is there a need to school if your are a happy hacker

[Ibblebibble]

Not one to hi-jack postings, but feel free to join my ladies-only organisation:
British and International Triumphant and Consenting Hackers {*****es}

lol think i've already been called a member of that group a few times

 

[tazzle]

one thing i really hate is the phrase'onlya happy hacker' like it's somehow an inferior type of riding!!! hacking takes as much skill as any other form of riding if you think about it, all the potential dangers that we encounter, if road hacking, and have to deal with, even off road hacking can throw some surprises at you in the form of unexpected birds/ animals appearing ,scary trees and horse eating alpacas!! Us happy hackers need to stop putting ourselves down by saying only hacking when asked what we do!!!!!!!!!!

totally agree

 

[TheoryX1]

one thing i really hate is the phrase'onlya happy hacker' like it's somehow an inferior type of riding!!! hacking takes as much skill as any other form of riding if you think about it, all the potential dangers that we encounter, if road hacking, and have to deal with, even off road hacking can throw some surprises at you in the form of unexpected birds/ animals appearing ,scary trees and horse eating alpacas!! Us happy hackers need to stop putting ourselves down by saying only hacking when asked what we do!!!!!!!!!!
ahhh rant over lol back to the original question, do i school, yes a little, just some warm up work on both reins ,either in the field or on the farm before i go out actually hacking. I find it helps big girl listen to me which means when we meet the scary alpacas the high speed reverse only lasts for a few strides rather then the length of the field With a bit of schooling first she's awake and responsive and does her fair share of the work rather than me doing it all

My thoughts precisely. I am a happy hacker and proud of the fact. I do school my horse, but he hates working in an arena, having been a riding school horse and rather 'Institutionalised' with it. So we do some lateral work down the lanes where there is no traffic, we find a nice field and do some circles, transitions make long hacks home more interesting and its easier to work in a contact after you have had a good old canter and loosened up totally (he is 18). I suppose I am lucky that at some time in his past he has been very well schooled, and although a lazy old so and so, he still knows how to do all the moves.