Should you school your hacking horse?

[Snowfilly]

I can't imagine what you'd do on a hack without a schooled horse? Leg yield, shoulder in and rein back as the absolute basics, and preferably a turn for opening gates.

You also want to be able to pop a log or ditch, lead in hand for really horrible bits of going, stand still to mount and dismount, cross running water etc. some of the routes near me also involved bridge crossings, a step up or down, or going under low branches where you need to lay along the neck and the horse has to keep going straight.

I've also used hacking (no school) to work on collection and going into medium paces, flying change on a straight line, and a bit of half pass. I suspect a better rider could have done more.

An unschooled horse out hacking is at best, boring, and at worse, dangerous if you can't get it out the way quickly. I can't think of a better way of getting all the muscles working than going across a variety of terrain and surfaces, up and down hill.

 

[JFTDWS]

I routinely school canter half pass and flying changes out hacking. I particularly enjoy zigzagging up the track. We do have excellent hacking though - lots of decent, wide, grassy tracks (and also lots that are narrower and less useful between them!). I have been known to ride roll backs and haunch turns on the mare out hacking too. It's easier on a surface - you have a more consistent surface and fewer weather issues, and you can stack up a higher intensity work out (that's a bad thing if it's not done sensibly!), and that is essential if you want to practice a specific test. I really don't think that repetitive circles on a surface is better for engaging the thoracic sling than hacking, unless the nature of the work is fundamentally different due to quality of hacking or riding.

I personally see no joy in hacking a horse which isn't fundamentally rideable - laterally supple, mannerly in all directions from the leg, soft in the hand and tuned into the rider.

 

[milliepops]

I was thinking about this while riding today (in the school -lol)
So much also depends on the horse in the first place.
I've mainly stuck to the school with ventures out hacking on quiet days with the latest project, because before he can learn to do anything useful while hacking the first priority has to be his and my safety.
I feel the best place to install the basics on a retraining project is contained within 4 walls. If something goes wrong or if we have to stop it's no big deal. If I have a disaster when we're miles from home then that's bad news, and I also don't want to find out that my emergency stop is failing when I'm careering into traffic

I want to be able to hack this one more, it will be so good for his body. But at this early stage it's been prudent to spend more of his time doing *learning* without hazards or distractions, I feel. Also because our hacking is so very hilly, he found it very hard going to start with as he was extremely weak and I was finding he would not walk correctly because of that. The shortest loop is 25 mins and that was too much to start with.
We're now at a stage where hacking is able to be more constructive in his development. Letting him crab around up and down hills 3 months ago probably would have made us stagnate at best or been counterproductive at worst.
Horses for courses, as usual, I reckon

 

[palo1]

I would love an easier way to school - no arena here nor anything really that can be routinely used as one even though we have quite a luxurious stable and turnout setup. I am miles away from anyone I would like to have as instructor too so the combination of time and money means we have to be sadly self-reliant. That is often a problem with those that mostly hack out I think.

We do have fabulous hacking with loads of hills though so I try as much as I can to practise what I have learnt and understood over the years in terms of strengthening the horse's back and creating a degree of thoracic lift and strength. It's not that easy BUT some really simple things can help and do make a difference. I always try to ensure that walk/trot/canter transitions are as clean as I would like them in a test (not if I am out having a blast with friends but more when I am doing the day to day riding!!) that halts are square and that the horse is between hand and leg and as straight as can be when moving on. Quiet lanes can be used for leg yielding and shoulder in as well as lovely shallow serpentines. Junctions can be used to do the 'square corner' exercise or turn on the forehand/turn on the haunches etc. I have even managed flying changes in canter etc but you do have to think and plan which is quite sort of different to the usual 'going out' ride. I wish I could find a lovely instructor that could hack out and encourage/teach more critical schooling as sadly I can only judge myself and that can be misleading or demoralising!

My established horse much prefers this to any kind of arena based training - he probably feels the bored and uncertain vibe I give off in that situation! My new youngster knows no different as I have started her and ridden away entirely out hacking. I wish I could get the best of both worlds tbh! My vet says that she feels that too much schooling is actually a huge problem for both novice and more experienced combinations but so many folk have little access to hacking that is safe. I think on the whole I would rather HAVE to hack than HAVE to school to ride...

 

[scats]

Totally agree with MP that a lot depends on the horse. I am limited in what I can do out hacking in trot and canter with Millie if we are on hedge or tree-lined tracks as she’s an absolute idiot and does the most ridiculous spooks at birds, rustling leaves etc. But I can take her in the middle of a field and you can do anything with her.

 

[Lintel]

Plot twist!

Should you hack your schooling horse?

 

[flying_high]

Plot twist!

Should you hack your schooling horse?

Absolutely

All horses should work over a range of terrains, gradients, speeds and cross train as widely as possible. Variety of good work is best way for riding horse to stay sound.

Cross training snd building strength

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Horses for courses, as usual, I reckon

Of course - and it does depend on your access to decent hacking but I also think that all horses *should* be able to hack in a mannerly way. It is a matter of training, just as doing a dressage test is but some riders decide that it is unnecessary for their horse, for whatever reason and then decide that their 'schooling horse' is superior to their neighbour's hacking horse.
Horses that are spooky on hacks will get less so with training and practice, as our 2nd Appaloosa did, eventually a pheasant could pop up under her nose and she wouldn't bat an eye-lid. When we first got her, she jumped at anything and everything. A steady companion will also help, if you have access to such a thing.

We are in very hilly country and have to do some roadwork to access bridleways, which are not as plentiful or accessible as they could be. However we do have loops which take from 10 minutes to 5 hours, which is very useful. I might be inclined to do more school work if we had access to an indoor school - there is very little that is attractive about riding in an exposed field in the pouring rain or a gale!

 

[Mule]

I used to have access to a gallops with a gravel path around the outside of it. I used to hack on the path before using the gallops. I think that sort of set up would be great for a horse that was unreliable to hack or if the roads were too dangerous.

 

[milliepops]

I don't know anyone who thinks their horse is better in a snobby way like that, but then as long as everyone is happy and safe I'm not that bothered by what other people do or don't do 😁

 

[milliepops]

I used to have access to a gallops with a gravel path around the outside of it. I used to hack on the path before using the gallops. I think that sort of set up would be great for a horse that was unreliable to hack or if the roads were too dangerous.

Definitely, I used to use something similar.
Though the only injury I've had that's happened under saddle with one of my horses was on very expensive but apparently poorly maintained gallops so I've gone off the idea now 🤣

 

[Mule]

Definitely, I used to use something similar.
Though the only injury I've had that's happened under saddle with one of my horses was on very expensive but apparently poorly maintained gallops so I've gone off the idea now 🤣

Oh god that reminds me, the gallops had an invasion of rabbits at one point! Burrows and galloping have the potential to be a very bad mix

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I don't know anyone who thinks their horse is better in a snobby way like that, but then as long as everyone is happy and safe I'm not that bothered by what other people do or don't do 😁

You only have to read some of the comments about 'happy hackers' on this forum.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I think it all depends on your definitely of 'schooling' and what you want the horse for. I just rode 8 days in Mongolia for example and my mount was fit, responsive, balanced, sure-footed, agile, strong and sound... I don't suppose his owner is doing much leg yield across the Mongolian steppes but horse was perfect for the job already.

 

[milliepops]

You only have to read some of the comments about 'happy hackers' on this forum.

Well that cuts both ways really, plenty of similar comments about people who enjoy "boring" arena work, but i don't consider catty remarks on here to be from people I know
Live and let live imo

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Well that cuts both ways really, plenty of similar comments about people who enjoy "boring" arena work, but i don't consider catty remarks on here to be from people I know
Live and let live imo

just for clarity-I find dressage/arena work very dull-it doesn't mean that I think people that like it are I used to love it but it would be tough if I still did as don't have an arena (and frankly, wished I did atm).

 

[J&S]

I think it all depends on your definitely of 'schooling' and what you want the horse for. I just rode 8 days in Mongolia for example and my mount was fit, responsive, balanced, sure-footed, agile, strong and sound... I don't suppose his owner is doing much leg yield across the Mongolian steppes but horse was perfect for the job already.

No, not on purpose, but I bet that horse could move sideways and backwards just as well as any "traditionally schooled" horse just because of the terrain and his general upbringing.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Funnily enough I live quite close to where a well-known international show-jumping family started their careers at the time that I was beginning to learn to ride, whilst a rather younger but equally well-known eventer also started his career in the same area.

Neither of those families possessed an arena and taught their horses everything they needed to know by hacking or maybe riding in fields in the summer - if the stock weren't grazing in them.

I was taught to ride by the same people who taught them to ride, so you can see why I believe that schooling can be done whilst hacking.

 

[JFTDWS]

I don't think arena work is inherently boring (there's lots of crazy stuff you can do in an arena if you're so inclined - and I am). I don't even think dressage is boring - not if you're doing it properly, anyway.

However, I do think the "arena culture" we have is unfortunate for the horse in many instances. Many people - often new or novice owners, but not by any means exclusively - spend too much time drilling circles on deep artificial surfaces with poor understanding of what they should be aiming for with their horse, or how to achieve that. I think less harm is generally done to the horse by taking it out and hacking it on a loose rein over varying terrain and in predominantly straight lines.

 

[J&S]

I agree with JFTD-WS, however one of our local, wise and experienced dressage specialists once wrote in her weekly article that we should ride our horses three circles to the left and three circles to the right each day for suppleness. Obviously the horse must be "straight" on these circles. For a while I used a fairly flat open area in our local woods and then continued on my hack. Pony always did well in her dressage tests, no arena available for general schooling.
When I lived and rode on the New Forest there were quite a few little hidden "arenas" in the gorse which we would use, once again just as part of general exercise.

 

[Casey76]

I don't think arena work is inherently boring (there's lots of crazy stuff you can do in an arena if you're so inclined - and I am). I don't even think dressage is boring - not if you're doing it properly, anyway.

However, I do think the "arena culture" we have is unfortunate for the horse in many instances. Many people - often new or novice owners, but not by any means exclusively - spend too much time drilling circles on deep artificial surfaces with poor understanding of what they should be aiming for with their horse, or how to achieve that. I think less harm is generally done to the horse by taking it out and hacking it on a loose rein over varying terrain and in predominantly straight lines.

Sadly, with the increasing amounts of roadwork needed to get anywhere near decent hacking, and with increasingly unsympathetic drivers, it is often safer to stay in an enclosed space.

 

[JFTDWS]

Sadly, with the increasing amounts of roadwork needed to get anywhere near decent hacking, and with increasingly unsympathetic drivers, it is often safer to stay in an enclosed space.

That depends on your risk assessment (and on your roads). Horse-related RTAs are less common than arena-exacerbated diagnoses, but more dramatic in nature. Much like it's less dangerous (statistically) to fly than drive, but more people are afraid of flying than driving, because driving, and car accidents, are commonplace and "normal", and plane crashes are widely reported and catastrophic.

I'm not saying your risk assessment is wrong - I don't know your roads - but I think people should consider biases in risk perception in relation to these issues. Round here, the roads aren't bad at all, and the hacking is good. No arena, but I figured that was a fair sacrifice for decent hacking!

 

[ihatework]

You only have to read some of the comments about 'happy hackers' on this forum.

I use the term happy hacker a lot. I don’t mean it derogatory - in fact, the older I get the more I would class myself as one.

For me a happy hacker is someone who primarily hacks as a means to enjoy their horse. They are happy to do that. Nothing more, nothing less.

I do think there is an element of perceived snobbery or even reverse snobbery from happy hackers about ‘competition riders’.

Just enjoy your horse for what you and they are. Keep them as fit and healthy as you can within your skillset. There are plenty of shite competition riders out there and plenty of shite happy hackers. There are also plenty of great horsemen(women) out there in all disciplines.

 

[honetpot]

I never had a ‘school’, so all our schooling was done on the roads and the odd corner of field. It never held us back at competing at dressage,showing etc.
I think people are far too reliant on a surface and boards.

 

[Michen]

You only have to read some of the comments about 'happy hackers' on this forum.

Invented snobbery IMO.

No different to referring to people as “dressage divas”.

Nothing wrong with being a happy hacker. Actually, I am one, with a bit of hunting thrown in. Proud of it to!

 

[ester]

I never had a ‘school’, so all our schooling was done on the roads and the odd corner of field. It never held us back at competing at dressage,showing etc.
I think people are far too reliant on a surface and boards.

See I did find having a school after 7 years without one pretty transformative to our work even though I was then only schooling once a week and doing in hand work once a week and the pony was significantly older by that point. There were things I'd been working on for ages with only the field that we nailed pretty quick with a big school.

 

[SpringArising]

I think it's far more impressive to have a horse (and rider!) who can meet a variety of obstacles and scary things and be able to keep their cool, than it is to have a horse who looks nice in the arena, where relatively little can go wrong.

Don't get me wrong, having a horse who can do both is hard work, but hacking is definitely not the easy option.

 

[JFTDWS]

To be fair there is - or should be - considerably more to schooling than just "looking nice". I want a horse that can do both fairly happily as my bare minimum.

(I also want to be able to wave racquets around their faces, shoot arrows from their back, hold mock sword fights on them, carry jumps around, cut cattle, look after complete novices and generally be total legends... I may be unrealistic!)

 

[milliepops]

To be fair there is - or should be - considerably more to schooling than just "looking nice". I want a horse that can do both fairly happily as my bare minimum.

Lol, yep there's that lurking snobbery about people who ride in arenas again

I want mine to look nice in the arena, but only if it looks nice doing correct work which is difficult to achieve in a different way to the difficulties of training a good hacking horse I'm not sure why it has to be a competition between disciplines
My list of wants from mine seem a bit tame by comparison but tbh also feel a bit unrealistic! OTTB to GP dressage may be a stretch too far

 

[JFTDWS]

My list of wants from mine seem a bit tame by comparison but tbh also feel a bit unrealistic! OTTB to GP dressage may be a stretch too far

Says who? Why not? I have highland pony to war horse going on here, and that's just weird... Yours is not so much tame as just less absurd