Middle-aged girl racers

[pennyturner]

I like the term 'extreme hacking'.

Nothing sedate about our hacks either. Much racing, jostling and ribaldry takes place - and then the children tell us to be sensible! Sometimes we leave the saddles behind for a bit of a challenge.

I'd be bored rigid in a school.

 

[Penny Less]

You are all making me want to start riding again! In younger days a friend and I used to go off for 2 or 3 hours through various sets of woods. My horse was terrified of everything but used to tuck in behind my friends and many is the branch that has socked me in the eye when we've been cantering through woods not being able to stop. Sponsored rides were the best outings.

 

[Polar Bear9]

I wonder if it's anything to do with the loss of countryside and bridle ways? I'm 21 and have never been on a yard where you could manage a hack like the ones you're all talking about without boxing up.

We have what we call off road hacking and I consider myself very lucky. In reality it's just one short bridle way with a gallop field off it which is now closed to riders. You go all the way up then turn around and come back, it's a 30 minute ride. It's also unrideable in winter so the only option is up a busy road. We are one of the best yards in the area for hacking and the only one I've been on with direct access off-road.

I'd love to go on 3 hour hacks and jump everything but 99% of the time I school because that's 'what you do' and I have no other choice

 

[Rudders74]

At the livery yard I used to be at I was amazed at how I and one other that I used to ride with, were the only ones that would hack out for more than 45 minutes. We would be gone between 2-3 hours and have a good old natter putting the world to rights as we went. I lost count of the comments about "did we get lost" or "have a problem en route"! No, we just enjoy it!

 

[PeterNatt]

Kept my horse at Livery yards in North London for about 15 years and used to hack to Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park, Trent Park, South Mimms Woods and Bricket Woods via numerous different routes which involved loads of road work and would sometimes be out for 6 hours at a time. Then moved to North Hertfordshire and am still hacking 25 years later! When we were in London a group of us would take our horses on holidays to various different places which was great fun. When I was in London very few people hacked out and still less hack out now.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

By no means middle-aged at almost 28 but just wanted to reassure you all that some of us younger ones also do extreme hacking.

Over the Christmas break we all had ample time off so went for 3-4 hour hacks most days and weekends are a 2 hour hack minimum unless we've got somewhere else we need to be. Admittedly we're blessed with wonderful off-road hacking on our doorstep but I couldn't imagine just sticking to the school day in day out.