Happy hacker but would like to do more, whats your story

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Daisy2

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As post says really. Not because I am competive but because I would like to learn how to school, learn how to teach horsey dressage moves, what it feels like to jump and really control the horse. I hack for miles and hours but all in relative straight lines and not particularly stretching or challenging. I thought to take some lessons on a school master for all those diciplines and try them out on my neddies in the field. I think that will be my 2010 winter learning curve and teach them in the spring maybe. Does anyone else feel the same way or have a similar story.
 
No I am happy just to ride my horses out on hacks, however I do know that there are things you can do out on hacks that will improve your riding. Schooling can be done out on your hacks, I am sure some other posters will be able to give you lots of tips and ideas.
 
When my boy is in work we hack 4 or 5 days a week, I much prefer it to schooling!! Lots of transitions, lateral work ie. leg yielding, shoulder in, half-pass etc. as we hack on back lanes, and beautiful scenery too!
By far the best part of riding but doesn't just have to be in straight lines if u don't want to!
Having some lessons on a school master to get the basics is a really good idea!
Then do you have anyone who can hack out with you and help teach you to teach your horse whilst hacking? just a thought...
 
Hi, I was prevoisly just a happy hacker but over the last few years I've started schooling and jumping a lot more (: I started of by doing quite a bit of no stirrups work,in the field, to correct my seat and my horse seemed to work well in an outline when I was doing no stirrups so that was a nice suprise!! I recommend you do some, as over the years of hacking your seat tends to suffer!!
 
I have five ponies, well only one is mine the others are my daughters now. I have spent the past few years watching them showing, going on pleasure rides, SJ, dressage and mounted games. Hubby realised that I had given my mare to his daughter and was following them everywhere on foot when they went on hacks (sometimes whole days), and he thought it was time he bought me a pony. Trouble is I loved a 14.3hh mare who belonged to my friend, in the end he gave into my friend and bought the supposedly 26 year old mare for me to hack out on.

Well turns out that she is 37 now (not my friends fault) and it sort of didn't really matter as all I did was hack a couple of times a week with the girls and schooling in my paddock a couple of times a week. Last spring my kids convinced me to hack my mare with them to the shows and my youngest decided she wanted to take her in the veteran classes, no problem.......trouble is, as the season went I realised I wanted to do more with the old gal before she wouldn't/couldn't do it anymore.

Last winter I got a job in a stud/livery yard and used my wages to buy loads of show stuff for myself and my girl and to get her the best feed etc available. We only managed two shows last summer due to my pregnancies and miscarriages but it was worth every penny. I wanted to do a pleasure ride but I decided that it was perhaps too much for her so stuck to showing. We were planning to retire her this year but she isn't interested lol..So I have decided to do some walk trot dressage tests next season as well with her, now I need a new black show jacket (last one was a brown tweed!) and I have my work cut out to get her in to a snaffle over the winter, even if its just for the shows.

So I am a happy hacker with a purpose lol
 
Yup :) have had my boy for 7 years, and a happy hacker for 6 and a half of them lol. Started doing some "proper" flatwork with him at the start of this year - it was a shock to the system for both of us after years of ambling around aimlessly! He's not been in consistent schooling over the summer because he kept losing shoes so we mostly hacked, but we did some of the yard jumping nights (jumping was much better thanks to the couple of months of flatwork), and I'm planning to do a lot over the winter and maybe do some little dressage tests next year. We'll still hack a couple of times a week though. Good luck!
 
I thought I was a good rider up until about 9 months ago! I was a happy hacker but, after buying a very intelligent horse I have had lessons to improve my riding/schooling abilities.
Riding 'properly' has made hacking more enjoyable too. You can try out moves while your cantering up that field...or try some yielding on a very quiet road
 
Hmmm, I'm just a happy hacker too, but had thought of maybe giving TREC at go? I don't have any transport at the mo, but did go along to a TREC taster day at a local equestrian centre (didn't take horse) and it looked like a possibility, so something to consider for the future maybe?

I've a friend who does Endurance; and that's another thing that might be worth a go? We've done a few Fun Rides locally and maybe a small endurance trial ride might be the next step, we'll see.

Just thoughts ....
 
Some great ideas and stories thx. I have just read an advert in the local post office for horse agility day which is in hacking distance from me:D, will def go. I have also booked some lessons at a local riding school to learn some schooling techiques and wiped the dust of my Clinton Anderson DVD's to brush up on some ground work. I can tell you what really inspired me was going to a local horse trials and seeing all the different challenges horse and rider were doing... I am def not into that type of comp but admire their trust and bravery, my non horsey OK really enjoyed it too.
 
I'm a happy hacker and its suited as I've not long returned to riding after a confidence crisis.
I do school a couple of times per week, but both myself and my horse find it a bit boring and hard work! :D
But I would love to do more, I'd love to jump and my boy likes jumping, nothing major as he's a gypsey cob, but I dont see why we can't learn to jump a course, albeit a smallish one.
My friends cob is really good at jumping and she has so much fun on him, its certainly made me realise its possible.
I've also a welsh section D filly for the future and I plan to do a lot more on her, my gypsey cob was bought to build my confidence really, and from what I've read about Welsh Section D's, I'd better hold onto him as may need him for the same reason again lol x
 
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