when you hack out do you...?

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Seahorse

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Have your horse working and 'on the bit' or do you have them on a loose rein?

I used to work for an olympic dressage rider and when ever we hacked out we had to be on the buckle, she said they did lots of proper work in the school and hacking was their time to relax, I hack my horse in the same way.
I went out for a ride the other day with a woman who kept her horses head in the whole way round only letting him have the rein as we were coming back down the drive.
My horse was looking at everything and spooked a few times, her horse didn't look at a thing.
I was thinking then do I start hacking out with Axel 'on the bit' so he doesn't look at everything? I hack him in a market harborough as he tends to have a flip-top head, but then the other day someone said that hacking him in draw reins was better as I could decide to drop them when I felt it was appropriate but I couldn't do this with a MH on.

Sorry I'm rambling a bit now, can you tell I'm bored lol!!
 
I do a bit of everything tbh. My tb gets a bit stuck in the school when doing lateral work so I temd to use the longer paths and bridleways to practice this but let him have his head on the canters and shorter paths. I also tend to ride him more in an outline as we leave our yard as he does a liking for a quick rear and spin so normally an outline can get us through the first sticky 5 mins or so
 
I do a bit of both, but then I also spend a fair amount of time in the school on the buckle as well.

I really don't think that schooling needs to be confined to the school. If you're out hacking on the road and come across a line of parked cars, then why not leg yield to get past them?
 
My ex employers horses only hacked on a common and only in walk so it was easy to mooch about on a long rein. I do a mixture of both too as I do a lot of trotting and cantering when I hack but as soon as I walk I let him have his head. I was told not to do too much walking with them on the bit as it can make them start pacing.
 
i tend to keep mine on the aids out hacking with some periods of time on a loose rein.
however, when we are walking their necks are out, but not on a loose rein- i still like a bit of contact.

when we trot i like to keep the contact and get a good, steady trot- if i didn't have them on the aids both of mine would be trotting far too enthusiastically!

also i only really give them a loose rein on the fields as the roads around here are single track with high hedges.

although we may only see one car in a 1.5hour hack- that car is likely to be going a little bit fast and not see us til the last second so i like to make sure i can move my horse immediately.

thankfully i also have 150 acre farm to ride around too!
 
I seem to be in the minority, but I hack on a loose rein mostly. My horse still has to be paying attention to me but I see hacking as her fun work and that's where she expresses her character most I think - she is fantastically nosy and loves to have a good look around.

She isn't spooky though, never has been and is completely traffic proof. as millitiger says, we are prone to pick up a bit of speed from time to time... but I like to feel she is enjoying herself so don't worry about it too much
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Probably depends a bit on the horse, if they are spooky etc then I'd definately hack with more of a contact. A older, established school master type that just needs a break will probably be happy to just hack on a long rein but something younger that still needs the rules enforced might be better learning that they should always listen to you. When I first tried to walk Molly on the bit it was a disaster, she just wouldn't accept it, something that she should have known from a youngster (my fault!) so I had to spend ages making sure she was on a contact at all times untill it became easier. Bit of a ramble sorry!
 
A bit of both really! We don't have a school so hacks are about schooling as well as relaxation. I prefer horses to be on a contact whilst on the roads, but once on bridlepaths or in the woods they are allowed to chill out on a long rein.
 
Like the others i alternate between being working properly and plodding along! I belive that the hack is the horses relax time and so let them have a loose rein in walk all the time and take up more of a contact if we are on the road or in a bit of a situation
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I always make them work in trot and occassionaly in canter but most of the time give him his head and let him have a blast!
 
bit of both - depends on my mood (ie if i'm in right frame of mind - if i'm in a bad mood we just pootle
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) what we did the rest of the week (ie sat hunt then mon i'll do relaxed hack but some long and low work to stretch) and also what i'm planning to do the following few days - ie if lunge and arena work the next few days i'll give her her head.
however - i will always try to get them working from behind up hills etc rather than pulling themselves up on forehand to build the correct muscles
 
I prefer to hack on the buckle but I do like my horse to still be paying attention and if she starts to get a bit stupid I will pick her her.
 
generally relaxed and on a long rein, for me hacking out it is their time to have a look around and see the world. Will take up a bit of a contact (but a long one) in trot as she's very looky - just generally nosey. But I don't ask for an outline. Unless that is I'm trotting hills with a view to fitness in which case I make sure she's working correctly over her back which does require more of an outline

However had an interesting experience the other day when the horses in the adjacent field decided to come galloping full tilt through the gateway and up the field in the direction we'd come from. I was so relaxed, loose rein, one hand only didn't manage to get her back before she spun round and galloped up the lane chasing "the boys" (incidentally her mates), happily didn't get galloped all the way home as we'd not long left the yard but was a timely reminder not to be too chilled!
 
Virtually all my walking is done on a loose/light contact with odd spells on the buckle end. Every now and again if I have a long boring stretch of road I'll pick up more of a contact and play with LY/SI.

Trot/Canter is pretty much all on a light contact, I tend to let him choose his head carriage provided it isn't extremely high/low.

Hacking for me is exercise/fitteneing/relaxing, not proper schooling work
 
I only have road hacks, but my horse is fantastic to hack
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I can go for a 2hr hack and only needing to hold the buckle!!

Merlin and I have a deal - if he walks on a loose rein (buckle) then when trotting he must be on the bit and working correctly
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it works very well
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Cantering, we have 2 canter tracks off the road and if we are on our own then loose rein, if with other horses then we are on a tight rein!
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Mine is generally always on a contact, she is only 4 so I am still establishing her way of going. The only time she is on a loose rein is after a period of work (same as schooling) or when negotiatiing "varied" terrain
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However, I am not stuck in stone, I just like the horses to be tuned in to me and on my aids.
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The field is generally for walking about "relaxing"
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If I'm out on my own with banner then I hack him on the buckle, I'm lucky to mainly have bridle paths in my area but if we go onto the farm track for a canter or set off on a fast hack then I have him working into a contact.

If I hack Ban in company or with Lord then I keep him working into a contact.


Lord is ridden on a loose contact so that he CAN look around and de - senseise to things, When on the roads though he is ridden into a firmer contact.
 
generally let him do what he likes. As I am at a RS, I often get stuck at the back on hacks, so it often ends up walk trot walk trot (which asides from being really annoying) means you cant do much!
 
I never let my horse just mooch along. I cannot stand it. If he is on a loose rein then it is done properly with him stretching, long and low and working his back. I am really strict about it. Hacking for me is about building muscles and a chance for them to chill but it is still done properly.
 
I tend to ride both my horses in a stretching long low contact in walk and picked up in trot. Canter is always off the back (unless Im likely to be bucked off).

Hacking should be fun, but not suicidal and if I rode on the end of the buckle on one of mine i probably wouldnt see the whole of my ride in the saddle.
 
As we don't have a school Rafi does a lot of his schooling on the road and on our quiet lane has to do his lateral work so is on working correctly then has a stretch. Riding on the buckle on most roads is a bit dangerous but I suppose it depends on the road,ok on tracks but we don't have many of those.
 
I do a bit of everything really. Some bits of strecthing on a long rein, but I HATE seeing people just slobbing along the roads on the buckle end. In you are out on public roads (fair enough if you're on private land etc) then you need to pay attention, and have your horse however vaguely paying attention to you.
 
another point - someone at RS was bragging when they got back of a ride and they "managed to get his head in all the way round". Needless to say they got a bollocking for doing that!
 
QR - i don't have Andy as 'up together' as i would if working in an arena but i don't hack on the buckle. tend to have more contact in faster paces than i do in walk - plus Andy can be v spooky at times!!
as i do quite a bit of road work i think it is safer to have some sort of contact/control of horse and i also do a bit of lateral work on the quieter bits of road.
 
On the road i like to keep a contact so i know they are listening to me also our roads are quite busy but when we get on the fields they can poke their noses on a long rein
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