How often do you Hack?

[delaneys]

I'm only hacking once a week at the moment as I hate miserable car drivers, dog walkers and cyclists oh and joggers! And I find hacking stressful when I meet with above people!

Just wondering how often you hack?

A normal week for mine would be

Monday-school
Tues-hack
Wednesday-school
Thursday-off
Friday-lunge
Sat-poles/jumping
Sunday- school or off

They get turned out from 3pm-8am in nice big grassy fields so are quite content! I hope!

 

[littleshetland]

Sounds good to me! Once or twice maybe a week for a hack about......

 

[3Beasties]

At the moment every time I ride unless competing. Not ideal as we don't have any off road riding so it's difficult to do any cantering.

 

[wattamus]

Both my horses are hacked out every time they're ridden, the one that's in full work goes in the school maybe once a month(?) and that's normally if we are jumping . I found the more I hacked out, the more people got to know me and my horses and seemed to slow down and be more polite. I even end up stopping and having random conversations with people, they all seem to know my name but I have no idea who they are (awkward!). Neither of mine are schooling horses which is a bit of a waste really as we have a 120x60m arena at our yard haha!

 

[Splashy pony]

I suppose you got to think what you have a horse for. I bought mine because I just wanted to hack but have discovered the joys of schooling so do less now! If the hacking isn't what you love, but just a type of schooling for your horse then no point in doing a great deal of it. Your horse your choice

 

[SaffronWelshDragon]

At the moment, once a week, usually sundays. Love hacking but also love schooling. Hopefully have a weekday eve hack when it's lighter.

 

[mudmonkey17]

My older boy mainly just hacks now so hacks about 5 days a week with the other days off. Go in school maybe once or twice a month.
With my mare probably around 2-3 times a weeks with rest in school either ridden, lunged or long reined x

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My two are happy hackers, so apart from the occasional pleasure ride and mebbe a bit of Le Trec, that's all we do

I ride with a friend on Saturday and usually Sunday, for about 2 hours; then midweek too. Also I try to get each horse out on their own at some point during the week, just to keep them thinking for themselves and so they don't get nappy. Sometimes they get an additional ride or two, depending on who can ride out with me and (am self employed so can do - more-or-less - what I like!).

 

[fattylumpkin]

We hack around 4-5 times a week it'd be less if we had access to a top notch school, but ours is a bit small in size and we've been banned from it all winter to keep from tearing it up until the underlay is replaced in April.

 

[Pigeon]

Pretty much every day. We're not allowed to lunge anymore which means it's hard to break up schooling, and it's hilly round here so great for fitness.

Weirdly I'm the opposite! I worry much more about fields (dodgy footing and those horrible metal bridleway gates) than I worry about roads!

 

[MrsNorris]

At the moment 3 times a week, we're trying to get ready for some low-level dressage, so are schooling and hacking on alternate days, with 1 day off. Spent the last 3 years just hacking though, so we've got some catching up to do on the schooling front!

 

[Hoof_Prints]

I hack around the fields daily to cool them off after schooling, I hack out on the roads/bridlepath around once a week or more often if I decide I am not in a schooling mood !

 

[NZJenny]

We do two days schooling, followed by one day hacking. But everything is up for negotiation depending on weather and mood.

 

[lhotse]

I hack every time I ride, which is about 4 times a week at the moment. I hate being in the menage and have been in one once since I bought my mare two years ago. I enjoy riding in the countryside, that is why I have a horse. My mare is still well schooled though, she moves off the leg, will do gates, back up when asked, stand stock still whilst I talk to people for 15 mins and will cope calmly with pretty much everything that comes our way.
Come summertime and the better weather, we go off exploring further afield. She is usually ridden 6 times a week in summer.
My last horse, who I had for 22 years also hacked pretty much exclusively, she lived for long rides.

 

[Shysmum]

We only hack, and get out most days - unless it's windy, as I detest riding in wind. We are VERY happy hackers !

 

[treacle_beastie]

I mainly hack now since my horse was diagnosed with spavins and couldnt cope with schooling but after a year of solid hacking she is now able to school and jump again so I do this maybe once/twice a week and hack between 1-4 hours the other 4/5 times!

 

[JustWilliam]

My highland and I hack four times a week, school or lunge once a week.

 

[skint1]

I'm a happy hacker and can avoid roads and housing estates so I tend to hack 4-5 times a week, our school is not great and I think its hard on her joints anyway so we really don't do much in there at all

 

[Caol Ila]

I usually do a short hack to cool her out after schooling. I'm in the school 4-5 days per week and hack out (hack only) 1 or 2 days per week. I hate riding on the freakin' roads. I hate riding on our freakin' trails due to dodging all the fly tips, burnt out cars, and wild children. I wouldn't hack at all, except spending every ride in the school is worse.

 

[Laafet]

Pretty much everyday, he has leg problems so I do most of my schooling out on rides and then compete at the weekend. It seems to be working for him. It gets a bit hairy this time of year hacking out as the 'n*bs on bikes' are all doing their road racing now and have zero respect for horse riders (at least the ones round here don't).

 

[MochaDun]

In the winter due to working I can only hack at weekends so dependent on the weather (only thing I won't ride in is very high winds, snow/ice, heavy frost) so have tried this winter to get out both days if I can - not always been possible. Looking forward to warmer temps and longer days when it will make an after work short hack possible. At my last yard I used to hack 4-5 times a week in the summer - at new yard roads/lanes aren't so kind so have to be a bit more careful about when I ride. And as he's getting older I also judge the amount I do by him too and how he feels.

 

[xgemmax]

At the moment probably once or twice a week I'm quite lucky that we have nice quiet private estate 'roads' to ride round and we rarely meet anything bigger than a car out hacking, and also have some lovely fields with hills and bridleways too. I've been put off doing roadwork after all the accidents involving horses recently unfortunately and as Jake isn't 100% in traffic (more things going on around the traffic! i.e kids in a playground, etc.) I'm so glad I don't have to put him in danger on proper roads

 

[Silmarillion]

Two to three times a week - but then I'm now a happy hacker with a horse that needs light work (it was deliberate that I ended up with something a bit broken!) I much prefer it to having a "fully functioning" horse (I say that in the loosest way possible, seeing as we did two impressive caprioles this morning!)
I am very lucky to have a large woods and lots of quiet roads and lots of bridleways accessible almost directly from my field. That helps!
If I had a horse to school, I'd probably hack three times a week. But I've always been more of a casual rider than a competitor, so I expect it depends on people's circumstances and their aims.

 

[apachediamond]

At the moment twice a week (weekends) hopefully this will increase once the clocks go forwards Our roads are pretty quiet and there are quite a few bridleways where we are stabled but with this comes dogs, cyclists and shooters :O

 

[starryeyed]

2/3 times a week at the moment, round the same circular route, in walk. Bored out of my mind but it's what the horse & vet demand!