How important is regular hacking for the Physical and Mental Health of a Ridden Horse?

I think it's extremely important for ridden and especially stables horses to be able to hack. I also think hacking in public is getting less and less safe, impatient drivers, busier roads, out of control dogs, off road bikes, electric bikes etc etc.
I feel very strongly that if we choose to own animals we have a duty to them and at the very least that duty should mean we keep them safe from harm.
I also believe that we should be doing our best to enhance their lives as they enhance ours. So if we choose to ride we need to ensure that is both safe and beneficial (or at least not detrimental) to their health and well being. Hacking on a variety of terrains etc and in a variety of places is part of our obligation to them imo.
However I see a time in the not too distant future where I will no longer want to ride on the roads or in public areas at all. I don't yet know if that will mean an end to my custodianship of horses, a move to a yard with a farm ride, or simply an end to my time as custodian of riding horses
 
Fieldlife said:
Does that mean you dont hack? Or you can hack without needing to go on the road?
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I chose to keep my last horse, at great expense, in a livery yard with an off road ride of 5½ miles and if I ever have another it will be either there or somewhere else with off road hacking from the yard.
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It’s a tricky one. Hacking round where I am is a few quiet lanes, then moorland and forestry commission land. Sounds great but I no longer hack at weekends as we encounter so many mountain bikers and loose dogs with irresponsible owners. My horse is very good but I had a nasty accident a few years ago caused by a dog and I’ve not regained confidence around them since (as proved by a recent incident where a dog without owner in sight started growling and snapping at my horse’s legs. He was worried but only danced about. I burst into tears and my legs went to jelly..!)
Weekday mornings are better as you tend to get sensible dog owners / fewer mountain bikers who don’t think anything about coming down a trail towards you at speed…
A decade or so ago people would hack along the main road but they no longer do so.
 
i think there are roads.
Barlow said:
It’s a tricky one. Hacking round where I am is a few quiet lanes, then moorland and forestry commission land. Sounds great but I no longer hack at weekends as we encounter so many mountain bikers and loose dogs with irresponsible owners. My horse is very good but I had a nasty accident a few years ago caused by a dog and I’ve not regained confidence around them since (as proved by a recent incident where a dog without owner in sight started growling and snapping at my horse’s legs. He was worried but only danced about. I burst into tears and my legs went to jelly..!)
Weekday mornings are better as you tend to get sensible dog owners / fewer mountain bikers who don’t think anything about coming down a trail towards you at speed…
A decade or so ago people would hack along the main road but they no longer do so.
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Yes I ride in a popular area. Before 12pm dogs on leads and sensible behaviour by public enforced as racehorses exercise. After far fewer rules, and not enforced. On sunny weekend afternoons it’s too busy and too many uncontrolled dogs & kids to be much fun.
 
ycbm said:
I chose to keep my last horse, at great expense, in a livery yard with an off road ride of 5½ miles and if I ever have another it will be either there or somewhere else with off road hacking from the yard.
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My experience is there are roads and roads.

Where I am lots of racehorses, so cars pretty good, lots of proper horse crossings. A fair bit of enforcement too. The lane I use regularly is access only and I can avoid it and use a track but tend to use lane.

But I’ve stabled in areas where the minor lanes and bigger roads were just dangerous.
 
Cortez said:
No discipline is horse-like, and horses in the wild rarely travel outside their well defined range areas unless chased.
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Hacking gives my horse a range, in that range we travel (mostly walking) from place to place and browse for tasty snacks at convenient places. I'm interested to know why you think this is not a horse-like behaviour.
 
I've had some hair raising experiences road hacking when I was younger. Fortunately I never came a cropper or had horses injured, but it could easily have happened. I am like ycbm and for the last several years keep my horse on a big property with plenty of off road hacking available. My horse is retired so I only go out in hand now, but at least it's safe. I won't ever go back to road hacking in the future if I get another horse.
 
Near us most of the worst drivers for slowing down are horse boxes/trailers and people going to another livery yard. The home shopping delivery people are normally brilliant and I always pop a thank you on their social media.
 
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