Schooling while hacking ?

[canteron]

Hi
I have always been taught school in the school and work on fitness when hacking.

But my horse hates schooling and the effort to make her go forward willingly enough to work on quality of pace is exhausting and no fun, so I am trying schooling when hacking when she is naturally more forward.

Any hints. How long is it fair to ask the to work in an outline (if ground ok), how much roadwork is ok and does anyone work in an outline on tarmac, in walk or trot? Is that arguably better for them as the forehand is lighter? I already do neck flexions and shoulder in but this is self preservation and other thoughts on exercises. We always hack on our own so need good control.

I am hoping then we can take these skills back into the school and eventually compete.

Anyone successfully schooled a horse to any level mainly out hacking?

 

[YourValentine]

I don't have a school and do all my schooling out hacking. You just have to be creative.

I mainly just walk on tarmac with short trots e.g. doing transitions walk - trot, halt to trot etc. And verges for trot and canter even short stretches of grass are great for walk - canter - walk.

Junctions can be used for circles, turn on the forehand/haunches if you need a bit more room.

Leg yields and serpentine up the road, bending in and out of white lines etc

All assuming the road is quiet enough to do this safely.

How long in a frame etc depends on the horses fitness/strength. I tend to do bursts of collection with stretching in between. But the "in between" is still a purposeful forward walk on the buckle not a dying into a slow, dead walk (if that makes sense).

 

[Pinkvboots]

I think if your horse is that reluctant and that difficult to get going to do a bit of schooling in an arena I would suspect their could be something wrong physically.

Yes schooling is harder and often some horses can find it boring but if she is really that unwilling it might be worth trying to find out why.

 

[canteron]

I think if your horse is that reluctant and that difficult to get going to do a bit of schooling in an arena I would suspect their could be something wrong physically.

Yes schooling is harder and often some horses can find it boring but if she is really that unwilling it might be worth trying to find out why.

I understand your point but she can school very nicely in the school, but as a cob with more whoa than go, but who is nosey so enjoys going out, I just thought I would work with her nature rather than against it!

 

[canteron]

I don't have a school and do all my schooling out hacking. You just have to be creative.

I mainly just walk on tarmac with short trots e.g. doing transitions walk - trot, halt to trot etc. And verges for trot and canter even short stretches of grass are great for walk - canter - walk.

Junctions can be used for circles, turn on the forehand/haunches if you need a bit more room.

Leg yields and serpentine up the road, bending in and out of white lines etc

All assuming the road is quiet enough to do this safely.

How long in a frame etc depends on the horses fitness/strength. I tend to do bursts of collection with stretching in between. But the "in between" is still a purposeful forward walk on the buckle not a dying into a slow, dead walk (if that makes sense).

Thank you - really useful, and yes I have let her ‘die’ in the walk but am working on that now as well!!

 

[KathyS]

Many years ago, when I was younger and competing, my horse Iggy won a dressage competition even though our previous schooling /training was out hacking.We had no option as our clay field was horribly muddy and we didn't have a school.It was only Prelim 4 but there were a lot of entries. Just to let you know results can be achieved despite the circumstances.

 

[Abacus]

I don't see any reason that you can't school effectively on a hack and it is also beneficial to teach them to be obedient and in 'work' mode when hacking as well. As others have said you can practise transitions, flexibility and straightness/bend just as well while out. If you have an area where you can also canter in circles you can work on this too, I have found the hardest thing is keeping the circles as small as 20m as this feels very small in a bigger space. I generally don't bother though, I prefer to work on larger circles which can then be shrunk for competition. I previously had a cob who struggled to canter in the school, and it was much nicer for her to work in a bigger space until she was better balanced.

 

[planete]

Our grass school is obviously unusable at the moment and my little cob is not naturally forward thinking. I now school him when out hacking. I started by doing it only on the way home when he felt more onward bound and now he has learnt what is expected of him and is more obedient we can do it anywhere suitable during the ride. I only ask him to work when he is sufficiently warmed up to have a nice loose walk and trot and go by how he feels to gauge how much to ask for. Transitions within the pace, transitions every few strides, lateral movements. I also work on my straightness which is very easy with him as he will go as crooked and one-sided as I sit and will automatically straighten up when I get it right!

 

[Esmae]

Back in the day nobody had an arena unless you were the army or the police force. We did all our schooling out hacking and I carried that on until I stopped riding 2 years ago. I think that schooling while hacking is far better for the horse in many cases. It keeps their mind more active not quite knowing what comes next.

 

[Chuffy99]

We’ve never had a manège but have been to HOYSand Badminton grassroots
Lots of leg yielding, flexing not wandering along on a loose rein, interspersing canter with lengthening and working, making use of warm up arenas when we go sj
The list is endless and our ponies never suffered from manègeitus

 

[paddy555]

I think if your horse is that reluctant and that difficult to get going to do a bit of schooling in an arena I would suspect their could be something wrong physically.

Yes schooling is harder and often some horses can find it boring but if she is really that unwilling it might be worth trying to find out why.

possibly the horse is simply pissed off with finding it boring. there doesn't have to be anything else wrong. Going out for a ride is interesting for many horses. Riders choose to go endlessly around a rectangular area (and I appreciate traffic problems may limit their riding) horses don't.

I don't have a school and do all my schooling out hacking. You just have to be creative.

many people don't have access to a shool. In years gone by very very few did. For that you needed either a lot of money and land to build your own or transport to get to the few schools there were.

Back in the day nobody had an arena unless you were the army or the police force. We did all our schooling out hacking and I carried that on until I stopped riding 2 years ago. I think that schooling while hacking is far better for the horse in many cases. It keeps their mind more active not quite knowing what comes next.

this. plus schooling out hacking and you end up with a good hacking horse as well.
Now there seem to be horses who are not happy hacking especially on their own. That was not a problem I heard of years ago because that is what horses had to do if you wanted to ride, ie hack.

so double benefit of schooling out on the roads, tracks, grassy areas you can find, woodland (especially good with logs and then bending around tress) streams.

a third benefit is that horses find it fun as well.

 

[dorsetladette]

I've always thought of schooling out hacking like teaching kids while having fun/playing. They don't realise it's learning and probably absorb more in that environment.

As others have said some people don't have schools so have no choice when the ground is wet but to ride out.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I often don't ride in the school from one lesson to the next. Instructor always waxes lyrical about how happy pony is in his work and I'm sure it's because he's up and down hills or practising his big trot on tracks than in the school than on a 20m circle.

A bonus is that I think he's fitter than other's that are ridden as much but schooled more.

 

[Gloi]

Schooling as You Hack: Getting Your Horse Fit [amazon]

I have this on my shelf somewhere

There's a second hand copy on Amazon UK at the moment for £2.79.

 

[Squeak]

I love schooling out hacking, there's loads you can do. Sometimes the landscape can help naturally, such as going through a woodland where they're weaving in and out of trees and stepping over tree roots. If you start off working in small chunks out hacking with breaks you should then be able to build it up. I often school according to what terrain is there. I don't have a school and my horse is so much stronger and healthier for it. He competes at elem dressage and BS, BE and showing so it is very possible.

 

[Snowfilly]

I’ve never had a school and my horses don’t go on a surface unless they’re at a show. If the field is too wet for schooling, they get schooled on a back and it has to work.

Things you can do easily - collection and extension, transitions, shoulder in / out, leg yield, half pass (you normally need a track with room for three - four steps but it’s do-able) simple change of leg in canter, flying change if you can get it without needing a pole, turn on the haunches / forehand, rein back, simple curving or straight lines zig-zagging on a track.

Some of those can be done on a quiet road too, think 5 strides walk, 3 strides trot, half for 10 seconds, walk.

Hill work is great for balance and strength too, you often get a much nicer trot and canter for going uphill. Also if you’ve got fallen trees or anything they can perk up the gait nicely!

I ask for an outline a fair bit of the time, varying depending on fitness, going and weather conditions - I’m not going to ask for a nice straight walk when it’s raining sideways and the horse wants to crab along with its bum to the wind, or when going down a track with rough broken ground but a good flat road is ideal for a perfect self carriage trot.

 

[Parrotperson]

Before I say anything the roads around here are so quiet I’ve met maybe 5 cars in 3 years on one stretch!

Which is just as well because no school here either.

Have even managed a bit of half pass when schooling out hacking. Now working in better canter transitions downward into which we tend to rush!

Obviously the priority is traffic. But yes schooling is easily achieved.

 

[Annagain]

I tend to do schooling on solo hacks to stop us getting bored. Archie would look for mischief if he was on his own and wasn't mentally engaged so it's just been something I've always done. Flexing left and right is something I do at the start of every hack. I'll pick landmarks (not always the same ones) to start and stop an exercise - so leg yield across the road and back from one driveway to the next, turn on the forehand round a corner, shoulder in between two lamp posts (or past something they might spook at), lengthen the trot a little (no more than a couple of strides due to concussion) before a corner, collect it round the corner then lengthen away for a stride or two. If I have to stop for any reason, I insist on a square halt etc. Obviously all this comes with the caveat that it's safe to do it and it's not going to inconvenience any other road user.

Wiggy and I often accompany babies out on their early hacks so do a fair bit of walk and I insist on him walking properly in a decent outline and really pushing from behind otherwise it's too easy for (and attractive to) him to bimble along.

 

[Barklands]

I LOVE using our quiet lanes to practice baby leg yields, just going from one side to the other and back again, however it is rare for us to see a car. I also do lots of transitions plus forwards and backs within the gait. Also love shoulder in/travers etc as we go along. I think its actually easier to teach them out hacking as they don't need to worry about corners and can keep repeating until its well engrained! That said, all of mine are very quiet to hack but have previously done this on spooky ones and found it actually kept them more focussed.

Re outline, I hack for the first ten mins on the buckle and encourage a stretch, they go the rest of the way in an outline but they have good self carriage with some stretching in between and stretching at the end

 

[canteron]

Thank for the useful, inspiring and informative replies. I think that I will definitely do more schooling out hacking, I love the phrase manègeitus, I think that’s what she has got.
It does mean I will have to get out of bed so so early to avoid the cars (and tractors and lorry’s) but in the longer term I think I will have a happier better schooled horse.

 

[Chiffy]

Glad you have had so many positive replies. I can’t imagine where you heard you should only school in an arena. Iam old enough to remember the days where an outdoor allweather arena didn’t exist. It was a field or out hacking. I used to school on the village green! Out hacking you can keep things interesting and get inventive teaching your horse to move away from the leg or concentrate on you some of the time instead of looking about. Then you can drop the contact and let him look around or go for a good canter to add some fun. Many a horse has been produced without an arena. Have fun!

 

[littleshetland]

I'm always doing a bit of schooling out hacking. If the boy gets distracted or dramatic about something (easily done) I get his attention by asking for an outline and a bit of lateral work for a couple of minutes, then back to the buckle when he's settled.

 

[expanding_horizon]

I really struggle to school out hacking, I use it as down time for both of us.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Hi
I have always been taught school in the school and work on fitness when hacking.

But my horse hates schooling and the effort to make her go forward willingly enough to work on quality of pace is exhausting and no fun, so I am trying schooling when hacking when she is naturally more forward.

Any hints. How long is it fair to ask the to work in an outline (if ground ok), how much roadwork is ok and does anyone work in an outline on tarmac, in walk or trot? Is that arguably better for them as the forehand is lighter? I already do neck flexions and shoulder in but this is self preservation and other thoughts on exercises. We always hack on our own so need good control.

I am hoping then we can take these skills back into the school and eventually compete.

Anyone successfully schooled a horse to any level mainly out hacking?

Who the heck taught you that?

In the good old days when no-one had an all weather arena, everyone schooled on hacks!


Eta, as the amount of traffic on even quiet roads increases, it is even more important to be in full control of an obedient horse while hacking. You don't want the horse to be surprised by being asked to move in a particular way as a double decker bus approaches.

 

[littleshetland]

Who the heck taught you that?

In the good old days when no-one had an all weather arena, everyone schooled on hacks!


Eta, as the amount of traffic on even quiet roads increases, it is even more important to be in full control of an obedient horse while hacking. You don't want the horse to be surprised by being asked to move in a particular way as a double decker bus approaches.

I'm often quite surprised by how many people who hack on the roads, and although their horses may be traffic proof, their horses haven't been taught how to leg yield. There are so many occasions when Ive had to move 'over' to tuck in somewhere, or 'shoulder in' to get past the tigers hiding in the hedge....to my mind, it's a basic safety requirement before going out on the roads.

 

[paddy555]

I'm often quite surprised by how many people who hack on the roads, and although their horses may be traffic proof, their horses haven't been taught how to leg yield. There are so many occasions when Ive had to move 'over' to tuck in somewhere, or 'shoulder in' to get past the tigers hiding in the hedge....to my mind, it's a basic safety requirement before going out on the roads.

totally agree.

If a horse is going to get into a difficult or dangerous situation it is not going to matter that much in a fenced arena with a flat uniform surface. Even if you part company you have a soft surface to land on and the horse is contained by the fence.

it is going to matter when traffic, the public and anyone else is involved. It is in the big bad and dangerous world that horses need these movements and total discipline to do them at a moment's notice so they need reminding (schooling) of these movements whilst out hacking. .

 

[Tarragon]

Just opening a gate from horseback includes many basic schooling steps, from leg yielding, turns on the forehand and backing.
I was trying to explain to someone who loves hacking, but apart from knowing enough to manage her lovely safe horse in most scenarios while out riding, has had very few lessons and cannot see the point of "dressage", and used the gate scenario as my case in point.

 

[conniegirl]

Every time you sit on a horse you are schooling it. Schooling on a hack is something everyone should be doing.
For me, my lad is always in an outline, How up and collected that outline is will depend on what we are doing but I do not allow him to slop along poking his nose with his hind legs 4 miles behind him.

 

[canteron]

Who the heck taught you that?

People who are focused on their hunting - or showjumping - who were my riding friends for years (till one by one they gave up). I suppose if you have a serious discipline like that then hacking is for fittening work?