Hacking out alone

[Mabel98]

My five year old, Missy is a brilliant hack in company, relaxed, not spooky and sensible. On her own she is really tense and walks with very short, quick steps until she is home again. She is never nappy or even spooky but just nervous. Normally I have people from the yard to hack out with but sometimes i like to go out alone. Should i bother or is it better to go out with others? She isn't dangerous and is traffic proof but I don't think she enjoys it much. I do use draw reins just for hacking alone for control. In the school she is fine on her own. Thanks

 

[jesterfaerie]

Do you hack her more with company? She may just prefer being around other horses especially if she is hacked out generally with others. If she is happy to go out alone and isn't dangerous then I would hack her out alone to get her more comfortable with it if I were you

 

[Clodagh]

I'd take her out on her own more, to get used to it. Are you sure, with the draw reains, you aren't tensing up when shes on her own and maybe being part of the problem?
Long reining can be a good, from the ground way of getting them forward on their own.

 

[eggs]

She is still quite young but I do think it is important that they learn to hack out on their own as there will always come a time when you have to do it as there is no-one else around to go out with.

It is quite normal for a horse to be more anxious when out on its own to start with. We always hack our youngsters out with a calm, experienced companion.

It might help you if you could find some-one to walk on foot with you when you go out on your own the next few times (obviously don't go too far !) as your mare may take some confidence from them. I'm sure you know that the worst thing you can do is get anxious as well - easier said than done.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

she's still quite young and it takes time to produce a great hack. make sure that its not you tensing up

and choose nice easy,short circuits while you both build up your confidence. having someone walk/cycle with you is a great idea as well

 

[Mabel98]

I think i probably do tense up on my own without meaning to. I will try short rides and maybe try a martingale rather than draw reins as they may be making her more tense? Thanks for the advice

 

[eggs]

[ QUOTE ]
I think i probably do tense up on my own without meaning to. I will try short rides and maybe try a martingale rather than draw reins as they may be making her more tense? Thanks for the advice

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Not to sound rude but why does your five year old need draw reins?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Personally I wouldnt hack out a young horse without a well fitting running martingale

and I'll not start a draw rein debate-if they are needed for safety then fair enough. having someone on foot is useful, you can gas lots and forget to be tense. think about relaxing your arms, lower back and thighs (basically ride like a sack of spuds

), laugh if she spooks and ignore it!

 

[Mabel98]

I only use the draw reins out hacking on my own as she gets her head so high that i have little or no control. I don't actually like them and wouldn't school in them. I will try a martingale as i wonder if the draw reins worry her more as she feels restricted

 

[Twizzel]

One of the horses I ride used to be similar, he wasn't great to hack out alone and would spin round and try to go home. I don't think he had much confidence in himself so didn't really enjoy it. I started off taking him for a very quick walk around the yard after a schooling session to cool him off- the first day I had to get off and lead him in order to get him to leave the yard, the 2nd day I rode him through the naps and by the 4th day he went without batting an eyelid. Then after about a week progressed to very short hacks alone. By the end of the summer we were going out for longish hacks, jumping a few logs out in the fields, and he really relaxed and started to enjoy himself, so don't give up and be very persistent.

If your mare is good, really let her know... I found that Freebs listened to my voice really well so I always praised him when he was going forwards and he had a growl when he misbehaved. If anybody had heard us whilst I was out hacking they would have thought I was a complete nutter, always chatting to him and myself but he seemed to know that if my voice was there he wasn't really hacking alone, and seemed to get confidence from it.

 

[eggs]

[ QUOTE ]
I only use the draw reins out hacking on my own as she gets her head so high that i have little or no control. I don't actually like them and wouldn't school in them. I will try a martingale as i wonder if the draw reins worry her more as she feels restricted

[/ QUOTE ]

My mare used to put her head up high when out hacking and I found a looseish standing martingale gave me more control than a running martingale.

Good luck with your hacking, I am sure it will come right in the end.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Personally I think it is best that a horse can hack alone as well.

It helps with their confidence and courage. As long as its not stupidly dangerous I would persist in taking her out, she will settle, try going on the same route over and over until she settles, then perhaps extend on that route and do others.

I am happy to hack alone, my girl can be nervous and a bit silly on occasion but on the whole she hacks happily on her own, always has done.

 

[JanetGeorge]

[ QUOTE ]

If your mare is good, really let her know... I found that Freebs listened to my voice really well so I always praised him when he was going forwards and he had a growl when he misbehaved. If anybody had heard us whilst I was out hacking they would have thought I was a complete nutter, always chatting to him and myself but he seemed to know that if my voice was there he wasn't really hacking alone, and seemed to get confidence from it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly! your horse ISN'T hacking alone - he's with YOU!

If I have a tense baby hacking out alone for the first few times, I sing -badly. (It's much harder for them to bolt if they have their front hooves over their ears!

The other benefit is it stops me subconsciously tensing up!

 

[ester]

if she is nappy or spooky I would just do it more. When the mare was young lacked confidence (still does) but needed to be hacked alone, started with 10 mins round the block and just increased it.

 

[aimeejay]

Start with short hacks then build up? Also it always helps me when Im hacking out alone with somebody on foot because I feel more confident and my old share horse could tell

, It will take time to get a good hack, and remember keep trying because it will be worth it in the long run! Lots of luck

x

 

[skewby]

[ QUOTE ]
If I have a tense baby hacking out alone for the first few times, I sing -badly. (It's much harder for them to bolt if they have their front hooves over their ears!

The other benefit is it stops me subconsciously tensing up!

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes I do this too. My horse is a fab lone hack but he's always very "alive", so to speak. I always have some tune going round in my head and I end up singing it. I start off the hack with a reedy whine then come back absolutely belting them out. Have been caught by dog walkers, walkers and people in gardens doing this too!