How do you hack?

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 :D
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 😊
 
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.
 
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 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
 
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.
 
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