How many people on here don't hack...?

I'm lucky that I live in a rural area, you still get the odd idiot driving liking a loon, but on the whole it's safe. My horse can be spooky out hacking, but I see it as a challenge! WE WILL GO FORWARD;) Also, the part of me that's quite tenacious (and possibly naive:o) refuses to accept that a horse will not hack out on its own!
 
swampdonkey said:
I will be interested to see what others say about this. I make myself hack, my boy is absolutely fine out hacking and in the summer we can use the yards fields and go for a good 40 mins without turning back on yourself and I enjoy this, but in winter its just a fairly busy village and I hate it. I know my boy is good but you just cannot predict the traffic and he might just spook at the wrong time into a car.
Make myself do it occasionallly and am always just glad to get back, although I feel it is a risk I would rather not take but everyone always tells me my horse will go sour if just schooled.
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This has hit the nail on the head for me to - I make myself hack for his bennefit and am always glad when I get back and that I survived it ...lol...!! :eek:

Trouble is its not just me who feels like this when they hack him...lol..
 
I wouldn't ride if I couldn't hack:) My mare is bit spooky in traffic but if we meet anything big then I jump off her and squeeze her into the hedge and she is fine! We have mainly quiet lanes and a few bridleways as a hack isn't complete without a blast:) My daughter's mare had never hacked when we got her and would nap, rear and spin! She now after 2 years of hacks behind my mare, then taking the lead will hack out on her her reasonably happily! I was lucky as I grew up in the New Forest so only 2 mins road work until unlimited off road! I believe that a mixture of hacking, flatwork and jumping is best for most horse!
 
What if you had a horse who didn't enjoy jumping? would you still expect it or force it to jump? Or a horse that didn't like hunting? Or dressage?

why should ALL horses enjoy hacking? some just honestly don't.

Hacking is ONE aspect of the sport. I don't jump- i don't enjoy it. So why is hacking so much different?
 
I used to hack out when I kept my pony 8 miles from Bham town centre, in the suburbs. Stopped for a while after being hit by a van and losing my nerve. Looking back I must have been mad as main 'country lanes' lead onto the access slip road at junction 7 of. M6! Traffic was horrendous, towards the end I had to hack at weekends only and ensure I was back on the yard by 7 in the morning to miss the traffic. I have now moved up north and am 5 mins stroll up a very quite country lane to the pennine bridle way. Its fab but it amazes me that so few people use the amazing bridle path network here. Its great for muscle development as tonns of hill work, plus oppportunities to do lateral movements across tracks, xcountry training with fords and banks etc. I used to do endurance so don't do disorganised hacks. I like to work out routes, mileage, time taken on ride ect as a way of measuring fitness which can be very satisfying. Pony is semi retired now so am a happy hacker. Would never dis some one for not hacking though as horse, traffic where horse kept etc should be consided,plus why hack if you don't like it as this is meant to be a fun hobby!
 
bushbaby28 said:
What if you had a horse who didn't enjoy jumping? would you still expect it or force it to jump? Or a horse that didn't like hunting? Or dressage?

why should ALL horses enjoy hacking? some just honestly don't.

Hacking is ONE aspect of the sport. I don't jump- i don't enjoy it. So why is hacking so much different?
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Very true - Good point Bushbaby28..!! I see horses for sale all the time as owner wants to do dressage and horse doesn't, or owner wants to jump and horse doesn't .....never really thought about hacking...? I suppose as it doesn't required any real talent to hack out and all can do it, we just expect all horses to hack and enjoy it and if they are napping they are trying it on and naughty...
 
I love to hack but I must admit as time is going on it is becoming less and less safe to do so. I used to keep my horse in a big livery yard in a very rural area - so that was nice, people were expecting horses. But too few people do expect horses nowerdays.

I will hack my mare out regularly once we move (roll on) in safe company. But I don't think I'd bother alone. Safety in numbers and all that.
 
I have only ever been a happy hacker, present horse will not go out alone without a fight so dont ride much anymore. He also spooks for England in the schooling field so dont ride there either !
 
I suppose as it doesn't required any real talent to hack out and all can do it,
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ahem .... I do so hope that was tongue in cheek :rolleyes: ;)

there is a definate talent in training a horse to hack out safely ;) ....(different maybe if you aquire a ready made "bombproof" horse and one just is a passenger) ..... but I certainly know a few people who cannot cope with all of the challenges of hacking whether that be the varied terrain / obstacles / their horses reactions..... so not all can do it ;)

suppose it also depends on definition of hacking...... after all trec is based on all the skills one needs to do serious hacking ;) .... try telling those folk they have no "real talent" :eek:
 
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