Pointless happy post - city hacking

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ghostie

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I just had to share my random happiness with you all :) I've had Spider just over a month, and am so very pleased with him, he is such a star. He is admittedly a stressy TB and has had his moments, but he is such a genuine sweet boy :)

He has spent the last three and a half years on a tiny private yard in the middle of the countryside with two other horses. Seen farm and country traffic in that time, but that's about it. Now he's living in a very busy London yard - 80 odd horses, four schools, masses of kids at weekends and all the sights and sounds of the city. He has been such a good boy :)

He has learnt to concentrate when schooling despite all the comings and goings and a cycle path that goes past the outdoor schools. We've also now completed three successful solo hacks. We didn't go out for ages because I could never time my riding to go out with someone else, but I decided it was getting silly so just got on with it. This morning was my 3rd hack and he is being such a good boy.

The half hour circular route I've been doing involves - going round the edge of a big field of horses with pony eating water troughs and cross country jumps on one side with a canal on the other side of the path, then a train line next to that, then you go alongside another busy train line, then back down a busy cycle path. Now admittedly we've only walked, and he has had a bit of a look at a few things, but all in all he has been a superstar and I am very proud of him.

He might stress himself out at times and be a bit hyper, but bless him he is genuine :)

No point to this very long post at all, just wanted to share some fluff :D
 
That's brilliant and no point going fast when you might lose control. At least your taking it steady, building both of your confidence's up and then you can go faster.

That's a lot for him to deal with after such a quiet life, so well done both of you :) He obviously trusts you. Look forward to hearing more about this lovely, genuine lad. x
 
Yes, he's rising 8 and came off the track 3.5 years ago so I guess he will have hacked out quite a lot in his youth, but still seriously impressed as I expected him to throw a complete fit about the joys of city hacking. This morning there were three trains on the various trainlines, various cyclists in high viz and an ambulance tearing down the main road a few hundred metres away (fortunately I don't have to go on the road!) and whilst he was very interested he was as good as gold. :D

Also very impressed by how considerate Londoners seem to be out horses so far. Every dog walker we've met has called their dog to heel and cyclists have always shouted out a warning before passing from behind and slowed down a bit.

Clearly I've cursed it now and we're going to meet complete nightmares whilst out and about and he'll be unecessarily naughty, but at least we've had a good start!
 
thanks guys, just feeling very smiley about him today. We're in no hurry to trot or canter whilst out and about, I think that's asking for trouble until he's very confident in walk so we'll be saving that for schooling for the time being. I would like to put his calmness down to me singing to him, but I suspect he deserves the credit ;) x
 
Not pointless at all, nice to read a happy post :D

We live out in the country and someone down the lane bought a cob that had been used to the city - ridden in busy traffic with buses etc and never turned a hair. First time in the country it saw a cow it nearly fainted :eek::p
 
Good on you! We live on the edges of Reading and our hacking is spoilt be the over-fast cars round blind bends etc, being away from the traffic in the centre it's just too fast to feel safe. However a couple of weeks ago I saw a lady on a grey hacking (on the little-used pavement or grass verge admitedly,wouldn't have fancied the road) through the industrial estate by the river right in the middle of Reading!
 
Nice post, I took my ex-racer on his 2nd solo hack, just a 10 minute block totter and he was a star. I made the mistake on our first hack of going for longer and all the goings on really fretted him! So we rebuilt the trust in the school and I hope we now have our hacking plan sorted, short and sweet to build it up then go on longer hacks and in company ones too.
 
IME, Londoners are generally pretty ok about horses - I think they have such novelty value that everyone is very wary!:D
 
Always nice, nothing better than going out by yourself with your pony and enjoying yourself :)

I nearly died laughing at the idiot who came flying round a blind bend on a single track road at 50 mph, saw my horse and sped up today. He nearly skidded into a ditch he was going so fast and Fergles didn't even notice him trying to spook him :D IME country traffic is far more treacherous than what you see in the city!
 
ghostie said:
Also very impressed by how considerate Londoners seem to be out horses so far. Every dog walker we've met has called their dog to heel and cyclists have always shouted out a warning before passing from behind and slowed down a bit.
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Us Londoners are always very surprised to see a horsey around these parts, so I'm not very surprised that you got those reactions! I think everyone is a bit 'in awe' of horses here :D

Which yard are you at?
 
A lovely happy post! Well done you! I took my boy into town the other Sunday morning and had a subway bacon sandwich - yummy!!!!
 
Nice to see a happy, positive post, well done, both of you!

I, too, used to have mare who could be ridden along the busiest of roads but once nearly trampled a Mini because a bull looked at her over a wall!
 
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