Hacking out Youngsters - bit of advice please

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Theresa_F

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Chancer, now 3 is at the next stage of life - hacking. We did one very short hack with a teenager riding him out whilst I accompanied on Cairo two weeks ago. He was excellent and very confident, striding out in front.

On Saturday for the first time ever after 10 mins riding I rode him out of the school and down the little lane - he was very good, we went about 200 yards at a walk apart from one little jog on the way back.

Last night I did the same, but on the way back went straight past the yard and on down the lane. There were lots of rubbish bags out for collection and mental dog behind the fence and someone doing something on their car. He has seen all this before on long reins. Being a gypsy cob he is a sensible type for most of the time.

He did stop, snort and back up, looked worried, but eventually when asked, went past it all fairly steady. Coming back was a raised head and a little jog but no stopping.

My plan is to hack out alone from the start, yes I will probably have more stops and starts but he will depend on me rather than another horse. When I do start to encounter traffic, I will not go alone to start.

Having never had such a young horse before, I would be interested in others views. Should I continue on very short hacks solo, or take him out with Cairo where he would not have batted an eyelid at the dog and bags. I am also at the moment only allowing him to walk back to the yard and eventually trot away from the yard - again am I right in this idea?

I plan to do two very short - 5 - 10 min hacks twice a week building up very slowly over the next couple of months to longer hacks and box him to different locations.
 
one thing i would say is never ever turn round to go home - always go in a circuit, otherwise you could encounter problems with napping.

What you are doing i would do with regards to trotting away and walking back - otherwise you cna teach them to rush back to home.

I would personally hack him out with another horse for a couple of months at least just to get his confidence up - you dont want to scare him and end up creating a problem that wouldnt necesarily have come about if he had been with another horse.

Hes still only very young, so think hacking on his own is a bit too much too soon - but then thats my personal opinion, im sure others will take a different view.
 
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My plan is to hack out alone from the start

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Don't do it - you are absolutely asking for trouble. Every singe youngster on my place is hacked out for at least 3 months with a baby sitter - they get confidence from them and protected from traffic etc.

All of them without exception are bomb proof and hack out with or without company.

This is the first time that I have ever thought you absolutely on the wrong track .......
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Ditto Amy May.

Always with a nanny for the first couple of months, there is nothing to stop you from leading the way every now and again.
 
Thanks for being so honest. In Richard Maxwell's book he suggests going solo after the first couple of hacks, hence why I thought to try it. I am a total novice with babies, hence my asking for views. Will try to find someone to ride him or Cairo for me.

He has been led out off Cairo for over a year - does this count as going out with another horse or is being ridden very different?

Having had a very nappy mare that would only hack out in company, I really want to avoid this as I love riding alone. As said, first hack was no problem but I would hate to ruin his confidence if we meet lots of scarey things like we did last night.
 
I go against the grain.
Youngsters should be expected to behave right from the outset. As long as all the appropriate long reining has been done then hacking by yourself shouldnt be a problem.
Personally, never have company until the horse has been everywhere I will ever want to go, alone.
Generally takes days.
 
Agree with others, who've said go out initially with a more experienced horse to give the youngster confidence.
We have a girl on our yard who took her youngster out alone from the start (similar age to Chancer). At first he was very good & seemed to be doing well but as time progressed & he met the odd scary thing, he was unsure on how to cope or deal with it & became progressively more & more unreliable!
Now, when something scares him, he simply turns & runs for home! He is a pleasant & generally sensible little chap but it was simply all too much for him & I am certain that had he had another confident, reliable horse there to 'copy', he would be quite different now!
 
Thanks for this, I am only doing tiny hacks on paths he knows. He has been long reined and led off Cairo for over a year.

Was unfortunate that last night there were a combination of potentially scarey things met at once.

Would it be a good idea to do a bit of both - tiny familar hacks solo and longer unknown hacks with company?
 
"Would it be a good idea to do a bit of both - tiny familar hacks solo and longer unknown hacks with company?"

That's what I did with my mare. I also made sure that when I hacked in company she led for the majority of the ride.
 
With Georgie I hacked him in company but made him take the lead. Then I progressed to parting with said company and then meeting up again to finally hacking solo, but only on routes he knew and was comfortable with. Worked for him.
I think its a case of treat each horse as an individual with something like this. Some are happy to stride out on their own from the word go others are a little more nervous and need their confidence building up.
 
hi
i also have a 3yr old that i have broken from scratch and while i agree with everyone that says to take a friend with your horse i know from experience that this is not always possible.
i hacked a couple of times with my friends to start with but as i am on a small yard it wasnt always possible to hack out with someone so i started going on my own.
my horse has never been a problem either in company or alone and hacks in front or behind if we do have someone with us.
i dont see why you cannot alternate between the two ( alone / in company)
it hasnt done mine any harm at all!!
have fun
 
Mine go out with other older horses only for the first 2 or 3 rides and then they go it alone. Never had any problems with any of them - they are all confident and nicely forward-going horses.

I also agree with PG on the riding in a circuit - I never ride there and then turn around and ride back again along the same track.
 
Mine do a bit of both, but more with company than without. When in company they are expected to go on ahead sometimes, and hang back sometimes, but there's always another horse to help them if they become worried. I do like to do a bit alone so they don't depend on another horse, but it's always somewhere they are familliar with.
 
Every is is different and they do need a laid back temprement and rider to hack happily out and on the roads.

All my horses have been taught to hack out alone in all situations including Central London.

I always take them on a circular route first one way and then the other way. I start with short routes and go further and further afield. This gets them used to the sights, sounds and smells.

My horse and I always wear Hi-Viz so as to give motorists as much chance to see us. I have also taken the BHS Road Safety course and test which has given me usefull tools to control traffic when neaded.
 
Thanks Tia, I have to confess for the first two hacks we did turn round, but we only went a tiny way and no circular route. The next stage is to go up to the pub and round - hardly any further than the lane but more things to see.

Has been very interesting to read the different views, and somewhat confusing
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Think I will do a couple more hacks with Mr C - TheresaW has offered to ride him and then do familiar paths with Stinky on his own and play it back ear.

I did come back with an ear to ear grin - on the whole he is a very good boy, and I was so proud of how he did go past all the scarey stuff without any major panic and he did go forward when asked which for me was the huge result.
 
depends on the horse tbh. mine has mainly been hacked alone from the outset. In the beginning I did try and maximise success by going out early weekend mornings. I also knew he was fine with traffic/farm machinery/dogs etc. he is pretty bold though. others need more babysitting. not much help
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the most important thing is to do what you feel comfortable with-then he will be comfortable too.
 
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