How much do you expect of your horse when hacking alone?

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Ziggy_

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Excuse the badly-worded title, I am just curious.

Having spent years at a riding school, then kept my first horse at a yard that went straight out onto a dual carriageway, I don't really 'do' hacking alone. Since I've moved I've pottered up the lane a few times; horse was perfect but I just don't feel very comfortable being out on my own
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So, I was just wondering, those who hack alone regularly, how far do you go? Do you stick to familiar routes or do you explore new places by yourself too? Does your horse ever seem to get stressed the further away from the yard you get? Did you have to build up the time you went out for gradually?
 
I live on Dartmoor and my pony and I often go out alone, we do a mixture of familiar routes and explore new ones. At the height of our fitness, we can be out for about 4 hours, and by the way, I'm a granny!!!!!

I do however always carry a mobile phone and tell someone roughly where I'm going, and even on the moor where we can't get a signal, I can always use the emergancy 112 number.
 
I don't hack alone on my current horse but with my last horse (who was was my first horse) i did. I used to go miles on my own at all paces and with odd jump and he wasn't exactly the greatest horse to hack out (reared up in front of oncoming traffic with me.) He never minded how far we went or where we went. I used to hack over motorway bridges, along main rodes, over rail bridges, in open fields (you get the idea.) There definatly is a nice feeling of freedom when you're out on your own and i miss it a lot!
You just have to be brave and go for it but you know your horse and if you don't feel safe or comfortable then don't push yourself to much to begin with.
 
I only ever hack, and normally on my own, and I go off for miles sometimes. The longest hack I've done and then worked out how far it was was 27 miles - all on my own - and it took me seven hours (with a picnic stop, of course!) But I'm lucky, as Ellie adores hacking as much as I do, so the further we go, the more she seems to love it!
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I go anywhere with mine, I never made an issue of us being somewhere new and just got on with it and never bothered the horse. Every horse I have had has been fine going anywhere.

Maybe you dont feel comfortable being on your own as you were on a riding school and used to going out with others?
You will get used to going on your own, but maybe if you unsure about going further get someone to come with you to give you a bit of confidence.
 
My horse prefers to go exploring, he likes it when we turn off onto a different path. He is superb to hack out alone or in company.
We go off for hours at a time - and we love it!
 
The ability to happily hack alone is one that eludes me and one that I desperately want to have! I ride someone else's horse, and no matter what I do, I cannot shake the fear of something awful happening which results in me losing the horse and him getting onto a road. He had not been hacked out at all for quite a few years when I started riding him, and so naturally was a little worried about it when I first started taking him out. At that point I did not have the required confidence to be brave for both of us, and his relatively low level spooking/napping managed to scare me, and resulted in a horrible incident where he took off in fright when he heard a motorbike revving, and I fell off. I managed to hold onto him, but the fear of something like that happening again has prevented me from hacking him out alone ever since. I know it is mind over matter, as had I reacted correctly I know I could have pulled him up after he spooked, but I didn't. A hard lesson to learn!

I would build up gradually, until you feel more confident, and try to go on a circular route if at all possible, I was having to stop and do an about turn, which is never good!
 
I have always hacked out alone, no choice really if no-one else about. We mainly do familiar routes but sometimes go further, depending on how we feel! My boy can be quite spooky, and we have to avoid roads, but i think if you can deal with your horse when out alone, it boosts your confidence, both you and your horse, and builds up trust between you. I enjoy hacking with others, but love time alone with my boy, just me and him. Is a very good way of getting to know your horse. The more you do, the better you will feel. Start on small routes, do more the more confident you feel! Good luck!
 
I almost always hack alone, and will go anywhere with my horse. But she is a very confident horse, always has been and is virtually traffic proof (tractors, HGVs, motorbikes etc). I don't go on main roads if I can help it though as you are at the mercy of some idiot drivers. But I love exploring new routes and my mare seems to enjoy finding new places to go - she gets quite excited.

Can you get someone else to do a few rides with you several times, so you get familiar with them, before braving it alone? Maybe if you really know the route well, it won't make you anxious to be on your own. And take your mobile with you, just in case you get worried.
 
My mare and I happily hack out with others or on our own. She enjoys exploring and I thnk she would suit a pith helmet
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If no-one at home tend to go on very locallish routes as no-one would know we hadn't come back, otherwise, give a rough direction and time and always carry a mobile.
 
With my horses (or at least before I got injured
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) I hack them virtually every single time I ride, as I generally hack to my school/some competitions too.

With all horses I've owned I would expect them to hack out alone, 100% without a backwards glance. That's not to say I haven't had some nappy ones, but with work we've over come it. As far as I'm concerned a horse must be good in traffic, bridleways, open spaces in company or alone. My two girls live together 24/7, just the two of them, yet the last time we rode them my mother and I walked them out the gateway and off in different directions.

I go miles and miles on and off road, including some rather desolate fens
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I, fact I would say there is nowhere in the world I feel more content that out on one of my girls in the middle of nowhere for hours on end
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and yes, I regularly go exploring!
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I will happily hack alone or with someone, had the same mare since i was 11 so i am used to her
When we have moved or i have had a break from riding her, i have had to build up the hacking again
I started off with a similar route to build up both our confidence, i would do anywhere i pleased now, my girl can be a prat, but she is not one to take off, she gets a firm tap on the shoulder for discipline when she acts the idiot

She is more alert on her own, i do truly believe in slowly building yours and your horses confidence with hacking alone.
They will always get their days where they 'test' you, and often they just do as you ask
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, as I expected it is more me than the horse
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She is fab in company and prefers to be in front so hopefully should be fine. YO is moving premises soon - next few months - and the new yard has FAB hacking so hopefully we will be able to pluck up the courage to enjoy it alone!!
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Me and my girl go off hacking quite regular alone on my days off work - i'll take her absolutely anywhere and very rarely does she refuse to go, I always make sure i've got my mobile with me and never go off mad galloping etc.
 
I have to hack alone as no one to hack with!! When I got my horse (as a 4 year old) a friend walked on foot when I took her out on a hack for the first couple of rides. I am certain that hacking out on our own from the beginning has strengthened our partnership and her trust in me. I usually hack 3 x a week for about 1 hour a time to give her a break from schooling. My friend however has a horse who is a nervous wreck and is dangerous to hack out in company let alone on his own, if he sees anything he doesn't like he will just turn and bolt for home (whether he is with others or not). He isn't hacked out on roads at all and just goes round the farm now and he can only cope with 20 min hack before he panics and wants to get back to the safety of his yard (oddly he is fine when competing).
 
I was very chicken when I first started hacking the spooky pony out alone---not used to hacking, and he's my first pony---but had no choice if we wanted to get anywhere. He was nervous at the beginning too, probably because he'd been in a field for a year. But now we're gradually going exploring, find little logs to hop over, practise our canter transitions, and even a gallop or two. I've learned that I can sit out his spooks and take-offs, and that it won't kill me if he jig-jogs excitedly for a few minutes after a big WB bombs past us or a dog chases us.

And he's learned that boulders are not ponyvorous, and that joggers and X-country skiers don't indicate a panic attack (not sure about bicycles yet, though)
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).
 
My mare can be rather spooky, and if she is unfamilier with the route and unsure whether its safe she digs her feet into the ground and wont move, if you squeeze her or nudge her to walk on too much (even if its not a hard nudge) she normally bucks out, to tell me that shes not sure, if i get off her and walk her though shes perfectly fine. Shes alot better in company, as she looks for guidance and trust if shes not familier with a route; ie. someone walking beside or infront of her or another horse to rely on.
After shes familier with the route and i know shes not going to be mis-behaving to much, i don't mind riding her out by myself.
However if she was a bomb proof horse i would be happy to hack her out alone without getting her use to the route, as i use to hack out alone riding others horses.
 
I hack on my own a lot, I can be out for hours, venture regular routes and sometimes take myself off on a wee adventure to find more routes. As long as I have my phone and have told someone in what rough direction I am going I'm quite happy. My new horse is just a baby tho so he is getting used to this wild rambling! lol!
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I don't mind it..but i prefer going out with someone else. That isn't possible really atm so i'm quite enjoying building up mistys trust in me
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When i first had her i wouldn't have dreamed i would ever have been able to hack out on my own with her, she was so nappy. Now she's very very forward, and she has her ears forward yay:D,I dont mind because it means at least we're GOING forward rather than stuck in middle of the road having an argument :P She's much more lively on her own though.

I hate it when i meet someone/people out for a hack at the same time though, thats usually our only big problem.:]
 
If im going out on my own, then i tend to do shorter hacks, will go for miles in company, get bored otherwise! Horse is fine on his own or with others.
 
I live in a rural area, not stuck out in the middle of nowhere but not a buzzing metropolis either. I don't ever need to ride on roads if I don't want to. I have literally miles and miles of offroad riding with direct access from my farm. However ... I do always take my horses on a very busy A road once in a while just to keep them up to being used to everything they will be likely to come across in their new lives when they leave me.

All of my horses, youngsters included, are expected to go anywhere I ask and with no fussing and no bad manners. I don't expect them to fuff around and I don't expect them to ever not do something I ask of them. I expect them by at the very least, 4 years old, to be cutting new trails through dense forest, I expect them to walk quietly down the busy main road, I expect them to go on any trail I take them, I expect them not to jump out of their skins at deer, coyotes, birds etc. I expect them not flinch if I ask them to walk through open land with cattle roaming around free in it, I expect them to go through rivers, into lakes, across bridges (even the tiny wooden ones that move) and I expect them never ever to balk at anything, to nap or to rear.

ALL of my horses (even the little 3 year olds) will do everything which I have mentioned above - and I really wouldn't expect anything less from such good girls and boys. For anyone who does not believe me, feel free to come and visit my farm and I can put you on absolutely any one of my horses and they will do as I have said above.
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Lol! I generally sell them by the time they are 5. Mind you I do have some that are a little older. I guess it is just what they are used to - over here we tend to back at 2 years old and the backing consists of taking them out on the trails, so by the time they are ready to be sold at between 4 and 6, they have seen almost everything they possibly could in their new homes. They don't know any different.
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I'm sure I read somewhere that the "emergency 112" number is a myth. If you haven't got a signal you can't send a message, full stop?
 
Yeah, i imagine getting them used to things like that as babies is much easier than trying to make them understand when they're a bit older.

Mist was so good when i first had her, even though i could only hack in company. She never looked at anything. Ever. But she went along with her head on the floor everywhere and looked so depressed
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Now she realises life is fun, she spooks at EVERYTHING as she's power walking along with her head in the air. Its like she's reverted back to CHILD BEHAVIOUR! :P
 
I expect my horse to be as well behaved as if we were in company. I love going for 3-4 hour hacks, including road-work, trotting, cantering etc.

Also like exploring new places. My horse seems to be better behaved in places we don't go to very often, not sure why.
 
Oh yes I find hacking out is something that they all love so that's why I do the majority of my schooling out on hacks. I can teach them so much more out on the trails than they would ever learn in an arena. The other thing with me is that the majority of my horses will be sold, only about 6 or 7 horses will not leave my ownership, so when I bring them on, they really do need to be totally unflappable for their new owners. I have Quarter Horses which are pretty cool horses (in my opinion) as they are so sensible and if they trust you, they'll trust you to the ends of the earth.
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About half the time I have to exercise my horse and hack alone. I don't like going alone, but once I'm out I'm fine. He's usually well behaved (apart from today) and excellent in traffic. I try to school on hacks, but there are quite a few rides I would NEVER do on my own. These are on the racehorse gallops (in case they're training) and on the main A road, although I have to cross it. I think it's something you get used to, and often the worst part is gaining the confidence to just get out there. I take my dog for company and my horse seems to like it!

Sue
 
Gawd i wish the people i'd bought the mad un's that i've owned had that philosophy :P

That's really good though i respect you for that.

Im hacking my cousins sec A out atm, he's not long turned four and not really seen the world to be fair. He's so cute. He absolutely loves hacking, whether on his own or with others. He goes along like a little trojan. He'll have a look at something then off he goes again, not worried whether the horse he was with is stil with him or not.

To be fair i think that a horse has to be safe on the roads and out hacking, and i think that should always come before anything else.

I think if i bought another horse, i'd buy a baby and do everything with it myself. At least then i'd know exactly what he's like, and what he's actually done, rather than some half made up blabber.

Either that or buy one off you?? :P:P
 
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