Solo Hacking

[SaddlePsych'D]

My confidence has really picked up over the last few weeks, I am pleased to report. So much so I'm starting to think about whether hacking by myself is something I could aim for. As always, share horse's owner has the final say on this but I am wondering if I'm reaching a point where I could suggest this is something I'm ready to do. Ideally I like to hack out with others and will still aim to do this as much as possible - I like the company and having a chat, as well as the backup in case something 'happens'! But I'm also recognising this might not always be possible, especially when I go back to work and my own time becomes more limited again.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for helping me think about whether this is something I'm ready to work towards doing, or whether it's just generally not a good idea?

I know the local routes fairly well and have OS maps just in case, it's mostly off road on bridleways in wooded areas and the short bits of road are small lanes. The routes are quite quiet in the week and as yet share horse has shown he's not fussed about dogs, cyclists, walkers, cars, or trucks, and when there have been things he's be interested in/wary of he's just stopped then once encouraged will walk on while eyeing up said suspect thing! There is always someone else at the yard when I am there.

 

[Spotherisk]

Hacking alone is the best, my horses have always been braver when it’s just been me and them,just go for it.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Definitely something to aim for if your share horse owner says it's ok. I love heading out just me and the horse.

Things to think about would be being confident getting off and getting back on, either from the ground or from random objects. I would start with a short route you both know well and see if you can get someone to come with you on foot a few times first to give you confidence. Traffic can be slightly less respectful of a single horse so make sure you and horse have good hiviz on and be prepared to hold your road space, probably not an issue as you have good off-road.

The horse can be a bit different out by themselves but it varies. My old girl was much easier to hack alone than in company, competitive in company and had to be in front but very bold and confident alone. My current two, one gets more forward and bit more spooky the other is more nappy. Neither to the point if being a problem at all..it's just a slightly different ride. Your share horse owner will be able to let you know what to expect though.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Hacking alone is the best, my horses have always been braver when it’s just been me and them,just go for it.

Ah interesting! I'd assumed they'd always be less confident out alone although know it can vary of course.

 

[J&S]

I have ridden miles and miles and miles on my own over the years. It is truly a mind clearing exercise. As you are talking about maps, just a warning. check horse doesn't mind flappy stuff above and behind him! What I have done when riding in a new area is to print off an appropriate part of the map so you don't have to take the whole thing with you. Mark a possible route and follow it, check what mileage/kilometres it will cover and figure out how long it will take you at a smart walk with some trot on the hills. Start small and keep in your comfort zone and you will find you can expand in no time. Good luck.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Definitely something to aim for if your share horse owner says it's ok. I love heading out just me and the horse.

Things to think about would be being confident getting off and getting back on, either from the ground or from random objects. I would start with a short route you both know well and see if you can get someone to come with you on foot a few times first to give you confidence. Traffic can be slightly less respectful of a single horse so make sure you and horse have good hiviz on and be prepared to hold your road space, probably not an issue as you have good off-road.

The horse can be a bit different out by themselves but it varies. My old girl was much easier to hack alone than in company, competitive in company and had to be in front but very bold and confident alone. My current two, one gets more forward and bit more spooky the other is more nappy. Neither to the point if being a problem at all..it's just a slightly different ride. Your share horse owner will be able to let you know what to expect though.

I'm not sure about from the ground (haven't attempted!) but share horse stands nicely at mounting block and I'm told will do the same next to big logs and things like that if remounting while out is needed.

Owner has been coming out with us on foot so the majority of our hacks have been solo in terms of no other horses. I thought a next step might be for my partner (not horsey) to join us on foot although not sure how much difference that will make to share horse (it's probably more for me than him!)

 

[gunnergundog]

Does the horse hack out confidently alone with his owner?
Are you a confident rider?
Have you experienced any 'wobbles' with the horse todate?
What does the owner think of you hacking out alone?

 

[PapaverFollis]

How about starting with doing a very short loop by yourself while your foot soilder takes a shortcut and meets you at the other end? For the horse it's probably not much different as "without other horses" is probably more significant than "without human on foot".

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I have ridden miles and miles and miles on my own over the years. It is truly a mind clearing exercise. As you are talking about maps, just a warning. check horse doesn't mind flappy stuff above and behind him! What I have done when riding in a new area is to print off an appropriate part of the map so you don't have to take the whole thing with you. Mark a possible route and follow it, check what mileage/kilometres it will cover and figure out how long it will take you at a smart walk with some trot on the hills. Start small and keep in your comfort zone and you will find you can expand in no time. Good luck.

Share horse has TREC'd before - does that involve maps? If so I think he'd probably be okay, but my own map reading might be a bit dodge!

I was also wondering about the 'mind clearing' aspect of going solo but wasn't sure if I'd romanticised it a bit in my mind as I've never done it before.

For the starting small I was even wondering about walking to the end of one of the lanes and back but not sure if that could set up napping if we're still quite close to home? As far as I know share horse isn't really nappy at all but I could check that out with his owner. There's so many different routes I think it's quite easy to adjust the size of loop we do depending on how things are going.

 

[Roxylola]

I love solo hacks, I find it much easier to just enjoy my ride when I'm not worrying about everyone else

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Does the horse hack out confidently alone with his owner?
Are you a confident rider?
Have you experienced any 'wobbles' with the horse todate?
What does the owner think of you hacking out alone?

Yes I believe his owner does take him out solo without issues. Confidence with riding (and many other things to be fair) is something I've had to work on, but so far my experience with share horse has been positive. Wobbles have been there (in terms of me not the horse!) but overcome without things going wrong which I think has set things up for my confidence to really grow. Each time there's been a 'thing' it's been very minor I think on the scale of reactions horses can have to things and each time it's built my trust in the horse as well as my ability to say 'yes let's go!' if he's not sure about something.

Will need to check in with owner but at the beginning of the share I think we discussed working towards me going alone, and I believe a previous sharer did this. At the time I was feeling much less confident and was mostly grateful there was no pressure there to do it but was also aware that part of the sharing motivation is so she doesn't have to come up to the yard so often so me being more independent was part of the plan.

 

[PeterNatt]

I have mostly hacked out on my own in quite different areas from Central London to the desolate areas of Mid-Wales. I always wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that others can clearly see my hand signal. I also have a dog tab on the horses bridle and saddle with my telephone number and vets telephone number on it just in case I get separated from my horse. Also always carry a hoof pick, bail twine, biros, paper and these days a mobile phone! Happy Hacking!

 

[asmp]

Agree with PeterNatt above plus get the What3words app on your phone so if you need assistance, you can pin point where you are. I have a Hi viz case for my Phone which attaches to my lower leg.

 

[Trouper]

Absolutely as above - do get What3Words downloaded onto your phone and your partner's so that you can be traced quickly if the worst happens.
But, yes, start slowly and build confidence up.

 

[J&S]

Avoid going out and back unless really necessary, (like forgetting to put your hat on!) but "lollipop" rides are fine. i.e. out, round a loop or circuit, and then back along same stretch. The going always seems to look different to the horse in the opposite direction!

 

[Ranyhyn]

Start short, make sure to begin with someone at the yard is expecting you back in 20 mins say? Download what3words on your phone. Whistle while you work to keep any pesky nerves away and enjoy.

I choose to ride out alone and I absolutely LOVE it.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Just popping back to the thread to say thank you for all the replies, really helpful and encouraged me to have a chat to share horse owner about it today. She agreed it would be good for me to work towards it so I think we'll start with me doing short bits by myself and meeting her part way round the route and building it up a bit at a time. I also definitely need to work on my mounted gate opening skills!

Will look forward to updating with my solo hacking progress soon

 

[Coblette]

I found walking my exracer out in hand by myself really helped mine and her confidence as she used to be really nappy. We then started to walk half way and then I’d hop on

 

[Mule]

I found walking my exracer out in hand by myself really helped mine and her confidence as she used to be really nappy. We then started to walk half way and then I’d hop on

I found this very helpful for my herd bound napper too. I used to walk him along and let him graze, it made going out away from the other horses a more pleasurable experience.

 

[crazyandme]

I have ridden miles and miles and miles on my own over the years. It is truly a mind clearing exercise. As you are talking about maps, just a warning. check horse doesn't mind flappy stuff above and behind him! What I have done when riding in a new area is to print off an appropriate part of the map so you don't have to take the whole thing with you. Mark a possible route and follow it, check what mileage/kilometres it will cover and figure out how long it will take you at a smart walk with some trot on the hills. Start small and keep in your comfort zone and you will find you can expand in no time. Good luck.

Just to add onto this, if you really don't want to take a map case with you, and you are happy to faff around with your phone, take a picture of the map! And then zoom in/out as required to see where you need to be. All good until your phone runs out of battery however (Yes it has happened to me a couple of times!)

But definitely happy hacking, and enjoy exploring!

 

[Griffin]

Definitely download What3words and make sure someone knows roughly where you're going and when you will be back.
Hi viz is a must and make sure there is some on both you and your horse, just in case. I like a combination of colours because they are more visible.
As long as your horse doesn't mind, a brightly coloured schooling whip is really good for getting other road users to give you a bit more space.
Start short as other posters have said.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I have to hack alone as no one else at my yard hacks

I do actually prefer it though as I can pick what pace I want to go at and when etc

Make sure you tell someone where you're going and how long you'll be just in case

 

[Bobbit]

I love going on my own, peace and quiet and choosing where we go and at what pace. It's a lovely feeling of freedom.Defintely check with the owner and always tell someone where you are going.

 

[Splash2310]

I hack my share horse alone all the time! Only recently I’ve started going out in company.

We’ve got onsite hacking, but I’ve also taken him on the roads and further afield alone. As long as you’re sensible I’m sure you’ll be fine!

 

[Nudibranch]

ViewRanger is the OS app. It's great. I use the paid for version - a whopping £24.99 a year. Amazing value. No crinkly maps to wrestle with (and I'm a geography teacher by training so I don't say that lightly).

I've spent most of my life hacking alone, I had a grand total of 2 years on yards and the rest I've had horses at home, so not much choice in the matter. When backing youngsters I walk them in hand or long rein round routes first. Gives you both an idea of what's there before committing to saddle.

 

[babymare]

That's excellent news saddlepysch. Here's to happy solo hacking ? ?

 

[Ranyhyn]

OP you're going to have so much fun! Enjoy x

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Just wanted to pop back to this thread to update. Unfortunately things were a bit delayed as not long after my partner had a positive Covid test from work (he's fine) so no riding a for a few weeks. However today I made a bit of progress with my hacking by going out with my partner (who has ridden a bit but isn't particularly 'horsey') on foot, so my first time out without another person from the yard or share horse's owner. I mapped my OS route on my phone before we went out then gave it to my partner to keep us on track. Share horse was perfectly behaved, as usual not phased by much - including a man randomly strimming stuff in the woods. Despite this I felt quite nervous at times (used the singing tip from my 'wobbly moments' thread a while back which did help) which made no sense really. I still feel like it's a big step to going out totally solo, even though I can really see the enjoyable aspects of it people describe. I think I need to work out a really tiny loop that I could do to get started and see how that goes, or next time get my person on foot to take a slightly different path for a bit of a longer route. An achievement today anyway and I think share horse enjoyed himself too

 

[Cloball]

Just to add if you go into bing maps and click the desk top version box you can get the OS maps on your phone and get your location on the map all for free ?

 

[Cutgrass]

Well done for taking your first steps towards going solo! I'm in a similar position and am about to start going out without others from the yard. Share horse is green but likes going out so we're going to start with a short lollipop.