Hacking to shows/dressage.............do you/would you?!

cob&onion

cob&onion

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There is some dressage that am doing which is just up the road, less than 4 mins in a car but around 50 mins to hack. My cob is fairly fit and its expected to be cool on the day :)

Am doing a w&t test and a prelim 7.

I have no transport which is a bummer. This dressage only happens once a year.

Would you/do you hack to comps?
 
I do it all the time- I don't have transport and can't afford to hire every time I want to go out. I go to one venue that's a 45 minute ride and another that's more like an hour. Both for dressage and show jumping. I once hacked to an ODE too :D I'm toying with the idea of hacking to another venue which is around 1 hour 15 minutes away...I wouldn't hesitate but there's a section on quite a busy road I don't fancy.
 
helenalbert said:
I do it all the time- I don't have transport and can't afford to hire every time I want to go out. I go to one venue that's a 45 minute ride and another that's more like an hour. Both for dressage and show jumping. I once hacked to an ODE too :D I'm toying with the idea of hacking to another venue which is around 1 hour 15 minutes away...I wouldn't hesitate but there's a section on quite a busy road I don't fancy.
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Good to see that others do it too :)
We used to do it as kids to a local show which was 40 mins away. Never thought twice about it :)
This route is fairly easy, country lanes and then a 2 mile bridleway
 
I used to all the time before I had a lorry, up to and hour or so. Intrigued as to how it can be so long as a hack but so short by car, but guessing you want to avoid some busy roads. You can use your hack as a warm up. If you can it would be good to get someone to take your jacket etc by car and meet you there, but saying that, I used to manage quite well by myself with a small rucksack. :)
 
nikicb said:
I used to all the time before I had a lorry, up to and hour or so. Intrigued as to how it can be so long as a hack but so short by car, but guessing you want to avoid some busy roads. You can use your hack as a warm up. If you can it would be good to get someone to take your jacket etc by car and meet you there, but saying that, I used to manage quite well by myself with a small rucksack. :)
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Yep, this is according to google maps :) most of it is off road, i could go the way you go by car but its along a busy road and the difference is 2 mins apparently! the other way is the scenic route :D
Getting someone to meet me there seems a good idea too

Planning on wearing my full attire there and taking my saddle bag with a drink in for me and my phone etc....
Theres water on site for the cob :)
 
cob&onion said:
Yep, this is according to google maps :) most of it is off road, i could go the way you go by car but its along a busy road and the difference is 2 mins apparently! the other way is the scenic route :D
Getting someone to meet me there seems a good idea too

Planning on wearing my full attire there and taking my saddle bag with a drink in for me and my phone etc....
Theres water on site for the cob :)
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The scenic route is much better I'm sure! You'll be fine. Is this the place to admit that back in the days when I was a teenager, I used to hack my somewhat nutty mare 7-8 miles, compete, and hack back with no adult in sight nor a mobile phone. I did have 2p for the phone box though! :o She lived to 35 so I can't have done much damage. ;)
 
I hack the 4 mile round trip to the next nearest yard that does shows, and have done an 8 mile round trip + 4 rounds of small sticks with no issues. I have no choice as I don't have transport. The further one of the two I am not overly keen on as includes a stretch of national speed limit road that is notorious on it's own, let alone putting horses in the mix but thankfully Nugz has been okay so far!

We have to hack 3 miles to get to the nearest public bridleway :(
 
I used to do this when I was a pony-mad kid; nearest gymkhana was 8 miles away, and I did once go 15 miles to the county show (that was a 30 mile round trip with a full day of classes in the middle), pony was a fresh as a daisy on the way home, and we went out again the next morning.
 
I always hack use it as part of my warm up and cool down. Ive been known to hack an hour and half to a hunter trail go round twice and then hack back! If your horse and you are fit enoughthen go for it. If have a friend is going then get them to take some stuff over you ! or as the show if there is somewhere u can drop a bag off earlier in the day?
The only issue can be with showing the the horse clean enough when you get there. I show a coloured cob with white legs so have to be carefully where we step on the way to a show!
Hope this helps!!
 
Did this recently. Hacked to local show about 45 mins away as couldn't get transport. Just leave enough time for your horse to have a rest before and after the class and take it easy. If it was very hot I may not unless the ride over was shaded.
 
Did it all the time as a kid.

Would do it nowadays even though we have a trailer with my mare to take the edge off her for dressage/showing!
 
Yes, used to all the time and still would for anything close enough, only we go quite a bit further afield now so not really doable anymore.
 
Yes, I hack to shows - dressage, show jumping and showing. My horse doesn't box so don't have a choice if I want to go anywhere. Longest is approx 1 hour hack away with 2 or 3 jumping classes and then hack back. There is always water for the horses and the furthest distance place has plenty of grass for her to eat in between. I take a small rucksack with drinks and a bit of food for me, a hoofpick and brush for my horse, and a couple of other bits and pieces I might need.
 
Did exactly this the other day. 50 min hack with wt and prelim. Worked fine. Did it last year too. Is the only show within hacking distance and we don't have transport. Luckily for me my mum loves playing groom (I am a grown up honest! ) so she came to the yard first and took my jacket and some hay and water and I met her at the show. Go for it!
 
Did it for an evening competition yesterday - 4 mile hack there and back with two prelim tests in between. Just remember to give yourself plenty of time - both to give to horse a bit of a rest on arrival and to stop you stressing that you aren't going to get there on time!

Good luck.
 
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