is no hacking ok???!!!!

[251libby]

I just read with interest the post on only hacking horses.
Do you think it's fair not to hack a horse and to just do a veriety of schooling and small hacks round yards including tracks???
Does anyone not hack out? and for what reasons?
What do you think would benefit the horse the most just hacking or just schooling??

 

[little_flea]

Be careful - no hacking might be up there with Parelli, draw reins, over rugging and no turnout as HHO top controversial topics!

 

[SillyMare]

I'm not sure either extreme is ideal.

I think my horses would be a million times happier with 100% hacking than 100% schooling.

It is hardly ever that simple though - lots of schooling can be done on a hack - it is definitely possible to produce a well educated horse that way.

Likewise lots of things can make schooling more interesting and varied. For those people with the skill (and commitment!) to go down that route, I'm sure horses can be kept well motivated and entertained.

 

[madmav]

I know of someone who is considered a tip-top dressage instructor who never hacks her horse out (allegedly she doesn't have the bottle for it). And she'll usually on school in indoor arena.

 

[Taffster]

I know my horse doesnt get enough hacking, he is usually showing at the weekend and obviously too dark to hack out during the week now! I feel this is doing him no good at all so i take him into the arena to bomb round at his leisure - not that it is any better just to give him some playtime. We only have winter paddocks which are muddy already so in no way are they any good for letting off some steam

 

[Morrigan_Lady]

I tend to stick to schooling and hack out maybe 2-3 times a month. We have excellent hacking where we are and I just take them up the gallops for a leg stretch every so often.
Would do more hacking, but there are so many dogs up the woods and too many attacks, kinda puts you off!

 

[Abbeygale]

When I was working on a dressage yard I did pretty much only schooling with my horse I had at the time. I was trying to push him further in his dressage - and he did really well on it. A really improvement was made. I did do various things while schooling him though - so he was never bored, and he did have turn out every day.

I have never done only hacking - I find hacking too boring to do only that, and I never have anyone to ride with - which doesn't help with the boredom out hacking.

 

[Cyberchick]

I dont hack out but I would love to. The reason for this he gets far to excited then misbehaves then gets stressed and it is just to dangerous for rider and road users. If I did it every day he would be fine but life is life and going out once or twice a week just isn't enough for him but I make sure he has a pretty varied work load.

 

[little_flea]

Winter hacking isn't good at my yard and at the moment my horse only hacks out once a week, and that is more from a sense of duty - horse doesn't really enjoy the hacking offered at the moment.

I know plenty of dressage horses who never, ever hack. Some of them don't even enjoy being turned out, but just want to come straight in again, so I think it is very much down to the individual horse.

 

[stencilface]

I pretty much only do hacking - in the winter I school when I get to competitions, and in the summer probably about once a week when I hire one out.

My horse can be a bit of a loon out hacking - but generally only in the winter when we don't go out much - think he finds it far more exciting than schooling - or competing for that matter

 

[Darkhorse007]

I love hacking and wouldn't want to miss it!

However, I kept my lad Inner City for a while and there was no hacking at all - apart from a small field to go round. He was fine there and we certainly made some progress with our jumping etc. I must say though - whenever I did manage to get transport and take him out to the countryside he was full of beans and difficult to handle.

I am originally from Germany and is actually quite common over there that horses don't get hacked and just schooled...

I suppose at the end of the day it depends what you and your horse can & want to do... And also, although everyone wants to give their horse the optimum conditition to flourish sometimes they just have to fit in with other things in our lives, e.g. I had to keep mine Inner City with no t/o and no hacking, my friend cannot hack out because her horse doesn't hold its shoes and is very 'feely' ... as long as we try and make our equestrian lives and our equines' lives as happy and balanced as possible I think 'restrictions' like that can be lived with ...

Sorry for the long essay - but I really think we shouldn't make us feel more 'guilty' than absolutely necessary

 

[GermanyJo]

I am a bit of an oddity on my yard (English living in Germany) as I try to hack out at least once or twice a week, in the summer I try to have a short walk around the block after schooling every evening... obviously in the winter I can't do that as it is too dark when I get to the yard, but try to go out on Sat and Sun in order to give him a break from the indoor school...(the others find it odd enough that I want to ride out in the summer, but if it is raining they think I am cruel !

) he is definately softer and is more enthusiastic on a Monday in our schooling sessions then on a Friday after the whole week in the indoor school.

 

[Alibear]

Yes esepcially as you've posted that you are hacking round the fields and tracks anyway.

Last horse I cuold not hack alone no matter how hard I tried , so we could only hack if and when we had company.

 

[HenryandPeta]

I think horses benefit from a well rounded education - I would have thought if you're going to be showing, then hacking out and getting them exposed to the sights and sounds of the wide world is an ideal thing to do. Plus it's great for fitness, ideal for blowing cobwebs away and I think is healthier for the horses mind!

I do school (very) occasionally and Henry enjoys it when we do.

The great (IMO) Carl Hester said in a demo last year that his top dressage horses LOVE hacking out and really enjoy the freedom of having a good gallop every so often, it helps them to have a blast before concentrating on their movements again...

 

[M_G]

there are a couple of horses at my yard that dont get hacked as they are down right dangerous on the roads, they go round the fields and XC course instead of a hack and they seem happy.

Its horses for courses I like hacking but some people hate it

 

[xnaughtybutnicex]

My horse bolts when you hack (in woods not on roads) and the roads are quite busy most of the time. Woods get muddy in the winter and she gets mud fever, also a little dangerous when silly pony gallops flat out DOWN the hills, especially when muddy so only hacks in summer when you can turn her on the spot.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

No hacking is less bad than no turnout!

No turnout is a nono for me as its a welfare thing. Hacking is though important for young horses I think as if you ever had to sell the horse they need to be OK with doing it. And it provides variety, without hacking I think they need to be ridden at least 5/6 days a week with plenty of variety and trips out to make up for the lack of variety at home.

 

[burtondog]

I don't really have anyone to hack out with these days and although my horse is pretty sensible I'd always prefer company when out and about.

I force myself to ride out just so I can alternate between schooling and hacking, I think my boy benefits from the variety.

I don't think all horses need to be hacked out but I do think that all work and no play can make some horses go stale.

 

[TGM]

A lot of former competition horses end up in hacking homes in semi-retirement when minor soundness problems mean they can no longer compete, but can still do light hacking. Obviously, if a horse has been used to hacking throughout its competitive career it is more likely to find a happy hacking home in its later years. Therefore, one disadvantage of not hacking a horse out regularly is that you limit their options in later life, so they are more likely to end up facing the bullet if you are not prepared to keep them as pasture ornaments.

 

[piaffe]

I dont hack out much, I am ashamed to admit. I really really lack confidence as it is all roads where I am and am terrified of meeting cars etc. I think this stems from having some bad experiences on the roads.

I hate the fact I dont hack out esp as I now have a youngster and I think it is so important. I may send her to someone to do some hacking out as I feel it would be counter productive for me to take her out as I am a nervous wreck.

 

[Jingleballs]

I personally think that you can do more when hacking than you can in the school - I certainly found my horse much fitter when we were hacking every dar rather than schooling

I do love schooling but if you were to give me the choice of hacking or schooling I'd chose hacking every time.

My yard has good summer hacking but in winter it's awful - you have to go on quite a busy road to get to the tracks and there is nothing relaxing about it!

Me and my horse don't get bored wandering around the forest but we do get very bored constantly going round in circles in the school regardsless of what schooling exercies I try!

 

[lauraanddolly]

I love hacking, but to have the horse closer to home I gave up on decent hacking. My yard has quite abusy road running past we have to use to get to the the bridleways and the really good hacking is down even more busy roads and my mare is not good alone with buses.
The summer is better I do try and hack more in the evenings/mornings when the road is quieter and I will hack out in company whenever I get the chance.
At the moment I am braving it on sunday mornings but this week found out the cows are out on our fav route and she hates those too, she got chased once so now she bolts if we have to ride too close to them.
I'm praying it doesn't rain xmas morning as I'm planning a hack to the beach - its only 20 minutes down the road but because of traffic we haven't made it yet. Its dead on the road here Xmas day!
Mostly thru the week we school, I try and make it as interesting as pos with poles and new exercises etc. She seems fine with this although we would both prefer to hack more!