Hacking.......or not as the case maybe

annunziata

annunziata

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can I have some advice please peeps. My donkey has never hacked out with me in 2 years this is due to ditches around the farm and he backs up rears and spins (even in company) and I dont want to end up in a ditch so I just dont hack. We school and walk around the house near the yard. If I try to walk a little bit further up the track away from the house he throws his teddies and he is 17hh so big teddies. I dont have anyone to help me as I ride in the evenings which is a pain. Now does anyone have any idea of how to get him to hack (I am not asking a lot 5 minutes maybe 10) as I think it would do him good to get out. Do I take him out in a controller halter on foot????

I am moving soon and at our new house (we have land and he is coming home) there is fab hacking all off road and no ditches, loads of bridleways. Do I just wait till I move him home and then tackle the hacking issue then, when my BF will be around to help??? I am not able to move him home till next year as I have to build him a school (expensive donkey) so do I just try to ride him around his field until then?????? Just a bit depressed that I cant get on him and go for a short plod :(
 
Do whatever is safest for both of you and wait until you are in your lovely new home. If you do not have anyone to hack out with you in your new home then why not advertis in your local tack shop/feed merchants/ask farrier for a hacking partner. Hope all goes well.
 
Lots and lots of walking out in hand in a bridle, with and without tack on. Treat him as if he was a 2 year old you were getting used to going out. Lots of praise and lots of time, allow him to stop and look at things. This time of year is the perfect time to be doing it as you can go out later when there's still loads of light but much less traffic. I would ALWAYS go out in a bridle to make sure if he does react you have control. And obviously hi-viz and with a mobile phone in case you have any problems (My horse also has ICE tags on both bridle and saddle as she is a noob to hack and if we part company I'd like someone to be able to identify her!)
 
if you have the patience then I would suggest starting it now and taking it as slowly as you possibly can. Start by tacking him up and leading him a little way from his field. Stop before he gets stressed, make a fuss of him, give him a treat and take him back to do what he is comfortable with. The next day go a few steps further. Keep building it up very slowly. Don't be tempted to push it just because he seems more relaxed one day. After a few weeks when you've got him going a good distance in hand then start again, but this time riding him. Ride maybe a quarter of the distance you've managed in hand. Stop, tell him he's a good boy, get off, give him a treat and take him back, and then build it back up again very slowly.

If you take this approach you should be able to gain his trust and gradually get him to a place where he's comfortable going out. I also find it helps to sing to them - because it regulates your breathing it helps to stop you tensing up and worrying them, and certainly my boy likes the company of me speaking to him.

Also, does he have horsey company in his field? You didn't mention it?
 
Yes he has company in his field as he is on a livery yard at the moment. He is such a wimp he will not even go into his field if his mate is not there ha! We are all off road hacking as on a working farm. Obviously knowing this when he comes home he will HAVE to have friends. Thank you for the advise!!! I have never had a horse before who flatly refused to hack..He will play with me in the school and even plays football with me but hack forget it...rather soul distroying sometime. he is such a lovely horse but they tried to hunt him (hates hacking and they took him out with hounds) frighten the living daylights out of him. He decked the rider and that was that. He was shut up in his stable till I got him a couple of weeks later. I suppose its more of the fact he feels safe in the school xxx
 
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