Trying to buy a horse that hacks

My horse isn't the best in the world but he'll go down the A40 in company and can do fairly busy lanes on his own, I actually find it EASIER to ride him across the main road as the traffic gives him a much wider birth, in the country people don't slow down half as much and I've had some interesting situations!

The riding school where I bought him from is based next to a busy road, to get to their hacking the horses have to cross the road and ride down it for 100 yards, EVERYTHING from that yard is good in traffic and because a lot of the horses are leased by people they also hack out on their own!
 
You sound like me last year. I hadnt realised that my £1400 cob was worth his weight in gold when he wasnt retired and was up and running. I could not find one that was good in traffic in particular. Round and round in the menage and not many hackers. We have quite a few people that hack where I live but for the amount of horses I see in fields/menages the % must be small.
Most of the hackers tend to be the old fashioned type owners.
Good luck am sure there is one like it somewhere. I think genuine All rounders are hard to find. People would tell me it was good in traffic that could mean the people that drive to the yard's cars.
 
How about looking for a semi retired eventer? Will be able to do dressage and will hack. Never met anyone eventing reasonably who didn't have to hack a lot..

What do you mean by big? There is a youngster at the yard who is hacking alone and doing low level dressage. Originally thought would not be brave enough to event but having been given time, that might change as seems to be getting braver! He is 16 hands and a 13 year old is also riding him now, albeit under supervision and with training.
 
My boy just would NOT hack solo when I had him first; he'd been in a trekking centre and as such never had to think for himself just followed the bum ahead.

I had to start from scratch with him, it was a real headache and in the end I got my trainer who is an old friend to help me and by golly we got there! Now he hacks solo like a dream and the only thing that really fazes him are poppy little two-stroke engines (blimmin things!) and kiddies in buggies.

So what I'm saying is that often the "perfect horse" might not appear so to start with but if you go for something which is temperamentally fairly sensible, a good honest type, you'll win through with solo hacking in the end, but you sometimes have to persevere.

TBH I think the solo hacking thing is all about trust anyway, and if you can establish that you're more than half way there.
 
I had a horse in for sale last year who would have been perfect. He worked Adv Med at home and was a saint in the heaviest of traffic and out on the open forest. Unfortunately owner decided she didn't want to sell him anymore and he's now sat in a field doing nothing. If she does change her mind and your still looking i'll let you know!
 
Mine does, I can honestly say he is the most unflappable hack I have ever ridden, nothing fazes him at all and I always ride alone because noone else at my yard has a horse that hacks! He is also capable of a riding club level dressage test, Im sure he could do more but I dont have the ability to ride it or teach him. What breed? A TB, ex racer, sold to me after he had been reschooled as a Riding Club all rounder, the best £900 I ever spent. You could do worse!
 
Every one I've backed has had to be able to hack on its own, also all the re-habs too.

Current Big Fuzzy hacks alone or in company, and is happy to play with traffic too, tho can be cheeky with open backed trucks - if traffic is slow I have to keep on my toes as she will try to grab anything out of the back of them :o
I'd be happy to take her down the M25 - and she's been used to accompany locals who have traffic problems.

I will work & work on anything that has traffic probs as this is part of education and tho I dont 'have' to do roads, I make sure we go on them every so often.

However, Big Fuzzy's failing is hunting horns or sprightly horses appearing in front when out hacking - cue one Big Fuzzy turning into a speed-filled, box-of-frogs-on-steriods :D:D (and I crack up in hysterics of laughter:D)
 
I wouldn't own a horse that wouldn't hack out both alone/in company as it's mainly what I do. My boy is brilliant in traffic and can almost shut and open gates on his own! He has lots of experience and has been hacking regularly on his own and in company since he was five. He is also pretty well schooled and can do a decent Dressage test and jump a course of fences. I think is what most horses lack - the experience and time which it takes to get a horse confident out hacking. There are too many people nowadays which will not leave the four sides of the school. I bought a youngster last year and kept her at home. I had nobody to hack out with so she had to get used to going alone and she took to it really well - and because she didn't know any different, she never questioned being asked to go alone. This made selling her easy, as she had got quite a lot of hacking mileage under her belt by the time I advertised her. I do agree though that youngsters are easier to train to hack out quietly - as they generally have no bad experiences from the past, you can make sure every hacking experience is a positive one.

Hope you find something soon :)
 
my 4yo has always hacked on her own because when i backed her she never went in the school we just hacked and now shes seen everything and nothing is a problem - i think the only mode of transport we haven't encountered is a tank . . . theres a few out there but as people have said many people dont hack so wont know if their horse hacks alone or atall go and try a few and see if you can hack it you might be suprised - the only horse i have met that just wont hack atall is my YO Adv Medium Horse who was born in a barn in the cheq republic kept entire untill she bought him as a 9yo, had never been in a field had never seen traffic, he'd never served a mare but because he was a stallion he never had horse-horse contact and was scared of everything including other horses. and just walking out of the gate sets him off into a panic and he is a big horse so she hasnt pushed him, he even gives my car a wide berth walking to the field (which he now loves) :rolleyes:

thats a very extreme case and doubt you'll come across any like that! try something different it might suprise you! good luck
 
My daughter rides a horse every day on his own and he's a super star his owner has just made the tough decision to put him up for sale he is a cracker a true gent they may be rare but they are out there.
 
OWLIE185 said:
A horse either has temprement/genetics to cope with being hacked out by itself or not. They are either laid back and will happily plod along or will not. You can't change that.
What I normally do is put up 'Wanted notices' in the local tack shops/feed merchants as that way one can try them out several times and see how good they really are!
Click to expand...
my youngster was terrified of hacking when i got her. She now hacks solo with the odd spook and really loves her hacking. As a nervous soul she has learnt to trust me and the world now seems safer to her. So most will hack solo. I know many people won't though for safety reasons. There are lots on my yard who would do what you want so they are out there!
 
I second the ride & drive comment. You can be pretty sure that these horses will go out alone and be absolutely fine.
If I were you I'd make the hacking a priority when looking at potential new horses and school one yourself to do a dressage test. After all, there aren't many horses who won't walk, trot and canter!
 
Kat said:
I bought a youngster that had only hacked once before we tried her. She hacks very sensibly alone or in company on the roads and off. You may be better making your own sensible hacker.....

Alternatively I know someone who is trying to find a home for a veteren that is bombproof in the heaviest traffic. He is an ex driving horse, most that drive will have been in heavy traffic so might be an angle to explore.
Click to expand...

Approach driving horses with care unless they are used to being ridden out .
They wear blinkers when driven and it makes for fun when you first take them off , the first one I got hacking after a Long career driving spent the first three weeks going OMG that's what that looks like along side me.
don't assume you can put on open bridle on a driving horse and all will be fine you need to approach it cautiously until you know how they react.
 
I have had several R&D horses. Every single one has been absolutely bombproof to ride in all circumstances. The first one had been driven along the Golden Mile in Blackpool, for most of every summer for several years until he came to us. Nothing fazed him and certainly not an open bridle. I don't think any-one suggested re-schooling a driving horse to ride.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I have had several R&D horses. Every single one has been absolutely bombproof to ride in all circumstances. The first one had been driven for most of every summer for several years until he came to us. Nothing fazed him and certainly not an open bridle. I don't think any-one suggested re-schooling a driving horse to ride.
Click to expand...

My first driving horse although broken to ride had not been ridden for some years he was most funny at first did not like things along side him at all refused to go though gates unless they where opened wide for him in time he got it but it did take time , my second one I broke to ride at ten he was difficult , my current one was ridden but only in the school is ok to hack now but again it took time he was very spooky for the first six months but now is excellent.
 
I know exactly what you mean and how frustrating it is. I can't tell you how much time and money we have wasted trying to find a sane and sensible family horse to use for hacking, hunting and fun rides. We live in an area where we are fortunate not to have to deal with main roads on a regular basis but what traffic we do meet can be big (farm tractors and loaders) and close (narrow roads). We have two mares that we have owned for 5 years and who fit our requirements nicely but can we replicate them today? Even our farrier tells us we are his only clients who actually wear shoes out! Nobody seems to start young horses the old fashioned way by giving them an all round education. Most are kept in livery yards and ridden in arenas with the odd group hack now and again or left in the field doing nothing until they are 5 or 6, broken late and expected to be sold as a trustworthy riding horse within a few weeks. We have just taken on an 8 year old cob and even he is much greener than we realised. One of our mares spent the first 9 years of her life grazing next to the M4 motorway, so she is pretty much bombproof in traffic!
Well, that's the end of my rant. If you find a source of horses that hack, let me know because I want another one! I just don't think people hack out any more.
P.S. We don't even have an arena, so we do nothing but hack out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top