off-road hacking available to me is only accessible using some country lanes. However saying all that, I would love to hack alone if I felt it was safe .

 

[terrierliz]

Depends which one I’m riding… two are rock solid alone and I love our time one to one putting the world to rights and resetting, have regularly taken them away on solo holidays exploring, the third is an unpredictable idiot on his own so much prefer company if available

 

[TheHairyOne]

I went with 'with a friend', but only because with company I tend to go further afield and out for longer so its more fun. Thats my normal saturday morning. However, I actually hack on my own more as I dont have company in the week. My horse couldnt care less which way it is.

What I dont do is hack in big groups. He can get a bit kicky if he ends up boxed in not at the front and thats no fun for anyone.

 

[LeneHorse]

I've voted prefer to hack alone as my horse is elderly and we just go for quiet hacks in walk these days. Also I like to hack very early in the morning as it is the best time of the day.
We used to have a regular hacking buddy but sadly lost her to colic at the grand old age of 30. I have no objections to hacking with other people but in my current circumstances solo is best for us.