Is 10 miles there and 10 miles back, too far to hack to a show?

I used to hack 10-12 miles to a show, do every class I was eligible for and hack home again. I also did the same to a hunter trial, did 2 classes and hacked home again. Amazingly, the pony's legs did not fall off, and he used to win a fair bit too. I used to have a rucksac on my back with a brush, my lunch, headcollar, leadrope and bailer twine in it, and when I got there, I'd either use a water trough in the field for the horse or blag some off someone who looked friendly. I'd use the bailer twine to tie the horse to whatever fence was there, and had a jolly old time.

I used to hack every day and go out for 3-4 hrs at weekends, but all these people who are saying you need to do x/y/z first - well, all I can say is I didn't, and I wouldn't. Mind you, my eventers now don't start doing canter work or interval training until they hit Novice level or above, so there we go.

Personally I can't see a problem with what you're proposing, and no, if I had the time/inclination to hack, I wouldn't want to spend a fortune on lorry hire either.
 
Thanks everyone for your input! :)

TBH, I don't think either ned would be bothered walking 10 miles there and back as in the summer we go on 2 hour rides nearly everyday and our "big hack" is our 3 hour hack into Leicester City Centre along an old railway line (converted to bridleway/bike route now).

I'm guessing it would take 3 1/2 hrs as that is what it said on Google Maps to walk it but that was for a human walking not horse sized steps so I guess it would be slightly less time for us. Noth neds would be booted up as well although none of them have any lameness issues and have good feet. Since I would be riding astride there not side saddle, we could always get off and lead the neds on the way home too.

My OH would bring hay/water for the neds and feed for us too. He's a good groom for holding horses too!

I'll see how we get on with our schooling and hacking now that the days are starting to get longer and then decide in May when the schedule comes out! :)
 
It is a sign of how times have changed over the past 30 years that anyone would consider this out of the ordinary. In the 70's I used to drive to work past a little old lady, 75 if she was a day, hacking to the nearest meet. Her mileage there was around 8 miles. When I came home in the afternoon I used to meet her hacking home another 8 miles or so. In the meantime she had done God knows how many miles hunting and from the look of the horse it hadn't been walking behind the hunt. :) No one ever raised an eyebrow.

10 miles is no distance at all. You should be able to average a good 6/7 mph minimum by walking and trotting on grass verges. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to spend money on a lorry when the horse can provide the transport for free. It is a very sad state of affairs that people seem to find hacking a big deal. People never used to do anything else in the days before arenas etc.
10 miles with a break and then another 10 miles is far from being an endurance ride and in fact if most people go out for a couple of hours ride with the normal amounts of walking and trotting they will be doing a good 10 miles. :D
Horses are capable of far more work than people seem to give them credit for.
 
Honestly just go for it. :)

Will be a looooong say though - I'll be impressed if you go to the second one! So pleased I have my HGV and can drive the lorry now!

Good luck!
 
Hi, Ive not read all responses but go for it. I would say you would not need 3 1/2 hours. Try mapping your normal hacks on soemthing like good run guide website and find out how long you norammly ride for. As long as horses are fit and used to doing those distances. I hacked about 5 miles to a dressage comp, got their early and let her graze, then rode test and hacked back. My mare didnt give in until we got back on the yrad. I got off and walked last mile just to help her but she dragged me home!!. 2 days off afterwards as a reward as well.
 
I'm in the same boat this year and will be looking at 15 miles each way. :)

Pony is currently going out 3 hour hacks - walk/trot and canter. Coming home without a sweat and tbh would eagerly go again.

I will be doing mainly road work as well and I'm aiming on riding the route this week, weather depending.

One thing I will say and has already been mentioned. Ensure you have someone you can call for an emergency lift if required. My YO has told me if I'm ever stuck, she will come out and pick me up but to hire a lorry etc for the day is £150 which I can't justify for a local show.

Happy Hacking :D
 
See, me personally was not thinking about the horses! Lol - I would just be knackered i think doing that and THEN thinking about having to do some class and ride back! Lol. maybe the OP is younger? hehe - wouldn't have bothered me as a kid at all but nowadays, no way!

thing is it's all good and well when you think it's going to be nice sunny day, the problem is if it's either one of our (rare) hot days or indeed are more regular miserable wet summer days. Then the ride would not appeal to me at all. Fair weather rider? Yeah maybe!!! ha ha
 
no i would not as 6 hours of hacking then doing some classes at a show is a long day for both me and the horse. I have done some long rides of 15 miles at a leisurely pace and that was plenty enough even with a picnic stop in between.

if you do plan to do it try going for a 6 hour ride and not doing any classes and then see how you feel, even if a horse is only walking they are still carrying you on their back.

I do hack to some shows and it is tiring, today I did a half an hour hack then two rounds of show jumping and then hacked home and i was tired, I find competing more tiring than normal riding and i think horses do too.

I hire a lorry and driver to go to some shows and one that is only 10 miles away would cost £110 including waiting time for a few hours, if there are two of you - you and your stable girl then it would be £55 each which is not too bad, so hiring the lorry might not be as expensive as you think, if you can find a few of you to share the journey.

I would not hack more than an hour to a show especially on a hot day when the temperatures last year were in the 30's.
 
!0 miles won't take anywhere near three hours! I have hacked further than that to hunt, hunted all day and hacked home on many an occasion! Generally I try not to hack more than 6 or 7 miles to a meet but I do then hunt all day and could well end up with a longer hack home. Seriously, 10 miles is not a long way - I would allow myself 2 hours to hack 10 miles to a meet and normally be early :)
 
10 miles should be fine to hack to a show, as long as they're fit enough. I hacked my lad to a local show a couple of time , easily 10 miles away, had a day there and then came home again :D He was pretty fit mind ;) Many a time I've hacked to a meet hunting and home afterwards at roughly that distance away, why bother with the hassle of getting the trailer out when you can hack? :D
 
Gosh, they will be fine. I can remember when i was younger taking a packed lunch and going out on our ponies for most of the day (stopping at lunch at a farm for an hour for them to eat and drink)
In the olden days horses were used for work and would go all day. You'll be fine!!
 
You've inspried me!

I have an equestrion centre about 6 miles by road away, but I share a horsebox with my friend and it's kept 45 minutes away so by the time I pick it up drop it off that 3 hours and I haven't even got to show get- don't even start me on cost of fuel... all for a 3 minute dressage test. walk
So just looked at map and if i ride through woods, through a village about 1/2 a mile on an A road I'm there- 4 miles tops. So guess about an hours and he's definately fit enough we regularly do 12 mile rides and he will be nice and warm and calm when we get there- bonus.

Quite excited! :D:eek::p
 
In the summer me and 2 other people from my yard hacked 8 miles to a hunter trial, did 2 rounds of XC and hacked 8 miles back, horses were absolutely fine!

It took us just over 2 hours to get there and we only walked quietly the whole way! Took us just under 2 hours on the way back as we did do a bit of trot and honestly the horses were fine!
 
I have done a 6 mile there, 6 miles back hack to a show (on a barefoot horse).

My horse was fine, still managed to take off with excitement in the ring.

To be honest though, it is a bit of an effort. Having nowhere to tie them up is annoying. I wore plenty of hi viz but I had to carry my things with me on my shoulder which wasn't great.

Also, horse aside, my bum and legs were certainly not used to this amount of time in the saddle and on the way back it was SO uncomfortable. I had a coat under my bum to make it a bit more comfy and had to keep taking my feet in and out stirrups and in various positions to stop them hurting which were not at all safe to be doing so on the road. My mare, having already hacked 9 miles was well past the stage of anything being scary to her and there was very little traffic! Was not a pleasant experience though!
I understand some people will find this a doddle etc etc but that is my experience as somebody who rides 5 times a week doing general RC activities.
 
Memories for me too :)

As a kid I thought nothing of hacking 5 or 6 miles to a friends house, galloping about and jumping all day then hacking home (and yes as a kid cantering on the verges jumping the drainage ditches :D ) This was 3 or 4 times a week. Just make sure they are fit. I also had a saddlebag on my saddlecloth which was great for juice, sandwiches etc. Very easy to reach unlike a rucksack.

Also when is this? If its a miserable raining day it will be a bit of a drag, but if it is in spring with sunny weather then depending on the showground there may be somewhere to graze them for a while and it will be a nice day out.
 
Lucy and I used to hack everywhere. (I can't drive and had noone else to take me) We used to hack to a hunt meet hunt a whole day then hack home. Sometimes it was an hour and a half to the meet at least.
One day I was feeling rather brave and I wanted to go showjumping. The only show was miles away but I realy wanted to go so I trotted and cantered on grass verges for 2 hours to get there. We did two classes (winning one :D and getting placed in the other in large classes, 30+) and then hacked home. We walked abit more on the way home so it took alittle over 3 hours to get home. :eek:
But having said that Lucy was an endurance pony and did rides of upto and inclu 80km so she was very very fit. Most people though we were mad but those were the best years of my life and if I haddn't have hacked to all these places Lucy and I wouldn't have had as many adventures as we did. ;) :p :D :D
 
sidesaddlegirl said:
Thanks everyone for your input! :)

TBH, I don't think either ned would be bothered walking 10 miles there and back as in the summer we go on 2 hour rides nearly everyday and our "big hack" is our 3 hour hack into Leicester City Centre along an old railway line (converted to bridleway/bike route now).

:)
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i live very near yr big hack - how far do you take yr horses into the city centre - i wonder what they make of the big slides lol

my 21 yr old horse regulalry [ ie - most months] hacks 8 mile round trip to local venue & then does a bit of stressage - she seems to be fine - only problems i have found as i dont have a support person when i get there [ & i know you do] is finding somewhere to tie her up - so few people hack to shows now that organisers seem to be a bit surprised when you get there - the only other major problem i could see is poor weather - nothing like a long hack in unforecast rain.....
hope it goes well:)
 
We go near to where the Bowstring Bridge used to be but sometimes not that far as there are often drunks in the park we have to pass through and they always want to "pet the horses". Both neds don't blink an eye to the little kids, playground except Hattie hates the black metal bins on the way, lol!
 
Starbucks said:
Oh for gods sake - a bit OTT me thinks!!! She's only talking about walking there and sounds like her horse will be fit enough.

Another point OP - make sure you get your OH or whatever to take a haynet, will be a long time for them to go with no grub.
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~Titters!~

OP - When I look back into the dim and distant times of the Medieval era when I used to go to shows....we hacked everywhere, to hunts AND shows, then entered every class we could! God knows how many miles we covered.....! At shows, the riding school owner was always there with supplies and haynets for the ponies....they even got a small feed halfway through the day when they would get a good couple of hours between the jumping classes and the games......

During the summer months when I'm on skool holidays, I'm keeping my horse in top-top shape and regulary do 30 + miles a day just for fun! I pack up the saddle bags, got me maps, supplies and mobile phone for emergencies and away I go! Sometimes I'll ride from home, but I'm lucky in that I have my own transport so can ferry the cabbage about for a change of scenery! And then of course we do Trec...

It IS hard to keep a horse in excellent shape, but it can be done, and the reward for me is the old witch jogging her way home, still seemingly full of beans whilst I'm groaning about me saddle sores on my bum! (got new gel pad and fleecy seat-saver for THIS season!) And the next day, she will come trottin across the paddock giving the odd buck or two for her breakfast...!

If you are sure your horse is fit enough, then go for it, and have fun! After all, if we can't have fun, then what the heck are we doing owning horses in the first place?

:D
 
nikCscott said:
You've inspried me!

I have an equestrion centre about 6 miles by road away, but I share a horsebox with my friend and it's kept 45 minutes away so by the time I pick it up drop it off that 3 hours and I haven't even got to show get- don't even start me on cost of fuel... all for a 3 minute dressage test. walk
So just looked at map and if i ride through woods, through a village about 1/2 a mile on an A road I'm there- 4 miles tops. So guess about an hours and he's definately fit enough we regularly do 12 mile rides and he will be nice and warm and calm when we get there- bonus.

Quite excited! :D:eek::p
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Go for it! If you could have someone at the other end with supplies and things for you and the ned, no reason why it shouldn't be a fun day. :D
 
fizzer said:
I would go for it. We used to hack to all our shows as kids, jump and gymkana all day then hack back. Never did our ponies any harm.

Years ago most people hacked and all the ponies were tied up in a row. You never see that now as we are all spoilt with the luxury of transport.

It used to part of the fun hacking there anyway!! Good luck.
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Agree with this. Used to hack to PC rallies 5 miles - do rally all day and then hack home. Even did this for 3 day camp ie hacked there every day.
 
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