How do you hack?

[smja]

Depends on what kind of hack we're going on! If he's worked hard the day before/been at an ODE, we have a leg stretching hack - on the buckle, but still walking with purpose.

If we go on a longer hack with company, I mix up on the buckle with working into a proper contact/frame, little bits of lateral etc.

If there's really good gossip to share, he takes himself for a hack and does what he likes while I sit on top and chat

 

[amandaco2]

Mine go on the bit or round n down. We school.a bit on hacks doing lateral, transitions etc.add in hill work. Normally for 45min to 2hrs.
Transitions on the hills is fab. I will do short schooling sessions too.
I've no arena either, competing BD.

 

[Charmin]

All my hacking is roadwork and done mostly on the buckle end, but she's got to be marching along and taking me forward. I like her to have a look around and have something other than her field/the school as she's got a very busy mind. Also it's mostly walking and I can feel like I'm nagging at her if I insist on a 'correct' frame. Just got to stop, go, and be bombproof in traffic! If we do trot then she goes in a nice low frame at a gentle trot.

If I had access to off road hacking then perhaps I'd do more schooling. I currently school in the fields and the school and have hacking more as fittening/muscle building.

 

[Whoopit]

Like I'm outta control!!

I see hacking very much as leisure time and a chance to relax and enjoy ourselves.

However.

If he's being a turd (frequent, we stable out on the moors and he gets wind in his ears & overexcited), he's required to work properly like we would in the school until he's thought about his actions and behaves himself 😊

 

[twiggy2]

at the moment I am hacking like a teenager-fast and furious, I love this time of year, the ground is good and forgiving on the farm so it is a good time for fast work, come the summer we do more road work and steady up a it.
I always expect forward because my mare can be backwards thinking, and I always expect her to soften when asked. If she is being looky then she has to work rounded up and on the bit but usually we do a it of everything from long and low, on the bit and up and some giraffe impressions too.

 

[Honey08]

I don't have a school, so do some of my schooling on hacks, and I like my horses walking confidently forward, however I do have a long rein most of the time, easy to do as we are on moorland tracks or deadly quiet back lanes. I hacked out with a friend today who was fiddling and messing with her horse within five minutes of getting on, trying to get it to work in an outline. I don't like that. Overall my horse worked much better than hers by being allowed to relax and go naturally into a contact/outline.

 

[Antw23uk]

I don't have a school, so do some of my schooling on hacks, and I like my horses walking confidently forward, however I do have a long rein most of the time, easy to do as we are on moorland tracks or deadly quiet back lanes. I hacked out with a friend today who was fiddling and messing with her horse within five minutes of getting on, trying to get it to work in an outline. I don't like that. Overall my horse worked much better than hers by being allowed to relax and go naturally into a contact/outline.

I with you on this one. For gods sake let them at least warm up and have a stretch before you force them to tuck their noses in so you can pretend and think that's on the bit, lol

 

[PerfectCoffee]

Generally they work on a contact but with intervals on a long rein when off roads. But sometimes if they have been working hard in previous days we will do a relaxation hack instead.