Taking dogs out hacking with you?

[santas_spotty_pony]

Who does it?

I’ve just started doing it and was wondering how common it actually is. I’m lucky that I can get off road more or less straight away after a short stretch of very quiet road and he absolutely loves it. I take a lead with me and a pocket full of treats, and I can hop on and off if necessary.

We go for around an hour and I keep it quite steady but it’s lovely going along with both horse and dog… and gets two jobs done in one go.

 

[Jenko109]

I don't ride much these days, but yes, regularly hacked with a dog or two. Or three...

I have always been one for being out at unsociable hours though. We would be out hacking at 5am so we didn't have to contend with the rest of the world.

 

[TheresaW]

I’ve never been able to do it, but would love to. We have huskies, which can’t be off lead, and a collie who has the herding instinct and would constantly nip at heels.

 

[gallopingby]

We used to do this but over thirty years ago now. If you’ve off road hacking it’s great fun but l wouldn’t like to attempt these days if anywhere near a public road. Our dogs were well trained and would come to heel behind the horses if told to but they were brought up hacking out from a young age and the horses were used to them coming along.

 

[Jenko109]

Oh. Or 5

 

[silv]

All the time, I have access to off road hacking and a beach. I take two with me and shortly my young dog will be trustworthy enough to come too. We all absolutely love it. I wouldn't go though if it involved roads.

 

[tda]

I have taken a terrier with me, all off road a couple of times.

Tbh tried it with my boy dogs and it was like I'd disappeared once mounted so no

 

[Slightlyconfused]

The ones that were well behaved yes, have done. My grandmas lurcher was a brilliant hacking buddy

 

[Jenko109]

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I used to 30 plus years ago, with GSD and the grott, then 2 GSD's.
These days tho I have the same hacking, I wouldn't take any dogs out with me mounted now as too many eejit owners out there with untrained dogs.

 

[fidleyspromise]

Yep, this day my partner came with us so dog looking at me and running to him.

She goes on lead lovely beside me, rucking in when we go on narrow, overgrown paths. She runs beside when I canter on or off lead.

She would jump up so her paws were on my thigh so i could clip/unclip lead but started teaching her to jump on high banks etc.

We cross a road from yard to forest so she starts on lead. I tend to choose paths that are very, very rarely used by others.

Tia even swam when Til went in deep, but Tilly didn't like the shark chasing her in the water.
We went down unused railway lines and Fraggle came out one day. I had Til in hand for a walk and popped on for 30 secs to see Fraggles reaction to accompanying us. He wasn't fully convinced but trotted along behind.
(If Mr FP is with us Fraggle wo t even consider coming with me and Til).

 

[poiuytrewq]

I tried it with my old collie. She turned round and came home after not very far
Apparently walks were only walks on foot. She wouldn’t come with the quad round the farm either!

 

[Time for Tea]

Yes, I always have done, in the New Forest. My current GSD isn’t very interested in sticks, but the previous one would bring you an enormous stick, hopeful you could have a tug of war and throw it from horseback!

 

[catembi]

I have done it, but only with one of my parents' collies which was obedience trained & super, super obedient. Would 'heel' if told to do so & stick like glue. She really loved a good long run at horse speed.

 

[Sprout]

I used to … ride and lead with my daughter’s ponies and Rosie our Golden Retriever with me. I was able to hack straight onto bridlepaths, and Rosie would come to heel when asked … it was such a special time.

 

[Spotherisk]

Occasionally… only took my old lurcher once probably 20 years ago, he bogged off after a cat in the village and I had to trot on swiftly to get out of that one!

There are a few that still ride out with dogs on the road near me, and one of my friends rides out with their three HPR dogs, and another with their HPR and two pugs. Not much road work on their riding though.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I ride with mine all the time. I cal him our emotional support animal as the horses look to him to tell them it’s safe.

 

[HopOnTrot]

My old boy used to do it, he did a bit of agility so knew stop/go/left/right.

 

[Time for Tea]

Yes, you need a well trained dog. I have found mine useful, they give the pony a lead, mine definitely prefer going out with the dog than alone. Well, obviously I’m there, but they like something else as well, if they can! I have had collies, before my GSD phase, they would all do an instant down, which can be very useful in all sorts of situations. I just have a short bit of quiet road, on which I use a lead. The pony is very used to parking himself by a lumpy verge so I can unclip the dog, or clip up again on the way home. My sisters collies used to put their paws up on her horses shoulder to be unclipped, but my Forester doesn’t like that, he rushes sideways and derails the whole process.

 

[scats]

I once took my friends cob out for a blast around our fields and her little dog accompanied me. Having a canter along with a doggy beside us was magical and I’ll always remember it.
Not sure I’d trust my own though!

 

[First Frost]

Do it sometimes when I can hack out totally off road.
My dog is very obedient, even at a distance - I wouldn't do it with a dog that wasn't.
My connie and my spaniel love a good canter together, and the dog is fabulous at flushing pheasants before we get to them, which is much appreciated by the horse and myself.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I used to. I had a collie cross spaniel. He would go on my left along the roads. As soon as were off road he was free range. When I cantered he always came on the left. We all loved it. It was a long time ago now. I could probably hack with our lab but not with my parsons!!

 

[JFTDWS]

I used to with my collie. He was perfect. He was very polite off lead and ran with the pony, and would come and jump up to be put back on a lead for any roads. Sadly he’s gone now, but I miss hacking with him.

 

[MissTyc]

I did it every day of the 90s with my Goldie, but since then not so much. More traffic, loads of sheep (dogs are fine with sheep but I still wouldn't risk it) ... I sometimes bring them in the summer but realise I tend to focus more on the dogs than the horse.

 

[Caski]

I did it once and once only!

Lovely ride until we met the hunt, dog vanished in an instant and I had to find a whip to ask 'can I have my beagle back please?'

My goodness, was I red-faced...

 

[RHM]

I love riding out with mine. I have 2 spaniels and one is an angel and the other refuses to come unless there is someone on the ground too

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I used to hack with Winnie all the time she loved it until I met someone with 3 big dogs who chased her really badly, I lost her and she ran back home on her own and since that day she won't come with me unless someone else is on foot

I was going to train Mavis and then see if Winnie would then want to come but I haven't got round to it.

 

[southerncomfort]

Nope.

I imagine that as soon as my JRT picked up an interesting scent, that would be the last I'd see of her!

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I used to with my collies many years ago when I lived in Norfolk, endless off road hacking and beaches too. I wouldn't even attempt it these days with more numpty dog owners around, even if I was able.

 

[Clodagh]

I used to, back in the farm. Loved it.
My kelpie was great, my lurcher a liability.