hacking to a meet....

[DragonSlayer]

I intend to get out next season a few times and sis is going to take husbands horse, who isn't the best loader therefore has to travel alone in the trailer, annoying when two of you want to go out! Anyways, the local hunt has a meet that would be about 7 miles away across country......anyone think id be asking too much for this and a couple of ours with the hunt?

Horses will be fit as we ride ALOT in the summer and will of course work hard to maintain hunting fitness over the season....

Advice welcome!

 

[dalesslave]

i could only go hunting if i hacked to meet just allowed extra time so i could pootle my way there steadily also was handy in that billy had plenty of time to calm down and cool down before we got home just remember to leave plenty of daylight time to get back off roads (I used to hide a cheap hi viz vest in hedge at a point where i knew i would have to pass just in case.) The majority of meets i got to where between 2 and 6 miles away and as long as i kept it in mind that he had a long walk home he seemed to cope not to badly and he wasnt as fit as i would have liked either.

 

[DragonSlayer]

Good idea with hiding the hi-viz, I thought we would have fat pockets!

 

[Maesfen]

Years ago it was common to hack (or have the groom hack!) upto 15 miles to the meet, hunt all day and hack back even in the dark; horses were far fitter then of course, there were no horse walkers (except human) or motors to take them everywhere. Now with traffic so much heavier that isn't always feasible but as long as your horse is fit enough to do the work I can't see a problem with it; just leave yourself plenty of time to get home in the light. As to hi viz, what about getting just those strips that you can wrap around your hat, legs, boots etc., they'd take up less room and you could keep them with you?

 

[Hunters]

Absolutely fine to hack to a meet. We used to have quite a 'bright' horse here & it was regularly hacked in trot to a meet.

The only difference was, it would come home in the lorry. This was safer as the daylight was fading.

Could the trailer do two trips back I w

 

[Hunters]

I wonder??

 

[Countryman]

Should be ok, but the local hunt will almost certainly have a closer meet than one 7 miles away. Might be worth ringing up the secretary to see if they meet any nearer.

 

[JenHunt]

We have in the past hacked 8 ish miles to a meet, over moor tops too so not easy going.

Just allow plenty of time. Put your hi vis under your jacket so your pockets aren't fat, and allow enough time to get back in as much light as possible and before you're horses are too tired.

 

[turkana]

I hack to meets & put my hi viz in a bum bag which I attach to the breast plate.

I bought some arm bands from Lidl with have led lights on them which I put on my arms & legs for hacking in the dark (for finanical reasons I only go autumn hunting which means setting off at 6am sometimes)

I take it steady on the way there but find that a very exited horse makes the return journey & lot quicker!

 

[Kat]

If it is 7 miles, couldn't the horsebox do two trips? Take one and come back for the other, then the same on the way home.

 

[tootsietoo]

I hack 4-5 miles without thinking too much about it if I am pretty sure we'll be coming back in the direction of home. So 7 wouldn't be too much of a problem I wouldn't have thought. I agree with leaving plenty of time so you don't have to arrive sweaty.

 

[NikkiF]

I used to regularly hack to local meets, but as we approached my mare would scream her head off to make sure everybody knew we coming