I HATE hacking

Feckin creature tried it again today on the motorway bridge. But he had a boot up his arse and he gave in quickly. He then decided he was petrified of walkers and dogs and tried spinning round. These poor people did not know what to do while I apologised and he had a tantrum. He is going through a teenage stage.

The only consolation for living in such a busy area (I am sandwiched between A38/A370 and M5) is that I have such easy and quick access to road routes to go competing. I am literally 5 mins to get on the M5.

All ours end up bombproof in the end. This one will go down the A38 but you just have to be a little bit careful. Not yet as good as Rodney who would go down A38 and over the motorway bridge with artics underneath and next to him.
 
TarrSteps said:
Similar to Canada. Most farms/barns/yards have some off road hacking around the property and there are people lucky enough to live next to forestry preserves or similar but we don't actually have much common land in the way there is here. Not to mention that horses don't figure AT ALL in the highway code so far as educating people etc so you're taking your life in your hands to go out on any sort of major road. (You think I joke but one of the Canadian event team that just went to the WEGs was struck and her horse killed riding down a relatively quiet dirt road near her farm.)
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It's like this in America, too, but there are some fantastic exceptions to the rule in the NY area, most notably Pawling, North Salem and Bedford. Thanks to local landowners, very little of the trail routes are on roads, and most have well-maintained jumps throughout the system.

http://www.nsbta.org/NSBTA_Site/Welcome.html

http://www.oblongtrails.com/index.htm

http://www.bedfordridinglanes.com/
 
I mostly hack mine, the bulk of our cantering is done on field margins when getting ready to p2p. Mine are pretty good on the road, although the fitter they get the quicker they whip round. I live on an A road and most folk are pretty good but even the speeding ones can be prepared for. The only time I don't hack is weds nights in summer because it's biker night and although my boys are ok with all traffic I don't know any horse that would enjoy groups of 10 or more Harley Davidsons at a time!
 
LEC when we take newbies over the bridges for the first few times we cross in the centre (walk along the White line) then we gradually edge them over to the side. I have to say we've had no problems like this. (Except for the time my old mare encountered a child wearing very loud and garish roller blades!)
 
JustMe22 said:
Hahaha nobody in SA hacks ever, because we have crazy drivers who NEVER slow down, and..I don't know..just very very very few people hack.
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I'm from SA and everybody I know hacks out. Always into the sugar cane, so if you've got no sugar cane plantations around I can fully understand why people wouldn't go out. The only problem was with my last horse where, to get to the sugar cane, you had to ride past a wildlife reserve. He'd always dance about on the (100k/h) road until we were past it. But out rides were a big part of our training regime, particularly for pre-season fitness.

I find hacking boring, but I do enjoy going into the forest at the top of our mountain/big hill with the dogs. It's just a 5 minute drive up the road, but what a work out for the horses ;) My favourite trail is the killer hill of doom. It starts out nice and flat through some fern forest, then basically plunges down the side of the mountain - and back up :D Great for building up strength for horse and rider. It closes over Winter, but is due to open in about a fortnight. Can't wait!
 
Loopylozza - looks like you're not far from us. I must admit the powers that be are quite good at putting tracks in alongside the new bypasses. Not desperately pretty but they give good off road linkage to other areas. They soon get bombproof ;) My babypony is growing up on a haulage yard next to a busy A road in an effort to make sure he doesn't inherit his mum's fear of lorries. So far so good...

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite - It's a third of the way across when they suddenly spot the traffic coming at them from the other direction, so spooking then is quite common. The best thing is to move slightly away from the edge, maybe a little shoulder-in to turn their head away and give them something else to think about, and then focus yourself completely on a spot on safe ground directly ahead and ride purposefully towards it. If you look at the traffic yourself, or tense up anticipating a spook, that's what you'll get. Easier said than done, but if you can bluff the horse into thinking that you are 101% confident and unafraid, you'll get across fine. Sing a loud, confident marching song if it helps - it will get a rhythm going and keep you breathing.
 
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I live next to a main road, to get out hacking to do road work I have to ride 100m down the road, and to go up to the local forest I have to cross the road.

I have to admit its not ideal, but armed with flourescent I set off hacking as my horse loves it, he walks out really well and his ears a pricked the whole time. Thankfully the lorry drivers and motorcyclists are really good around me and slow right down. I am always nice and thank them very much!!

Once off the bit of main road, the rest is easy and the forest is a great hack. I must admit I'm not a fan of hacking on my own but my horse likes it.

I think it must be the individual horse as I would hate to have a wild beast to ride down the main road but thankfully my last two horses have been perfect at it.

Also I don't do any schooling while out hacking, unless I am in a big field that I can do some flatwork.
 
I hate heights and one of my rides involved going over the high level bridge outside Stockenchurch over the motorway - I used to ride down the centre of the road and hope no-one came from either direction. Often I'd be riding one and leading two horses as well.
 
I truly, truly hate hacking.

Hacking anywhere here is a nightmare, winding lines with a 60mph speed limit. We have had far too many near misses with drivers flying around corners and slamming their breaks on to avoid hitting us. No amount of hi-vis seems to help.

I do sometimes hack at 7am on a sunday, and quite enjoy boxing up & heading to forestry commission land for a quiet hack every now & then. But generally avoid it, which is a shame really :(
 
Im really lucky all my hacking - straight from the yard in either direction is off road and you can go off road for about 3 hours.

Its not my favorite activity but my horse is quite a fun hack quite forward going, jumped some fallen branches yesterday and lots of nice well grassed tracks for cantering and hills for hill work.

I try to hack my horse at the weekends in the winter as the other days hes worked in the week are spent on the walker or in the menage.
 
personally i love to hack, can go out for hours and it be all off road hacking in a country park and only meet a couple of tractors, we have to go over a motor way bridge to get into the park as a motorway has cut the park in half but its fine, theres loads of hacking round where i am, half an hour on a road and we're at a beach and five minutes if that on a busy road and we are on a dissused railway line that goes about forty miles each way :) i dont think taz or myself could live without hacking, its what keeps him fit, i dont believe you can get a horse fit for the job that he does by only being in the school.
 
I ride in the middle of the road then get shouted at by motorists! To be fair he has had 5 weeks off so he is trying it on. He is bigger and stronger than when I first had him and feels with these new found feelings of well being that he now gets an opinion.
 
To OP - what a shame, you are really missing one of life's great pleasures. Its each to their own, I hate schooling, but then again my horse is a 17 year old cob who has been there, done it, seen it, got the t shirt etc with me and my daughter. He is quirky but bombproof, but I wouldnt hack over a motorway bridge on him, even though he has never given me cause for concern on one - I always get off and walk across and then re-mount. However, he is only 14.3hh, so easy to get on again. In fact, I am off hacking pretty shortly - I am off work, its a lovely bright day and a nice chilled hack beckons ......
 
I used to be one of those people who disliked hacking because it scared me - I started riding at the age of 23 and it was all done in the safety of an arena and I was terrified of venturing out onto the roads.

Luckily, my boy is a good cross between a happy hacker and a low level competition horse - he will happily toddle along on the buckle over and under motorway bridges, through villages and heavy traffic without batting an eyelid - he is petrified of tractors though - and the dairy farm round the corner from us! Just yesterday we cooled off after schooling with a lovely 2 mile hack round the block (and past the scary dairy farm with some gentle encouragement)

I'm lucky to have the choice of foresty, farm tracks, quiet country roads at my yard but can venture under or over the motorway to some really nice back roads if I fancy it!

I do however still have reservations about going far from the yard on my own - will go for miles with company but I have this worry about falling off 6 miles from home and my horse getting loose!
 
Haha riding pleasure for me is cruising round a xc in total harmony with your horse eating up the fences and it all feeling so easy and like you have no cares in the world. Hitting every fence perfectly and from walking round it and feeling a little apprehensive to it being another course conquered.

My other total pleasure is galloping into a massive hedge with your heart racing and sinking as you get closer and it looks massive. Feeling the horse pick up and looking down and seeing the hedge underneath you, landing and galloping away with a massive smile on your face.

Those are my riding pleasures - hacking does not even come close!
 
Eeeeek LEC I also am not keen on motorway bridges used to exercise at a yard that went over the A303 not fun!!!

I wouldn't say I love hacking it's not my first choice over going in the school and doing something more time efficient, but mine do all get hacked often otherwise I think they would get stale

I am very lucky we don't have to do any roadwork if we don't want to and can be on acres of salisbury plain in about 5mins, but on the down side we do have to cope with low flying helicopters, and the occasional off road motor bike in the woods, which I'm pretty sure is illegal!!!!!

I like hacking but I don't like....

stony tracks
difficult gates
camouflaged and hidden under something I want to jump squaddies!!!!

I actually wish we had some lovely quiet little village lanes to ride along, but I guess they are a bit of a thing of the past now.... :(
 
I always loved hacking as I thought it prevented the horses getting stale. It isn't like it used to be though. Although rode my 4yo 17.2hh out yesterday who was backed 4 months ago. We met a jcb down a tiny lane, 5 yapping dogs throwing themselves at him up the bridleway against a garden fence which backed onto it.

Sheep that do strictly come dancing impressions next to the hedgerow. scary wheelie bins, kamakazi squirrels that think it is funny to jump across branches above my head making nice rustling noises so the big lad thinks he is being attacked from above.

I am quite relieved that we got back in one piece. Would like to thank Applecart for coming with me, although not sure who is the snortiest the 17.2hh 13yo or the 17.2hh 4 yo.

Gin and tonic and Kalms tablets works wonders

:)
 
I used to love hacking Bloss out when i was at my old yard as there was miles and miles of off-road hacking out the back of the yard and you never saw any one or anything apart from the odd rider and tractor in a field. Then i got Archie who was a total nightmare to hack to start with, totally knocked my confidence, spent his whole time rearing and napping and it was generally a horrific experience from beginning to end. I ''had'' to hack him as i wanted to make him do it and grow in confidence.

Then i moved to another yard which only had a 4 mile gallop or hacking on roads. The gallops was ok (both of mine were well behaved on them) but it was boring as the same thing all the time. (Sold Archie whilst still at that yard).

Now im at a yard which has a 1 mile gallop (only really good for walking around after schooling) and no off road hacking, its all lanes and there are no ''short'' circuits, the drivers are like idiots and they never slow down and if i hack it has to be for an hr minimum as there are no shorter routes and i never turn around out hacking as it teaches them to nap IMO - luckily Bloss is 100% to hack apart from the odd spook on occasion. To be honest im dreading hacking Jupi out next summer once i break him in and im not entirely sure what im going to do yet. There is no way i would take him out on the lanes, but i will have to do something - probably box him to a friends yard once a week to hack....
 
I love hacking in the right place - my parents house you go out of the gate onto 300 acres of common land and from there can hack miles in any direction barely crossing a road. From yard we are at now its not great - have to come out of gate onto busy road. However I still do it for fitness work and to relieve boredom. On my older lad I don't mind as I trust him - he does spook but I can always ride him through it. YOunger one been good so far! Just bought a Windsor Great Park pass though and trying to get there once a fortnight to get some canter work etc in and that is just beautiful!
 
When I got my horse 3 years ago, she was so wound up it was un-real.....spent the summer hacking about all over the place. She was fit, as she had been competeing up to the day I bought her, and I took her to the odd show...

I believe that due to the hours we have spent out just pootling along, has improved many things in her life. No longer so up-tight she was going to explode, and I have to say, I believe it has improved her general attitude to competeing too.

I understand why some people hate it, but for my mare, even a spirited one as she is....hacking has really helped her chill out, so much so that she ADORES Trec and we qualified for the Nationals last year! :D Her ex-owners didnt believe that I would be able to do long-distance on her, but she has stamina to die for, and here is the best bit, all the time THEY owned her, she was NEVER hacked! I am amazed...she is sooooooo safe in the heaviest of traffic, we are often called upon to baby-sit local youngsters and spooky ones!

She Is Perfection....:D
 
QR - I never hacked due to lack of space, but am now at a yard with extensive off road grass tracks and it's fab. Lots of hills, lots of space, lots of woods - my ex racer is learning dark/light, footwork, hillwork, and lateral work (I get bored plodding about ;)) and strengthening up far more than if he was just in the school. I never knew why people made such a fuss about hillwork, but I'm completely converted now... Until I can start eventing again!!!
 
I LOVe hacking where I am now, but thats only because I have miles of off road hacking, and madam loves it, and is always bright and very "jolly" about it. It has done absolute wonders for her confidence in "scary" things, and has helped us learn to trust each other. We have also mastered the "on the contact and working" to "long rein and chill", but I do inssit she is always infront of my leg and on the aids, as it helps if anything unexpected were to happen :)
 
Not being funny but why hack a 17.2hh warmblood (I'm guessing a youngster) who has only been broken 3 months, and has just come back into work after 5 weeks off, over a motorway bridge in the first place?!?!? Surely that's just asking for potential trouble and hardly unexpected that you ended up in that situation.

As for hacking, I'd rather be out hacking round the lanes, woods, fields and countryside and school while I'm at it then do endless schooling in a big rectangular sandpit (not that I have access to much more than a boggy field at the best of times but you get my point)... My horse also strongly agrees as anyone who has seen her both in a school and hacking enviroment will tell you. Each to their own I guess.
 
I think hacking is good for variety for the horses, and is good for getting greener ones a bit bolder for XC. I did get an old schoolmaster to come out with my baby for riding alongside an A road the first few times, but he's fine now. I think the most interesting hack I every did involved riding through an underpass, which meant I had to lie alongside the side of his neck, and with his (16h1" horse) ears brushing the concrete ceiling. I wouldn't do that with every horse admittedly...
 
love it, love it, love it but only do it at weekends and school in week... I could be biased though as i am on the ashdown forest :p
 
roo2012 said:
I have always LOVED hacking, although agree that sometimes it's just not safe. I have a bombproof horse but was involved in an accident a few years ago when someone 'wasn't looking' and drove straight in to us! Wrote the car off but luckily horse walked away with just a few scratches.. It took a little while for us both to get our confidence back after that.

Where I am living now the hacking is fabulous; just been out for over 2 hours and only met 2 sheep! Pics to make people jealous:
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Yup you have some lovely areas to hack. Enjoy :D
 
NELSON11 said:
I always loved hacking as I thought it prevented the horses getting stale. It isn't like it used to be though. Although rode my 4yo 17.2hh out yesterday who was backed 4 months ago. We met a jcb down a tiny lane, 5 yapping dogs throwing themselves at him up the bridleway against a garden fence which backed onto it.

Sheep that do strictly come dancing impressions next to the hedgerow. scary wheelie bins, kamakazi squirrels that think it is funny to jump across branches above my head making nice rustling noises so the big lad thinks he is being attacked from above.

I am quite relieved that we got back in one piece. Would like to thank Applecart for coming with me, although not sure who is the snortiest the 17.2hh 13yo or the 17.2hh 4 yo.

Gin and tonic and Kalms tablets works wonders

:)
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Glad you both made it back safe It is good experience for the horse though hopefully leading to them taking more in their stride in the future. I think its just cars no traffic in general im freaked about wide open fields etc are not a prob just getting to them lol
 
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