To scared to hack - HELP

[yph]

Hi All

Well as I didn't make any ny resolutions I have decided to make a couple for the spring. The main one is to HACK OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I NEED HELP WITH THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I rode a little as a child but really properly 3 years ago when I bought my first horse.

I never hacked him out as no one to go with and he was naughty and I was scared!

Next got a loan pony who I hacked out a few times on the busiest of roads and wasn;t scared at all, but she was a bombproof school mistress and apart from the occasional jog she was an angel!

Next went to a friends yard to help out and hacked a few horses out with other friends that I could trust.

Next had a few bad experiences under the saddle and stopped riding other than a once a week walk round the school.
In between times went on a hack on my new pony who spooked and ended up on the other side of the road and went charging through the woods!

Took her for a hack on a bridleway and had the best time of my life - seriously- gallops etc- brilliant.

Went a week later and ended up dismounting and walking 7 miles back to the trailer with her as I was to petrified to carry on, she was being strong and silly and scared me.

So this is my tale of woe. I desperately want to enjoy my horses and get out hacking- I see so many inexeperienced riders doing so and they seem to have no problems???? I would describe myself as an ok rider- i panic when things go wrong though and am working at overcoming this.

I wondered if anyone else has ever been in the same position and if they have overcome it, how??

Pls help!!!!!

[Stella2]

I expect lots of us have been in the same position :( I'm not the ideal person to advise you on this as, after coming off too often for it to be enjoyable any longer, I gave up hacking in December! I may not have given it up forever, but certainly for the foreseeable future. I admit its lovely riding under a rainbow, through the mist on the way home and all the other little romantic moments. However, I came to spend more time worried than I did having fun. There is more risk of things going seriously pear shaped hacking than doing almost anything else, so I just stopped doing it.

The horse world is a funny place. Those who love hacking can be quite fascist about it, insisting that the rest of us "should do it" and that our horses will be harmed by the lack of it! Just as those who compete can be very sniffy about 'happy hackers'. It really should be 'live and let live', everyone to their own thing.

I know Jojoba is also not a fan of hacking. Do what feels good to you. That may be giving up hacking or only hacking in certain circumstances e.g. in company. Just be kind to yourself and enjoy your horse.

[Crazyhorse]

I really agree with Stella there is no reason why you should have to hack if it really worries you. We should enjoy what we do, although we all sometimes feel under pressure to do stuff, even if we don't want to! You could start off just having a 5 minute walk and then come back to the yard. It is probably best to start off slow and then work from there to build your confidence up.
There is no shame from getting off a horse. Its the best thing to do if you feel really worried as that will transfer to your horse. Don't beat yourself up over it. If your worried about something its really brave to even try it in the first place.

Good luck

[NoviceNic]

I agree with the others. There is no reason why you have to hack out. Build on your confidence and then borrow someone's bombproof horse. The only way I have built up my confidence is by buying myself an ex riding school cob. He is as good as gold on hacks. When we are alone though he can be a little nervous but I know he is sensing my nerves. So I sing when he starts jumping about. Someone else from this site advised that and it gets me home safely 99% of time. Though I am no Britney Spears. lol :D

[Stella2]

I'm at bit confused :confused:

I'm sure I and others, replied to this post earlier :confused:

Has the original one gone AWOL?

[yph]

Thanks for replies guys. I know hacking isn't imperative to riding and have really followed that train of thought for the last couple of years, telling myself it doesn't matter etc, but it is something I really want to do.

I bought my first horse with a view to hack, that is all I ever wanted to do, not school, not competitions, just plain old hacks! But it didn't work out this way.

I guess this desire is resurfacing now as I have tried to bury it but it won't go away- it's been my life long dream and the reason I got back into horses- I don't think it will go away until I have given it my best shot as it is making me miserable!!!

I just really wondered if anyothers had found the confidence to hack and enjoy it after a bad spell?

[Stella2]

So I sing when he starts jumping about. Someone else from this site advised that and it gets me home safely 99% of time. Though I am no Britney Spears. lol :D

I used to sing badly when I hacked too, do you think we distract them from the spooky things because they can't get past how awful we are? :D

[shirley]

Would agree with all everyone has said. I have a cob and he is wonderful, but hates going out on his own, loves it with his friends. As for me I got my confidence on my boy bit by very little bit. We have several perimeter rides around our livery yard land - so quite lucky really. First off just getting him in and out of the school on my own was the first hurdle, then a little further down our approach lane, then further still. I used to ask my husband to walk down the lane with us and my boy followed on only too well, so this got him used to things, had someone to follow and increased my confidence. Gradually we got a bit further and more used to each other. Then went around with others who controlled their horses and would walk with me and then trot. Again just building up confidence bit by bit. My boy still does not feel 100% safe on his own - but this weekend breakthrough we had a lesson somewhere he had not been before and needed to cool him off, so walked down the lane, nearly refused to go way I wanted, but I insisted, then thought going over the tarmac bridge over a brook was going to cave in a gobble him up!!! but again insisted and over he went, then into some coppiceing wooded area, well he then relaxed and loved it, as did I. So on the way back not a problem at all - trotted on as though he knew it all his life. I felt honoured that he trusted me!!! But that has taken four and half years to make that breakthrough. Some may consider it a long time - but I have little confidence, so mine has had to be developed bit by very little bit. So just take your time, build up your confidence and enjoy each of your rides, each will teach you something new.
Good luck.

[Peace]

I see so many inexeperienced riders doing so and they seem to have no problems????

This gets to me, too! I'm one who is building up her confidence hacking out. I've got to the point where I'm pretty comfortable going along the creek and through the woods that border the farm - big, open, flat trails you could drive an oxcart through - at a walk and a trot. I ride my twenty-two year old draft cross, because my five year old still sees tigers in the bushes and can make me see them, too. :D

So I'm constantly amazed at the people I see climbing on to greenbroke horses, taking up a chair seat, or worse yet, clinging to the cantle of the saddle with one hand the reins with the other as they bound off into the wild blue yonder. :eek:

I guess the ones who come through unscathed are proof that guardian angels really do exist. The thing that sort of annoys me are when these folks do come to grief - which I think of as proof of how natural selection operates to improve the gene pool ;) - all one hears about is how dangerous a sport horseback riding can be! :rolleyes:

[KarinUS]

I would start with shorter rides. :) 7 miles is a long way to walk back. ;)
The other thing is: be very picky about your trails.
My OH asks me from time to time if we should ride by the road to desensitize the horses and I am thinking 'NO WAY'.
So until both of them are a lot more secure we only go on a 3 mile (roundtrip) trail ride that starts at our driveway and goes through the woods with properties on both sides. If he falls off he lands in soft sand (or mud). There are no cars to worry about and Missy (his horse) will stand and wait. Even if she trotted off a few steps we wouldn't have to worry about cars, etc.
When Ray and Missy are with us we never go faster than trot.

This is an environment where we still get to practice a lot of trail skills (listening while we pass other horses, water crossings, etc.) while doing so in a relatively safe and controlled environment.

[Purdey33]

I feel exactly the same way as you.

I am desperate to relax and enjoy myself when I hack out, but I worry the whole time and am constantly looking out for 'hazards' which may frighten the horse and end up dismounting time and time again!

I don't have a school to ride in, so hacking is the only option :eek:

I won't even ride a horse untill I've seen my sister ride him several times first lol.

Sounds like you've had a few bad experiences (I have too), do you ride out alone or in company?

[alwaysfallingof]

I've had the same problem as you in the past. I used to love hacking, and then not so long ago I took my pony out for a hack and he started napping and then bolted, then napped some more. This really knocked my confidence. I tried taking him out again a couple of days after, and he napped again. (Not doing anything too dangerous, but stopping and turning around with the occasional little buck if I made him move.) After that I didn't hack by myself for about 2 months.
Recently I've decided to try and tackle this problem again, and the answer for me has just been to take things slowly. Just go out for a walk, chill, and enjoy the time with your horse. Then gradually you can go out further once you feel confident, try trotting etc, but there's no rush :)

Best of luck, you're not the only one so don't worry :)

[Skib]

I learned to ride out hacking - after failing in school lessons.
Harry explained - hacking safely depends on the horse. Horses are only able to do what they have been taught to do and are used to doing. I learned on horses that hack out six days a week and do little else.

And I wasnt brave. It was heaven.
When a new horse came to the riding school, it was taught to hack out safely. It was ridden only by staff - for several weeks or as long as it took. Before I learned to canter, I often rode out with the yard manager who was training the horses she rode. Not all horses managed it, or at least not to riding school standards. And those that might put the clients at risk were sold again.
The best horses I ride now are ones she taught. They are not cobs, nor old nor ploddy. They are alert, both to their surroundings and one's aids.
But, as Harry explained, courage has little to do with it. It would be foolhardy to hack on a horse that is only used to a school.

[dust11100]

it's horrible when you lose confidence like that. I, too got back into riding last year and bought a clydsdale cross. He was really great at first but when i moved him to another yard 3 months ago, he changed completely. Won't hack out on his own and if i try to take him away from the field, he goes nuts!!last saturday i tried to take him out on his own again and he reared 7 times! I tried to keep him going forward but in the end gave up as i felt i was in real danger. I've lost a lot of my confidence now and can't bring myself to go back and try him agin! :(

[SarahC]

Oh I really sympathise with you! I too have the same problem. Recently bought my new girl who is everything I could ask for, but I'm still too scared to hack out on her! She hasn't done anything wrong and my instructors OH has hacked her with no probs, but its almost like a barrier in your thought patterns that make you think that something is bound to go wrong if your out hacking in the wide open world!
I too don't see anything wrong in not hacking out if you don't want to, but I really want to!! Especially as I want to go to our local show but have to hack there!

I was wondering if its worth while/safe to take your horse out in hand for a while? This was something I was considering. I often walk my girl around the school in hand before getting on her as it seems to give me confidence to see her plodding around without a care in the world. Wondered if this would be the same if I took her out in hand along the lanes?

S

[dust11100]

when i had the problems with mine last week, my 6yr old son was on him and i was leading him!I had to pull him off and tried to make him go forward....making matters much worse1 I'm definately going to try again today, but this time i'm taking someone with a lot more experience with me. If i don't do it soon i don't think i'll ever do it!!When i first got him i done everything with him....i was always hacking out alone with him...i don't know what's went wrong!! :(

[captainkodak]

ok - so I don't know much, but I do know about being too nervous to hack out! I completely lost my nerve with regard to going out - I used to see the others coming and going on, what i considered to be, scary horses and I'd feel such an idiot being to frightened to go out on my very trustworthy horse (Captain Sensible to his friends!).

My recommendations would be ...
1) get a calm, non-judgemental, enlightened, kind, riding instructor
2) don't do anything that frightens you - at the same time, try not to label yourself as a nervous rider
3) get the Hacking with Confidence hypnotherapy CD and listen to it as often as you possibly can
4) beg, borrow, steal or ebay a copy of "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" by Susan Jeffers - and read it through more than once, you'll see yourself in it!
5) lashings of Rescue Remedy and lavender oil
6) ride out in the company of people that you trust implicitly
7) get someone (this is where you need a generous and fairly fit friend) to walk with you the first time or two
8) and as people have already said - sing, as loudly and badly as you like! also - when you come to scary things take the brave approach for your horse - along the lines of "That flapping plastic thing in the hedge, now that's not going to scare a big brave lad like you is it - no way, come on son etc etc..."

try to avoid great long doom laden conversations about how nervous you are and how all sorts of terrible things might happen - I used to ride on disused railway lines and my riding instructor overheard me saying that I was nervous about riding along the top of the embankment bits in case we fell down the side! She reminded me that Captain couldn't have got to be 11 years old if he was in the habit of throwing himself off of railway embankments, never mind that for many years, trains had run along there and not fallen off :o

ok I'll stop now

best of luck

:)

[hackedoff]

Hi yph- sorry to hear of your woes. If you search this board for the word 'confidence' you will find a host of threads that will show in what good company you are!
To add my suggestion - take horsie out in-hand and do a bit of parrelli- style driving on past scary trees, pony-eating shrubs, etc. If your horse trusts you to tell her where to put her feet, if she has lots of positive experiences with you as her 'gentle leader' she will not make reactive, silly decisions but will process situations with you. My YO was giving a lesson to the kids at the weekend and I heard her say this:- " Every time your horse takes a step, it is asking a question, it's up to you how good your answer is." :)

[^_^pEpPeRpOt^_^]

I used to hate hacking, but recently went out with a friend on her pony and galloped on her and now love it but still dont like going on roads. I guess i have overcome this by going out on a horse i really trust as he is the best on the yard and by telling myself that nothing bad will happen and trying to relax and have fun with my friends, find a horse that is safe and that you know is safe and not one that just other people think is as they may think of a safe horse in a different way, try and relax as much as possible and start by going on short hacks working up to doing more, good luck =)

[momofsix]

I totally understand. For some reason I feel really safe in the arena but not outside. I have a real problem leaning forward in the saddle, too, outside because I always think something is about to happen. I love all the suggestions, my teacher also says to sing. I am not so scared going with a friend, but definitely by myself. We just started leasing our first horse. Last Thursday I was at the stable and was supposed to ride with a friend but she had to leave early due to a doctor's appointment. I had her all tacked up and I am standing there shaking, too scared to get on. Then I got really mad at myself. I said out loud to myself and the horse "I waited 32 years for my own horse and now I am not riding her... I don't think so" It worked and I got on and rode her out alone, just a leisurely stroll among the wet meadows. I would definitely ride a calm bombproof horse though. I keep telling myself I have nothing to proof, I just want to enjoy myself. It doesn't really matter how many teenagers I see that apparantly have no confidence problems.

[Greentchr]

Hi All
I see so many inexeperienced riders doing so and they seem to have no problems????


I am an inexperienced rider who used to do just that- hack out and blithly ride around having fun. Then I got hurt... I think that it is like any other activity: sometimes we have to have experience to understand the dangers involved. I rode my horse along a narrow road for 3 miles each way several times, not realizing at all the danger I was putting myself into- green horse/green rider/cars/trucks... ooooh, bad combo! The point is,because I was so inexperienced, I did not KNOW that it was dangerous. So, the moral of the story is that what others(especially inexperienced others) are doing should not influence how you feel about yourself! The fact that you know your limitations (easily panic, unsure) is great! It gives you a place to work from. I would advise that you do as others have suggested and take it slow. Hack out with friends on short rides (I go with my daughter on her bicycle), and work on groundwork as much as you can to build trust and teamwork, along with your confidence. Go slow and enjoy the journey of building confidence!

[Stella2]

I go with my daughter on her bicycle

Ha ha, that so wouldn't work for me, my mare thinks bicycles eat horses! :D

[captainkodak]

I read a richard maxwell article once about a bike-hating horse. He let the horse loose in the round pen thing and then went in with a pushbike, every time the horse went anywhere in the general direction of the bike, he moved away from the horse (with the bike). soon the horse was herding the bike round the round pen! Captain went through a similar learning process with chickens - was frightened of them until he realised that if he walked towards them they moved away!

might be an idea to try anyway - although you might end up with a horse that stalks people on bikes (or chickens) (or even chickens on bikes!)

:o

[LinzCos]

I think one of the reasons inexperienced riders appear to cope better is that they don't know or understand the risks and so are less worried. If you are worried then your horse will be too. It is a very difficult cycle to break but really worth it if you want to start hacking.

I suggest riding a horse you feel confident on, with a confident friend riding your horse too if possible so that he can learn too. Go out for just a little while and try to avoid roads if you can. And sing, as other have said, you may sound mad and bad but it does help you relax and the horses don't really care;)

[Luxie]

YPH - you're not alone! Obviously that by itself isn't a lot of constructive help, but even so ...

Of course there's no reason you have to go out hacking, but if you really want to, then perhaps

- start by walking out in hand (you don't say what sort of situation your yard is in - have you a lot of roadwork to do before you reach bridleways etc?). This way both you and your horse will become familiar with the various places around, and you'll both get used to any potentially scary areas

- then do one of the familiar circuits, but only walking. Singing, as suggested, is a marvellous de-stresser

- when you're both on the verge of becoming bored, then introduce trotting (keep on singing!)

- when you're both coping happily with the odd trotting stretch, select a canter section and try that (still singing ...)

It's worked for me, and I hope it may for you too.

[Mary Poppins]

I totally feel for you as I suffer from the same problem. After a string of accidents I would almost have panic attacks whilst hacking and could turn the quietest horse into a lunatic as I was so nervous. At the moment I have 2 horses on loan, one who I hack out and one who I don't.

The mare who I hack out is the quietest, most bombproof horse you could ever wish to meet. She does have her moments but would never bolt, buck rear or do anything nasty and I trust her 100%. She totally ignores me when I panic (which I still do) and has made me enjoy hacking. Without her I wouldn't hack at all and would really miss it.

However, I have found that this confidence has not transferred onto any other horses, and if I even sit on another horse outside the safety of the school I start to panic again. I am making suburb progress with the other horse I loan in the school and have been place in every showjumping comp. we have entered (only 3 but have lots more planned). Our lessons and schooling work are coming on so well, however, I just cannot hack him. He doesn't even do anything bad apart from being a bit jumpy, but I have a mental block with him and just go into panic mode.

At the end of the day I think that horses are very much like people who you have to get to know and have to trust them as individuals. In order for you to enjoy hacking I think that you need to find a suitable horse who you trust. The only problem is that many of the slow steady bombproof types who are generally confidence givers hacking are not suitable for jumping and doing faster work in the school. I have therefore ended up with 2 horses - one for school work and one for hacking. This has been the only way I can get the best of both worlds.

[yph]

Hi All

Thanks so much for your replies! Never thought I'd get so many. It's great to hear that people have kind of overcome their fears and got out there and done it! I am going to print off the replies and read them every day as long with taking up the bullet point advice from some!

In response to a couple of threads- I only have roads to ride on, the nearest bridleway is prob a 30 min hack on horse. The road is pretty dangerous, there have been a few accidents involving horses and riders, one resulting in death of both- so I guess this puts me off alot! This is the only yard that Ive really been in a position to hack out from and I will not be moving from here so I guess I will have to work with it. I am also on my own at my yard so pretty isolated with no other liveries to help, go out with etc.

I will start by taking my girl out in hand I think, it really made sense for the horses to get out every day so that they learn it's ok. Any tips for this. I have tried once before but she got quite strong.

I will look for my hacking with confidence CD and start listening to it.

I will find my larch, rescue remedy and lavender oil and start with that again too!

I will look for that feel the fear and do it anyway book!

When I get a bit more confident I will ask a friend to come and ride with me once a week. fingers x she will do it.

My fears do extend to other parts of riding too, but these I am overcoming, I think that because of bad exp I feel like I have let myself down and failed at riding which makes it all worse because I don't think I can do it! I am telling myself I can I can I can Ican!

Thanks again guys, I will keep you all posted! And keep posting advice it all helps!

[hackedoff]

Awwww, good luck yph- if she is strong in-hand, first of all teach her that slight pressure on hindquarters means she swings them away from you, you can then circle her round you and regain control of the walk. I lead out in-hand in a NH pressure halter and 12' line, makes the signals clear and gives me room to manoeuvre, I used to use a Carrot Stick to enlarge my body language too. Get her engaged and thinking about where she puts her feet, if she switches into reactive mode, back her up a few steps to bring her brain back to the here and now. When you're confident you can then start confronting scarier and scarier stuff.

[ANN H]

Its lovely to hear of other people's hacking experiences - good and bad! My mare seems to think that every jogger is out to chase her. This used to really worry me, but now I just try and laugh it off!

[yph]

Hi All

Just wanted to let you know how things are going! Well disaster has struck and I have a seriously bad back! I couldn't move for 4 days and hubby had to do all the mucking out !

Osteopath thinks either slipped disc or wearing away dics, I am only 29 but could be genetic, went for xrays yest and will found out results in 10 days.

Have been advised not to ride for time being and depending on outcome I will have to makea decision where riding is concerned.

I tell you what though, it has done wonders for my riding confidence- the song you don't know what it's got till it's gone comes to mind!

All I want to do is jump on my horse and ride, ride , ride. All the time I have wasted thinking and not doing has really made me think. Now that I can't I want to more than ever- and when you can you make excuses not too.

Well whatever the outcome I am going to continue with my riding and as soon as pain eased up I am getting on!

A friend hacked my baby down the road today and she was as good as gold- so we have some progress there. He is going to ride her most days for m- hacking which will be great.

Anyone else got back probs? Any advice??

[Greentchr]

Well disaster has struck and I have a seriously bad back!
Anyone else got back probs? Any advice??

I truly "feel" for you! I have a (hopefully) temporarily bad back- was told not to ride for 6 weeks-6months, depending on further xrays at the 6 week mark. Yeah, I fell off a horse... :) It was so frustrating at first (it has been 3 weeks now), not being able to do what I wanted- on the other hand, I got out of a lot of dirty dishes! The key, I have found, is to do what you can at all times. For the first two weeks, I spent a lot of time on my back. I ordered Clinton Anderson's 'Downunder Horsemanship', John Lyons book, Several of Robert Miller's books, as well as the Parelli Level 1 set(borrowed that one- expensive!) and a few others. I spent a lot of time with the computer on my stomach reading and asking questions on NR. I just made sure that I was learning as much as I could, so that I didn't feel my time was wasted. Now that I can move around and handle a horse without pain, I am using what I have learned to do more effective groundwork -a little at a time- with my horse and new pony. I am limited in what I can do, so I plan carefully what I can accomplish before I am forced to stop. So far, things have worked out well.

A bad back can be a most demoralizing medical problem (right up there next to debilitating migraines!), because your spine is your foundation for everything. Fortunately, there is always something we can learn from, and in, every situation, no matter what it looks like in the beginning! Look for the silver lining, and don't forget to enjoy what you CAN do instead of focusing on what cannot be done at the moment. All my best wishes go out to you, and may you be on your feet and carefree soon!