Is Just Hacking Ok? -Bit long..Sorry :(

[ElliePippa]

Pippa was bought with the idea we were going to have an arena put in, so i could work on her jumping....but as we got no planning permission to even flatten the land, we gave up on the idea ( we're in a national parks so..). Anyway, i've realised that were going to be mainly hacking from now on. Is that ok for a horse...just to hack?

I just wondered if anyone else JUST hacks, i feel a little guilty as she was bought to jump, which when she does, she is VERY excited or silly. so, yeah does anyone else just hack, and what sort of things can you do when hacking in the winter?
Thanks, sorry if its a bit long.
Any advice very gratefully taken on board!
Thanks x

 

[HenryandPeta]

I "just" hack and don't consider it to be any less of a challenge for me or Henry! If he belonged to someone with a school and the desire to compete he would do very well, but he doesn't, he belongs to me and enjoys his life to the full!

You can throw schooling movements in on hacks you know. We regularly practice loops, leg yielding, flying changes etc and jump fallen logs etc where safe to do so. You just need to embrace the challenge of making hacking interesting (it always is!) and go for it!

 

[0ldmare]

I think you will find quite a lot of people 'just hack'!!

You can still do some schooling on a hack, get them working properly, leg yields, circles if there is room, turn on the forehand to open gates etc etc.

You can have a gentle amble or a rip roaring gallop if its safe to do so. If there are any fallen logs you could pop over them.

Hacking doesnt have to be boring, most horses enjoy it

 

[ElliePippa]

Thankyou, this is getting me in the mood to hack now!

 

[barbaraNcolin]

I mostly hack my two, one is semi retired anyway but my boy was bought for jumping back in 2003. I don't jump him anymore, we started doing dressage this season which has settled him down a lot. He used to get v excited too! I jumped him a few weekends ago, the first time since Dec last year and he was jumping 2'6" like it was 4'.
If you're on national park is there no fallen logs/streams or anything to jump now and again? If you're both happy hacking then there's nothing wrong with it, just vary routes and maybe box out to different areas to hack. You can also do lots of schooling whilst out hacking but it makes it a bit more fun and not so much routine.

 

[matthew]

When I used to Showjump years ago we didnt have a school- just a bit of a field with dressage markers. We were in the pony club so did rallies and s/j clinic mid week then would go out competing at weekends. I had regular lessons with my instructor in the field! The rest of the week we just hacked out.
You can still compete without an arena- to be honest I think having one at home is a lucky!

 

[BigBird146]

You could always go for lessons in a menage and ask the instructor to give you things you can work on when hacking; leg yields, transitions etc. Up until this summer I just hacked my horse for the previous 4-5 years and we both got into some quite bad habits which definatley needed schooling work to resolve. I don't have a menage, and to be honest neither of us enjoy working in a menage all that much so I couldn't justify building one, but I think you need to do it occasionally to keep things balanced and correct.

 

[Jingleballs]

I think you are underestimating what you can do on a hack!!

Is it all off road hacking you have? I'm sure there will be plenty of fallen logs, ditches etc that you could pop over.

I also school when I hack - infact my boy really improved his balance when I stopped the schooling and just hacked him every day.

Even if you don't have an area to school in at your yard you should be able to find a suitable field or open space to practice or you could trailer your horse to a local RS for lessons etc?

 

[ladyt25]

We don't have a school, just a field (that is not flat). We set up jumps in that in the summer and 'school' as best we can. We can use a neighbouring livery yard's school though for a fee if we want and also we have the odd lesson on summer evenings at our instructors place.

Most of the time however we hack and our horses have had no trouble over the years competing at BSJA/BE and unaffilitaed jumping/ XC competitions. I think hacking is good, actually great for a horse and you can 'school' when you're out and about too.

 

[Dteccytiv]

I enjoy hacking out and my horse seems to enjoy it to, especially if we go out in a group. We try to vary where we go and what we do. I do try to do a bit of schooling whilst we're out eg working in an outline, transitions and getting him to listen. But most of the time we just go hacking to have fun.

 

[ElliePippa]

Yeah its pretty much off-road!, sadly we dont have a trailer and we'd need to look in to some open fields...hmmm
x

 

[nikkiportia]

I'm 'just' a hacker and thats mainly through choice, although we don't have a school so I wouldn't be able to even if I wanted

But I have no interest in jumping really, and find schooling for dressage so very boring, so I 'school' out and about. Plenty of transitions, leg yeilding etc. But all I want to do is explore and have fun, and as long as I have my horse under control and responsive, as well as sensible, then I'm happy.
I also find that horses get better balance, impulsion and get used to all sorts of terrain. It's bound to be mentally beneficial for them too.

 

[ElliePippa]

Also....does anyone have any pics of them hacking

xx????

 

[nikkiportia]

Some very unexciting ones yes

(I'm riding a friends horse btw, steph is on our pony taking the pics)

 

[mil1212]

I can only hack but compete successfully at BE too. In the winter this means I have to hack in the dark as well! However, it is great for fitness work and getting a horse to listen through transitions and lateral work as already mentioned, leg yeilding and shoulder ins, travers, anything you can do in a school really, my boy learnt flying changes out hacking. I am sure horses enjoy hacking, it's a bit more scenic than the school. The best bit is when the ground is less squishy and you come across a nice stretch of stubble or set aside - as you're on national park I am sure there plenty of places to 'let rip'.
As soon as the ground is good I set up jumps in the field and school there, but the ground is very rarely good!

 

[Magicmillbrook]

As far as I know, all weather arenas are a relavitely new concept to the average horse owner. People managed in the good old days.

 

[becca114]

there is nothing wrong with just hacking. Hacking out is brilliant. If your horse loves jumping perhaps you could sometimes hire out a school nearby to jump in.

 

[Murphy88]

I used to do nothing but hack with SJ pony, because flatwork was a waste of time with her and she would just blow her fuse. I competed her regularly, but she never jumped at home, as she's the sort who would pack it in if over-jumped. It never affected her, and she was a fab little jumper.

When I first got my current horse, we only hacked becuase there was nowhere to school, as we didn't have enough land to graze 4 and have his big feet churning it up. He's on working livery now, so doesn't get any hacking in term time, so I try to school once or twice a week and hack the rest when he's home. With him, I try to make him work properly in an outline, and we practice leg yield etc while out, simply because if it were up to him he would plod along with his nose on the floor!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

'Just hacking' is a lot better than 'just schooling'. If you have to only have one, horsey is a lot better off with the hacking!

 

[251libby]

I think my horse would turn into a wild beast if i just hacked but if i had to i doubt it would do any harm

 

[HenryandPeta]

The only photo I have of hacking out is this one (as I usually hack alone), my favourite view!

 

[lhotse]

I never ride my horse in a school, I don't compete and I have had some comments thrown my way over the years about not being a 'proper' rider.
I have probably had as much fun as is possible on a horse from hacking out.
Admittedly, my hacking is fantastic, the Stroud valleys on my doorstep!!

 

[Sali]

My old instructor never used her school, she used to always do her schooling out on hacks. She competes, and is quite succesful, at county level workers.

 

[eriskaypony]

My wife's pony 'just' hacks and just will not school. Won working hunter and best ridden at the local show on the work put in hacking.

Agree with those who think hacking helps a lot. With a bit of imagination it can be made great fun for horse and rider and very helpful.