howengold
Well-Known Member
Well Sov had her shoes off over a month ago. She has been for a plod around the crop field next door a couple of times but isn't taking to being ridden every now and then very well.
Would I be mean in bring her back into hacking lightly a couple of times a week? She is 37 and as soon as I cut her work load down she began to mope around the field again and gets aggressive if I take my other horses out to hack or for a show. Her permenant retired companion hasn't worked as she hates him and he hates her so I have to keep him in with my neices shettie (my daughters ex-pony) and my daughters NF who both go out riding alot and so he gets left behind alot. Not that he minds as he is a pretty laid back chap.
Sovereign has been hacked twice this week, the first was after about two weeks where I couldn't get out on her and she was a nightmare, jogging and head shaking etc. Today she was an angel, we went out with a mare my daughter has now got to work on for a friend and we had a couple of nice gentle canters and she was a totally different mare.
I don't want to gallop about and ride hard every day. I don't even want to canter or go far every time I ride her (I can do that on the others if I want to) but do you think two or maybe three nice hacks a week around a local farm and our farm will keep her happy in mind and body? She was so much happier when I put her back in the paddock this afternoon when we got back.
Would I be mean in bring her back into hacking lightly a couple of times a week? She is 37 and as soon as I cut her work load down she began to mope around the field again and gets aggressive if I take my other horses out to hack or for a show. Her permenant retired companion hasn't worked as she hates him and he hates her so I have to keep him in with my neices shettie (my daughters ex-pony) and my daughters NF who both go out riding alot and so he gets left behind alot. Not that he minds as he is a pretty laid back chap.
Sovereign has been hacked twice this week, the first was after about two weeks where I couldn't get out on her and she was a nightmare, jogging and head shaking etc. Today she was an angel, we went out with a mare my daughter has now got to work on for a friend and we had a couple of nice gentle canters and she was a totally different mare.
I don't want to gallop about and ride hard every day. I don't even want to canter or go far every time I ride her (I can do that on the others if I want to) but do you think two or maybe three nice hacks a week around a local farm and our farm will keep her happy in mind and body? She was so much happier when I put her back in the paddock this afternoon when we got back.
I'm lucky that my 29 yo doesn't care if she works or if she doesn't - as long as she's warm and has a full belly, she's happy as larry. She's fully retired, but if I was lighter and she would learn how to hack out (I think she has agoraphobia lol), she'd still be hacking out lightly.