Sad! Just another Happy Hacker!!!!!

[katherine1975]

I am mainly a 'happy hacker' and would like to compete in small competitions/local shows in the future. We have only just managed to buy a trailer and we don't have a school so need to do some schooling first. We do go and have lessons about once and month.

I think a lot of people like to tell everyone how mad their horse is and they think that this makes them a good rider. It's boring to say my horse is really well behaved out hacking and will go past anything and is good in traffic!

 

[huntley]

Very good post and has made me realise I am not alone! I am in my mid-50's, evented to a very high level etc. etc. I now want a kind, gentle horse to hack out alone and do a bit of hunting. I love my hacking particularly alone, but having looked for the last six months I have not found anything. I don't want a warmblood or a full TB. The last three horses I have looked at I have been unable to get out of the yard - why???? I agree that arenas have alot to answer for - we did all our training either in the field or out hacking - it is great to teach horses lateral work going up a road! I really am despairing - I really do not want to bring on another youngster, but it is looking as if I shall have to. I do realise that some people do not have good hacking, but why are so many horses nappy?

 

[whiteclover]

I agree with the OP. All the horses Ive had have been good jumpers but spooky hackers and I mainly hacked out. Why arent horses trained to see the sights and sounds out on the roads, okay nowadays its not always possible what with ever increasing traffic on our roads.

 

[Jericho]

I am so so so lucky to have one of those gold dust horses he is currently 11 and so far we have done unaff and aff prelim dressage, SJ, eventer trials, arena xc, hunter trials, ODE. Ok so it's not to any great standard , but we do win rosettes and have fun

The best bit of course is that he hacks alone or in company, generally doesn't spook or do anything silly and is a saint in traffic and fairly forward going and that is worth it's weight in gold.

I'm competitive to a certain extent and love going to comps, but I also love hacking and finding new routes to explore so I totally see where you're coming from.

I / my mare is like this too - she is utterly easy to do, has no quirks, worries but I do actually think that as an ex eventer she has learnt to deal with 'stuff' in her stride and turns her hoof to anything hence hacking alone is no big deal - she deals with deer bounding out in front of her, heavy traffic, dogs, tractors - all in her stride and all in a bitless bridle. And she is absolutely no plod. She is no magnificent warmblood or stunning TB but she is absolutely priceless to me.

 

[Its Not Magic]

Very good post and has made me realise I am not alone! I am in my mid-50's, evented to a very high level etc. etc. I now want a kind, gentle horse to hack out alone and do a bit of hunting. I love my hacking particularly alone, but having looked for the last six months I have not found anything. I don't want a warmblood or a full TB. The last three horses I have looked at I have been unable to get out of the yard - why???? I agree that arenas have alot to answer for - we did all our training either in the field or out hacking - it is great to teach horses lateral work going up a road! I really am despairing - I really do not want to bring on another youngster, but it is looking as if I shall have to. I do realise that some people do not have good hacking, but why are so many horses nappy?

^^^^ You and me too. I have been looking for three years and will not settle for anything less than I expect. Bought one over a year ago, which only after four days and the first attempt to mount it reared up and went straight back over, crushing and nearly killing my daughter. Undisclosed mounting issue!

It is a minefield out there, nothing is as advertised, you waste time, fuel driving hundreds of miles to view a certain breed at 15.2hh and discover it is a 2ft pig disguised as a equine.

It is a nightmare!! So if anyone has a safe hack out there, let me know please.

OP Brillant post, great responses and I agree with all of you. Well done to those of you who are bringing your youngsters on the correct way.

 

[MrsMozart]

Maybe because it is hard work to get a horse to that stage.

My DWB used to scare the bejeezubs out of me - Friend used to use Big Cob as a body block . Most of the time it was like riding a snake on a rollercoaster

But I wanted to be able to hack out, either on my own or with friends, so I kept at it. A lot. Scared silly every day. Hung on in there during the Dizz's health issues, etc., all because I wanted to be able to, some day, spend good time mooching about the lanes with the Dizzy one.

Now I'm very pleased we put all that time and effort in. Given the limitations her wonky bits have brought about, without that ability to hack, we'd be very limited now.

 

[L&M]

In my mind there are several reasons why there are less good hacking horses out there:

Firstly, often due to the pressures put upon us by todays society, people seem to have less and less time to excercise/educate their horses, so sometimes a 20 min lunge in an arena is deemed as adequate.

Secondly less horses are hunted now. In my mind hunting is the best education a young horse can get as exposes them to all manner of situations and obstacles.

Thirdly the roads and lanes are becoming increasingly congested so requires a bold horse to cope with the levels of traffic.

I am very lucky to have 2 native types who can turn their hand to any job I ask them, including hacking, but both predominately hunt over the winter period. I am very fortunate to have off road hacking straight from the yard, but do take them on a road ride once a week to ensure that they are still exposed to traffic, barking dogs and low flying pheasants!!

Good luck in your search.

 

[tallyho!]

Kind of have to agree with Sidney...

Not as many hunts around, not as much country to hunt in, slowly but surely the motorcar has squeezed us off the roads. They're very rude about it too.

A couple of horses on the farm are what you would call "hacks". Mine and another lady's who is an old but gorgeous endurance pony. Been there done it. We live and ride in and around a city which is very busy. The country too of course but it gets boring iykwim...

NOt many owners would dare hack out where we are nevermind the horses. My friend and I persevere because it's our right to ride. If we don't all will be lost as so much already has been.

Hydraulic bus noises, sports cars, harley davidsons, joggers, cyclists, screaming kids in pushchairs, horse and carriage (Bath), oh and an ambulance once! etc we just muddle on in and assert ourselves as legal road-users. We are polite, wear hi-viz, our horses are well controlled and largely ridden on the buckle (more relaxed) and we just chat for a few hours. Its great. Did it on my own this morning though so felt a bit lonely...

It's one thing to have a horse that will gladly walk alongside a traffic jam on Saturday, but it is another matter for the rider to be able to do the same and be happy about it.

I certainly wouldn't let children in my care out there alone. Fair enough I go out but I can't bear to imagine the consequences should anything happen so I do take one or two with me but it has to be 8am Sunday. Tacked and mounted.

 

[SpottedCat]

Friends and I have had this self same discussion. Not only is it impossible to buy properly brought up & educated horses as happy hackers, it's near impossible if you want to find one compete.

Presumably this is why mine sold so flipping fast! Excellent hack, alone or in company, not spooky, would jump a course of SJs without spooking, including water trays, went XC including over ditches, worked in a nice enough outline to get 65% in his first prelim dressage test, and come 3rd in his second one, and tolerated anyone riding him.

I'd produce another one, except I discovered I hate the selling process and find it incredibly stressful!

 

[Holly Hocks]

I think hacking should be a basic part of any horse's education. I think they learn so much from hacking out. I can't see the point in expecting a horse to go round a spooky showjumping ring, or show arena if all it has ever seen is the inside of an indoor school, or outdoor arena. I've had my latest ex-racer just over a year. Our main past time is hacking. I do want to do dressage on her eventually - her illnesses and injuries permitting -but I feel that the more I can get her hacking out quietly and confidently, then the better the schooling will be as she will have seen a lot of different things..
I also think people are in such a rush to get the "finished article" these days that the basics are forgotten about.

 

[quelia]

It is sad that happy hackers are rare. I live in france amd three years ago bought a trotter. Since then I have grown to respect them. Have rehomed another since. They are calm have good stable manners and dont need to be worked everyday. Perhaps people looking for same horses should think about a french trotter. You still have to do your homework and cantering needs some work but they are calm and they can become very good friends. They also live out happily.

 

[burtie]

But (and this is the crux of the matter). How much would you pay for a good allrounder and Happy hacker, of a good age and conformation? Most people think they should only spend about £2k max. Competition riders are preprepared to pay much more. So if you produced nice good allrounders would you aim them at the 'Happy Hacker' where you'd be lucky to get a couple of grand or the RC competition rider where you'd get £5k + easily.

I think it is still very easy to find a good allrounder but you must accept that a safe horse is actually worth far more than one that just does some competing.

 

[Clava]

The term happy hacker does not have to be looked down on, I don't! hacking is not for the faint hearted and encompasses a bit of everything from lateral work to avoid cars / tractors, good manners while standing chatting to folk you meet, to bouncing the odd hunt jump (although I wish there were more on our routes) or dealing with flooded lanes and steep banks. I have known non-hackers (specialising in just dressage) who are too nervous to hack and some showjumpers who have never done a flat our full speed gallop for fun . Hacking involves all riding skills and to be happy hacking I think is admirable , pity more riders aren't skilled enough to be happy hackers .

I love hacking, any competing is just an extra side attraction.

 

[Kikke]

We have one of them, my husbands gelding is a Belgian draft, just turned 6 and he is amazing!!
I know we are very lucky to have a horse like it, he has won been placed dressage and showing. Just started jumping him and is brave AND great to hack.

I think people are to fussy really. We bought him as a youngster, flee infested, covered in bite marks and could not even go in a straight line or walk a circle.
We took a risk on a big heavy horse with no experience and anything but looks then. Now he is great and it paid off.

Sometimes you have to create your own happy hacker (because that is all my hubby wanted) and you end up with a great alrounder!

 

[khalswitz]

I agree with burtie. When I produce horses, hacking is part of their education - take my current TB, bought him six months ago straight out of racing, and he now hacks alone and in company on the buckle, jumps (no where near his full potential yet), has done his first XC and his schooling has come on to where we are off to do some prelim dressage (and he might actually be competitive).

However if I were to sell him on now, I wouldn't sell him as a happy hacker - I could get more for him as a competition prospect, so that's what I'd advertise him as. And certainly at te moment he's no more than a really nice, good nAtured and willing all rounder.

So there probably is the all rounders out there, just with different wording and a bigger price tag.

 

[touchstone]

I have no option but to hack out and my access to bridleways is along a main A road, or under/over a motorway bridge. I bought my Fell mare as an unbroken rising five year old and we still coped with all the things thrown at us, and did all our schooling out hacking.
She has been an absolute delight, and in all the years I've owned her (she is twenty in June,) the only thing she looks at is large leaves over the footpath, and will sometimes step slowly over new bridges that sound 'funny' or have steps up/down, but I can't blame her for that and she's never refused to do anything asked.

I did also ride an Arab x Welsh that was a nightmare on the road. He would take great pleasure in spooking at things in the hedge for fun, that he would pass everyday but the trouble was that the spooking was towards the traffic. I always carried a long schooling whip with me to keep his quarters over, but the difference was in the temperament rather than the schooling; some horses/ponies are just better candidates for hacking out I think.
All the competition horses I have ridden (eventers/point to pointers/dressage) have all been hacked out, partly for fittening and partly to prevent boredom. I expect any horse I school or own to be capable of hacking out in most situations.

I do have a livery yard about two minutes along the road from me and never see a horse from there hacked out and there are lots of them. They do seem fond of endless circles in the school though.

I think that sometimes people don't see the fun or the point in hacking, I love just getting sorted with a map and going off to explore new areas, having a pub ride, beach rides etc and generally enjoying the countryside just me and the horse. I'd rather have those memories than lots of rosettes any day, although getting rosettes is very nice too.

 

[Mahoganybay]

I'm afraid i also have a 'gold dust' horse, he is a super allrounder, done a bit of everything to a adequate level, does not really excel at any one thing just gets on with the job in hand at each discipline.

He is also fab to hack, bombproof in traffic. Don't get me wrong he is not a saint and has a bit of a excitable buck in him! In my lifetime, myself and my daughter have had 5 horses/ponies and they have all had to hack out safely & calmly in company and on their own, i actually would not take on a horse that wouldn't.

I wonder whether it is the age of horse owners these days, quite a lot more 'mature' ladies (of which i am one lol) are riding now and have more awareness of the things that can go wrong out on a ride. Also, the roads are so much more busy these days.

The yard that i stable on has 15 horses, out of them there is only me that will hack out alone on the roads. I will go out anywhere in all weathers (although not on ice).

 

[jojo5]

Hi Minky Moo - are you still out there? (Noticed this thread started in 2011). Can I be a member of the British Hacking Consortium???!!!! Never, ever, ever do I want to see the words 'just' and 'hack' in the same sentence again!!! Aren't we and our horses supposed to 'enjoy' our riding? And, yes, I know there are horses and peeps out there who love jumping or cross country or whatever, and that is good. But I am thinking of those who buy 'into' a fancy horse, and then find it way too scary. A bit like the current 'instant celebrity' culture, methinks...............

 

[crabbymare]

But (and this is the crux of the matter). How much would you pay for a good allrounder and Happy hacker, of a good age and conformation? Most people think they should only spend about £2k max. Competition riders are preprepared to pay much more. So if you produced nice good allrounders would you aim them at the 'Happy Hacker' where you'd be lucky to get a couple of grand or the RC competition rider where you'd get £5k + easily.

I think it is still very easy to find a good allrounder but you must accept that a safe horse is actually worth far more than one that just does some competing.

sadly I have to agree with this and I made a post the other day along the same lines. if I were to put a how much post on here for a horse I wanted to sell along the lines of 15-16 hands mare/gelding 6-12 years old hacks out alone and in company, good in traffic, accompanied by a picture of an average conformation horse I would be likely to be told it would be worth anything from £700 to £2000 whereas if I was looking through the adverts and trying to find one there would in reality be very few that would meet the criteria of being equally good hacking alone orwith others. warmbloods are often thought of as school only horses as there is a lot less hacking generally available on the continent but there are now starting to be sales for horses who are good to ride and can be hacked out Hannoverian Erleben where the horses can be tried and buyers deal directly with the seller instead of an auction and the price ranges are (euros) 5000-10000 euros and 10000 to 15000 these are horses for hacking and lower level competitions. last time the sale was on you could try the horses on the trails and not just in the arena. where here would people expect to pay that sort of money for a normal well mannered horse to hack? if people would pay that sort of price more producers would want to spend their time to put hacking horses on the market

 

[putasocinit]

Horseless jorge, do yours go out alone or in company? My cob is a dude, lovely boy, **** scared of traffic, but better with company, makes it hard to hack on ones own, as good a rider as i am anything could happen horse could slip and fall down on the road, then you have a loose horse dodging traffic, the reason he is like this is because previous life he was a show cob and all he ever knew was an arena. So sad.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Hacking is one of the most important strings to any horse's bow, in my opinion. I would not consider buying a horse that wouldn't hack out alone/company well.

 

[Amy567]

I think you're looking in the wrong places, or maybe with the wrong budget? When looking for horses, I came across plenty exactly like this. I call these horses 'Riding Club Horses', they can do it all in a good fashion and can hack alone and in company. They can be called 'competition horses' but they really aren't, they don't have the attitude to go out and win etc. Another thing is to get a good looking horse and do exercises with it to 'despook' it (as I am with mine). For example, a plastic bag, show it to them, rub it all over their body, they get used to it, then crumple it to make rustling noise etc. Baby steps, I did the same with a foot ball (flat one) and now I can confidently throw it at the horse (from about a foot away) and let it roll down his side, bounce on the floor etc. He's getting less spooky every day, he has good conformation and good paces, needs a little extra schooling and he has potential t go out and win (which is what I want in a horse). Maybe get one that's almost there and just improve it?

 

[catkin]

I'm now too old and set-in-my-ways to worry about what other people label me - but I do often wonder what motivates some people to actually have horses sometimes.



We have a little hunting print hanging on the stairs here. It's nothing special, just a mid-20thC line drawing - though it has the most wonderful title:
"Happiness comes to those who hunt [ride] for their own pleasure and not to astonish others"

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

I'm just wondering if it all went wrong when the phrase "happy hacker" appeared.
In the past (70's/80's), everybody was a happy hacker, it would have been a meaningless description.
Where else was there to ride?

The roads were there to work your horses, why on earth else would they have been built?
It's cars that were the interlopers, we owned the roads.

I also think there is far too much emphasis on how dangerous horses are, what can go wrong ect.

We kind of all know this, but it should be kept firmly in the dark recesses of your brain and rarely mentioned.
The whole emphasis on hats/high vis/body protectors ect. has let that cat out of the bag somewhat.

I see women trussed up like medieval knights in gear designed to keep them safe on quiet rides on quite ploddy horses/ponies. It's not a healthy attitude. It might be a healthy approach, but not good as an attitude.

People need to be braver and not look at a horse and worry about one's mortality. And even if you do, keep it to yourself.

 

[Fransurrey]

I also have a gold dust hacking pony. This morning he proved that at 21 he's still 'got it'. From the moment we got off-road, we did most of our hack in trot, canter and a bit of gallop and on the way back we met a Calor gas lorry. Henry was more interested in depositing a big poo on the bank than the rattling bottles and air brakes. He didn't start his hacking life that way, it took a lot of work, which possibly is where the problem lies. I've never competed and so all my time and energy was put into getting him used to traffic and obstacles. It was worth every minute, every fall, every swear word (!). The YM at my place thinks he's brilliant. I reckon it's only a matter of time before she wants a go, lol! He's the fittest horse on the yard (and the smallest!), the only one who hacks alone without bother. He goes everywhere (the others have numerous tracks that they won't go on) and probably would do anything, but the owner lacks ambition (he's devastated that he never got to go to HOYS, Royal Windsor, Olympia...not...).

Actually I've just remembered that twice this morning the YM dropped something loudly right next to him and she was so impressed that he didn't go into orbit (my other pony would, but she's not had the same street exposure that Henry has).

It's funny, I thought being somewhere with a sandschool I'd do all that 'normal' horsey stuff, schooling and the like. I've been in there twice since the beginning of March. Once because Chloe was being an eedjit, so I did some clicker work with her and then again with Henry, when my back went ping and I couldn't ride, lunged him. There's just too much beautiful stuff out there to waste time going round in circles!

 

[touchstone]

I'm just wondering if it all went wrong when the phrase "happy hacker" appeared.
In the past (70's/80's), everybody was a happy hacker, it would have been a meaningless description.
Where else was there to ride?

The roads were there to work your horses, why on earth else would they have been built?
It's cars that were the interlopers, we owned the roads.

I also think there is far too much emphasis on how dangerous horses are, what can go wrong ect.

We kind of all know this, but it should be kept firmly in the dark recesses of your brain and rarely mentioned.
The whole emphasis on hats/high vis/body protectors ect. has let that cat out of the bag somewhat.

I see women trussed up like medieval knights in gear designed to keep them safe on quiet rides on quite ploddy horses/ponies. It's not a healthy attitude. It might be a healthy approach, but not good as an attitude.

People need to be braver and not look at a horse and worry about one's mortality. And even if you do, keep it to yourself.

Excellent points AIP; I do think that liability insurance/hi vis are essential nowadays, but it does tend to put the fear of god into some riders when you mention hacking out, we are definitely losing out to the traffic if we allow ourselves to be driven off the road.

When I was younger I never used to know about the safety/statistics of horses/riders injured, you just got on and did with whatever horse/roads you had.

 

[Lego]

I had this problem when I was looking for my new lad...

I wanted something that would be capable of up to RC type competition, would hack sensibly alone and in company, and was sensible and sane enough for me to cope with as a fairly chicken rider, buying my first after several loans...

The good horses that fitted the bill went before I could even book a viewing, and most of the ones I went to see were really not suitable for one reason or another; bad sarcoids, fab hack, but real shuffler so no dressage, sensible and bombproof but could barely get it out of walk or in a circle...the list goes on!

I ended up getting an irish cob from a dealer - bit of a risk but it's paid off so far He'd only been hunted before arriving, so fab outside and bold as anything when he's been taken over xc fences, but hardly any schooling. Took the risk as he moved nicely and had a great temperament, and just hoped that the schooling and personality would develop with time and one-on-one... He was as close as I could find to what I wanted, and I decided I'd rather something that was experienced outside, but green in the school than the other way round

Think the good horses like these are like gold dust - people hang onto them!

 

[RunToEarth]

In my mind there are several reasons why there are less good hacking horses out there:

Firstly, often due to the pressures put upon us by todays society, people seem to have less and less time to excercise/educate their horses, so sometimes a 20 min lunge in an arena is deemed as adequate.

Secondly less horses are hunted now. In my mind hunting is the best education a young horse can get as exposes them to all manner of situations and obstacles.

Thirdly the roads and lanes are becoming increasingly congested so requires a bold horse to cope with the levels of traffic.

I am very lucky to have 2 native types who can turn their hand to any job I ask them, including hacking, but both predominately hunt over the winter period. I am very fortunate to have off road hacking straight from the yard, but do take them on a road ride once a week to ensure that they are still exposed to traffic, barking dogs and low flying pheasants!!

Good luck in your search.

*like*

I'm another one that thinks hunting is really important for a horse's education. I won't buy a horse that hasn't hunted for at least a season, and a proper season at that, not five times out over the winter.

I wouldn't buy anything that didn't hack out alone/in company/ with a four headed lion because I just think it is the foundation for a good horse.

I don't enjoy "happy hacking" in the sense of riding on roads because I just think there are too many idiots out there, but I pick my routes and I get on with it, riding on an arena surface 90% of your life isn't for me at all, and any horse that only goes well on a surface is not the horse for me.

 

[LongInTheTooth]

Haven't read all the posts.
I was told bluntly by my YO recently that my four year old was 'far too good for just hacking'..............
Er, she's only FOUR and I thought hacking provided the foundation for training towards all the other disciplines we are bound to excel in! (When I get my riding mojo back again that is )

Hacking is hardcore. That is all.

 

[lhotse]

It is possible to find the perfect 'happy hacker' out there. I brought a 6 yr old arab mare last year, she had been backed the previous autumn, and had been carefully shown the sights. She was the first horse I went to look at after I lost my old mare at 26 (who was also the prefect hack, if a little lively!) and I can honestly say that she is everything I could ever have wished for. She was a little green, but we started out slowly, going out with other horses, and someone on foot, then straight to hacking alone. She had a few naps, I won without a battle and now she will go anywhere, past anything, even goats, which she hates. We are now focused on doing our first endurance ride at the end of July. I don't jump, do dressage or eventing, but just love to get out in the countryside, and for that I have the perfect horse.

So, go and get an arab, you'll not be sorry!!

Edited to add, I also believe that the reason so many horses have leg problems these days is because they don't get to do any roadwork, they are only ridden on a surface. Roadwork gets horses legs hard, and hacking gets horses superfit to participate in anything. My horses are always the fittest on the yard, my old mare was hacked 20 miles twice a week and never had a lame day in her life!!