Should I feel guilty about not hacking out?

LadyGascoyne said:
I had a really scary experience last week. My friend and I were out hacking. We were along the bridleway which runs next to a highway. It's securely fenced off, thank goodness. A trucker decided to blow his horn at us, not a like a car's hooter, like a fog horn, and wave out the window shouting something about sexy girls.

I have been working non-stop to desensitize my neurotic mare to traffic. She is down right dangerous on roads so riding along the bridleway which is fenced off is the best I can do. To be fair, I was so proud of her. She reared and shook like a leaf but came right back and settled when I asked her to. The other horse- an old pro who is fine on the roads, was actually worse. We went home immediately. I could have cried.
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What a douchebag. I think I would have shouted some choice words from the back of my rearing horse.
 
As long as you can offer your horse a varied work load then I don't think it will matter if he is not hacked out. I would be complaining to local council though...
 
I don't think you should feel guilty OP. If you're happy pottering around fields or arenas with your horse, and providing your horse is happy doing this, then why feel guilty? I couldn't do it and my riding horses would hate it. If all I had to ride around was fields and the arena then I would sell my riding horses.
 
Thanks for all your replies - been so busy so only just had a chance to reply!

A few of us that have horses have tried going down the council route - unfortunately the local community council wont support us - they don't want horses on the roads (yes we get that hence why we want bridlepaths hello?!) and the farmers don't want horses going through their land.

THe council wont back us either. We have one woman round our way that is very vocal shes horsey too but refuses to ride on the road for the same reason as me and we thought she would be the very one person that can help us but we have had meeting after meeting with the council and we are shot down every single time. We have made petitions, we've tried rallies, we literally have tried everything so I don't know what other options we have.

We got onto the BHS who came down and visited to see what she could do - she has been at all the council meetings too but it just didn't help.

it's really odd for such a nice village the people within it are so anti horse its unbelievable!
 
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