Should sports horses hack out?

Tiffany

Tiffany

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Just seen an ad for a lovely mare for sale (not on H&H website) I liked the look of her but ad says 'don't ask if she's good in traffic, she's a sports horse not a hack'. Does that mean sports/competition horses shouldn't be expected to hack out? Valegro is a top class dressage horse but he hacks out.
 
Tiffany said:
Just seen an ad for a lovely mare for sale (not on H&H website) I liked the look of her but ad says 'don't ask if she's good in traffic, she's a sports horse not a hack'. Does that mean sports/competition horses shouldn't be expected to hack out? Valegro is a top class dressage horse but he hacks out.
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Suspect it just means she is a loony to hack.
 
So sports horses never see vehicles at an event then? How utterly ridiculous, they should just say the horse does not like hacking!
 
Tiffany said:
Just seen an ad for a lovely mare for sale (not on H&H website) I liked the look of her but ad says 'don't ask if she's good in traffic, she's a sports horse not a hack'. Does that mean sports/competition horses shouldn't be expected to hack out? Valegro is a top class dressage horse but he hacks out.
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My SHGB graded stallion hacks out - how on earth would he compete in endurance if he did not?? Foxhunter used to lead out the first Pony Trek on the season from Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales a huge trekking centre in the 1950's. How times have changed.

I do agree that traffic is a problem. On road my stallion has me as a walker or in the car to make crazy motorists behave themselves. Off road he goes alone.

I think that horses who hack have a much happier life and with it a calmer temperament than those who only see a stable and an arena.
 
Some horses can, some can't. And a lot of people really don't enjoy it either! Ours need to hack because we have no other way of keeping them fit really, although Smokes does most of his canter work in the paddock because he can get a bit whappy.

It's perfectly possible to not hack for whatever reason though and to keep them fit and performing despite it. Lots of people see it as the be all and end all but really I don't think it matters either way. If a horse's primary job is to compete and perform, their ability to hack doesn't change that. If the horse is destined to be a low level RC all-rounder it does really need to be able to go out I think!
 
I don't have any Sports horses but I believe doing a variety of activities, especailly hacking, is good for mental and physical health. A horse doing the same or similar things all the time will get sour surely?
 
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I can sort of sympathise/see where they are coming from. Not that a ''sports horse'' (whatever that might be) shouldn't hack out or be good in traffic or whatever it is that the buyer would like it to do; but it can become really frustrating, this whole selling malarkey...
Years ago, when I thought that dealing horses was a good idea, I advertised a nice mare as exactly what she was - a very talented, sharp young jumper, she had plenty of scope and quite good attitude to work, but was rather reactive; the number of calls I received asking if she would hunt, teach husband to ride, be suitable for a child coming off ponies, would she event etc, was mind numbing... I started to just reply ''I don't know, she's a SJer''
 
Ah that's a real pity. I don't mind whether a sports horse hacks out or not, the attitude is quite funny though... poor woman sounds exasperated! Lol!

I know it can get frustrating people asking questions and you do get time wasters but it's better to be polite and just say "you don't know". I've had some buyers ask the funniest things too but at the end of the day, an advert can only say so much, you can find more out of phoning up and asking and then a decision can be made whether it's the right horse and worth making a trip. It works both ways.
 
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I have a small sports horse.... She hacks.

I don't see why you can't hack a sports horse. All though I do agree that not all horses like hacking.

Another guessing that this is just the owner trying to qualify the fact that the horse is a fire breathing snorting dragon on the roads...
 
All horses need down time to chill and take a look at the world

I live near a racing stables and I'm always seeing top racers hacking quietly through the Village, Its a joy to see horses being treated as horses not just money making machines.
 
Most of mine hack out but one doesn't as he is just too unpredictable. He does go for a canter round the fields at home though. I do think a lot of 'sports' horses are very reactive and are not all suitable for hacking.
 
I think hacking is a change of scenery for any horse no matter what it's job is.
Anyway, as much as I liked the look of the mare, the owner needn't worry about me asking any questions because I won't be picking the phone up :)
 
I would not entertain the idea of buying a horse who won't hack - and as a seller I would think you severely limit your market. FFS when I was a tot we used to pass Milton out hacking - and he was a bigger deal than your average sports horse.
 
Tiffany said:
Just seen an ad for a lovely mare for sale (not on H&H website) I liked the look of her but ad says 'don't ask if she's good in traffic, she's a sports horse not a hack'. Does that mean sports/competition horses shouldn't be expected to hack out? Valegro is a top class dressage horse but he hacks out.
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Both my horses are "Sports Horses" and hack out. Bypass the advert like the plague. Horse is probably a total fruit cake in traffic for the reason that is has never seen anything and wears blinkers to every competition so it dosen't 'see' anything. LOL! :rolleyes:
 
Probably scared the owner,the only time they set hoof outside the front gate(probably sneezed) . Continual work in a school is very wearing on the legs . Also the lack of concussion on a hard surface is not good for legs either.
 
I would also hazard what they mean is the horse isn't an easy or pleasant hack so please don't phone if that's what you want.
 
This ad would definitely make me not want to call.

Yes, it's probably a lovely quality of horse - but I'm one of those freaks who thinks horses don't have ambition and if you want to hack on vallegro - so be it.

I was once told I "deserve" a gypsy cob because I didn't want to compete on a rather nice "sports horse".

I figured I could never go over 60 in a Ferrari too if I wanted to.
 
I think this sort of attitude has always been around. I remember many moons ago being turned down as a suitable home for a PBA because I wanted to do a bit of everything including long hacks. The horrified woman on the other end of the phone was like: 'but this is a SHOW PONY!!!'

As said elsewhere, horses are going to meet scary stuff on showgrounds, so they need to be exposed to life. Horses need the initial walk work to get properly fit, and it will help immensely if they can leave the arena to do it. That's even more important when rehab is added to the mix. And of course, at some point the horse isn't going to be able to compete any more, so what then?
 
It may sound a bit funny but at least they are being honest about the issue.

Maybe the horse is nappy and the owner cannot get it out of the yard to go for a hack!!
 
its just a bit of a snarky way of saying this horse does this, that and the other competitively but its not a straightforward hack and its not traffic proof. i like that its there in the ad tbh, but bet they get much less interest than if they just stuck to the horse's strong points and didn't mention what its no good at. :frown3:
 
Lolo said:
Some horses can, some can't. And a lot of people really don't enjoy it either! Ours need to hack because we have no other way of keeping them fit really, although Smokes does most of his canter work in the paddock because he can get a bit whappy.

It's perfectly possible to not hack for whatever reason though and to keep them fit and performing despite it. Lots of people see it as the be all and end all but really I don't think it matters either way. If a horse's primary job is to compete and perform, their ability to hack doesn't change that. If the horse is destined to be a low level RC all-rounder it does really need to be able to go out I think!
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That.

I agree the ad is a bit silly in the wording but I think the seller is trying to say if you want a horse that's good at hacking, this isn't it. Fair enough.

I think it's a useful skill for a horse to at least be able to walk around in the outside world but I know plenty of horses that are good at their jobs and don't hack out at all. If you want YOUR horse to hack, have at it, but I don't see what it matters otherwise.
 
Ridiculous - I would expect a sport horse to hack out to enable them to be fitter, bolder and more worldly! I wouldn't even ring up about that one if I was looking for a sport horse! Agree the seller hasn't done a good job of wording the advert.
 
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