Chumsmum
Well-Known Member
Hi. Sorry long..
I need some help working out the best way to help my horse Toby to be better out hacking, especially alone. He is 8yo, I've had him 18mths, a lovely willing horse who is generally fab to school, jump and XC (he has been great starting off my competition dreams) and all of my instructors love him because he is honest and has taught me so much, I won Most Improved Rider at my RC this year and it's all down to him
But he is a bit of a stress-head, spooky sort - the total opposite of my first horse - and this comes to the fore out hacking. I hacked him more at my old yard but for various reasons have barely hacked him at my current yard, we have been there 10 months now.
He worries the whole time, very suspicious of things behind him and can either shoot off forwards in a panic or put the brakes on sharply. If something really upsets him, head goes up somewhere by my nose and he literally feels about to burst, not a very nice feeling.. It seems an age before he calms down. He bucks occasionly but not big, never reared but a couple of times he has cantered on the spot, this has been in company though. He is fine in all traffic. In hindsight I believe he was like this with his previous owner (teenager).
More experienced riders probably wouldn't think anything of these things but coming from my old horse, a very quiet hack, it's a big leap for me.
Some of it I put down to his nature (he spooks in the field at birds or anything strange) and some of it not trusting me fully though I try my best to be brave for him and be kind but firm.
It's strange really but he is the one who is generally very happy (and copes with my nerves) at competitions, clinics etc but I think that's because he knows he has a job to do - he is the type that needs his brain kept ticking over and hacking doesn't seem to do this? He is also spookier at home?
Unfortunately I dont have a regular hacking buddy atm so need to do this alone.. However in some ways this suits me as means we can go at our own pace and early in the mornings when less people about.
I work full time so only have weekends at the moment for hacking though when clocks go forward at the end of March I can hack before or after work.
He is just being bought back in to work since being fairly fit at the end of Nov - lunging and gentle schooling atm which he seems fine with but I know he needs to be hacked too.
I'm thinking back to basics so it's baby steps for both of us or should I just grow a pair and get on with it?? I just want to get it right for him.
How would you go about it?
Thanks for any replies.
I need some help working out the best way to help my horse Toby to be better out hacking, especially alone. He is 8yo, I've had him 18mths, a lovely willing horse who is generally fab to school, jump and XC (he has been great starting off my competition dreams) and all of my instructors love him because he is honest and has taught me so much, I won Most Improved Rider at my RC this year and it's all down to him
But he is a bit of a stress-head, spooky sort - the total opposite of my first horse - and this comes to the fore out hacking. I hacked him more at my old yard but for various reasons have barely hacked him at my current yard, we have been there 10 months now.
He worries the whole time, very suspicious of things behind him and can either shoot off forwards in a panic or put the brakes on sharply. If something really upsets him, head goes up somewhere by my nose and he literally feels about to burst, not a very nice feeling.. It seems an age before he calms down. He bucks occasionly but not big, never reared but a couple of times he has cantered on the spot, this has been in company though. He is fine in all traffic. In hindsight I believe he was like this with his previous owner (teenager).
More experienced riders probably wouldn't think anything of these things but coming from my old horse, a very quiet hack, it's a big leap for me.
Some of it I put down to his nature (he spooks in the field at birds or anything strange) and some of it not trusting me fully though I try my best to be brave for him and be kind but firm.
It's strange really but he is the one who is generally very happy (and copes with my nerves) at competitions, clinics etc but I think that's because he knows he has a job to do - he is the type that needs his brain kept ticking over and hacking doesn't seem to do this? He is also spookier at home?
Unfortunately I dont have a regular hacking buddy atm so need to do this alone.. However in some ways this suits me as means we can go at our own pace and early in the mornings when less people about.
I work full time so only have weekends at the moment for hacking though when clocks go forward at the end of March I can hack before or after work.
He is just being bought back in to work since being fairly fit at the end of Nov - lunging and gentle schooling atm which he seems fine with but I know he needs to be hacked too.
I'm thinking back to basics so it's baby steps for both of us or should I just grow a pair and get on with it?? I just want to get it right for him.
How would you go about it?
Thanks for any replies.