2019 Hacking/Riding Thread

Well with the equine flu outbreak and the weather my weekend plans got changed a bit. Saturday was supposed to be hacking and Sunday my first SJ clinic at 90cm.
Saturday turned out to be very windy and Harvey is too spooky to safely hack on the roads when it is windy. Fortunately somebody had set up a very tempting grid in the school so we went to play with that. I'm mostly now trying to improve my canter balance, steering, and landing after fences.

Later on I was invited to ride the YO's veteran in the school. He used to jump 130cm competitively and won over £6000 in his career. He was retired at 17 after a kissing spine op and is now 24. He still hacks a couple of times a week and I have walked round the block on him a couple of times. He was a bit different in the school! He was obviously very well schooled in his day and he doesn't seem to have forgotten much. We managed some 20m walk circles with a bit of bend (which I'm still failing to get with Harvey) and some reasonable canter work. We then went for a play with the grid which he very much enjoyed.

Sunday's clinic was replaced with a lesson at home with a small jump on each diagonal so I could practice further with my canter work.

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Schooling
1 hour 30

Totals

Schooling
5 hours 15

Hacking
26.8 miles
7 hours 10 minutes
 
Well with the equine flu outbreak and the weather my weekend plans got changed a bit. Saturday was supposed to be hacking and Sunday my first SJ clinic at 90cm.
Saturday turned out to be very windy and Harvey is too spooky to safely hack on the roads when it is windy. Fortunately somebody had set up a very tempting grid in the school so we went to play with that. I'm mostly now trying to improve my canter balance, steering, and landing after fences.

Later on I was invited to ride the YO's veteran in the school. He used to jump 130cm competitively and won over £6000 in his career. He was retired at 17 after a kissing spine op and is now 24. He still hacks a couple of times a week and I have walked round the block on him a couple of times. He was a bit different in the school! He was obviously very well schooled in his day and he doesn't seem to have forgotten much. We managed some 20m walk circles with a bit of bend (which I'm still failing to get with Harvey) and some reasonable canter work. We then went for a play with the grid which he very much enjoyed.

Sunday's clinic was replaced with a lesson at home with a small jump on each diagonal so I could practice further with my canter work.

i-3bczkL9-X2.jpg


i-n7fzBPz-X2.jpg


i-5gcfPq6-X2.jpg


i-DSm4QCf-XL.jpg


i-tQ3n2Lx-XL.jpg


i-h482gSp-XL.jpg


Schooling
1 hour 30

Totals

Schooling
5 hours 15

Hacking
26.8 miles
7 hours 10 minutes




Lovely pics as always. Love Harvey as always, but also your YO's veteran looks ace too:)
 
But I was sat on her at times just watching and not moving!
You can always just estimate the actual riding time :) If I have an hour's clinic I just count that as an hours schooling even though some of the time is spent just watching.

Just think - if that was the only riding you did you would clock up 0 hours for the year ATM ;)
 
Sorry horseandgoatmom, but an absolutely beautiful morning - bright and mild!
Hour and 15 mins hack, am hoping I've got the hang of dealing with the naughty, nappy stuff leading to the forest. One sharp smack with the whip (hate doing it), behind the girth, then just a tickle every few strides. Silly, but if I say "Good boy" he immediately stops again! Now saying "Well done" instead. Go figure. Anyway, walked out very nicely, taking an unfamiliar route, which a while ago would result in a lot of huffing and puffing, but steady as a rock today. Managed 2 short trots, and will increase those a little at a time. The new girth is spot on - no longer feel like I've done 10 rounds with mike tyson before I even get on. You can tell by the pic, he knows he's been good! (Bad pic - his legs aren't that short!!!)20190213_103602.jpg
 
Sorry horseandgoatmom, but an absolutely beautiful morning - bright and mild!
Hour and 15 mins hack, am hoping I've got the hang of dealing with the naughty, nappy stuff leading to the forest. One sharp smack with the whip (hate doing it), behind the girth, then just a tickle every few strides. Silly, but if I say "Good boy" he immediately stops again! Now saying "Well done" instead. Go figure. Anyway, walked out very nicely, taking an unfamiliar route, which a while ago would result in a lot of huffing and puffing, but steady as a rock today. Managed 2 short trots, and will increase those a little at a time. The new girth is spot on - no longer feel like I've done 10 rounds with mike tyson before I even get on. You can tell by the pic, he knows he's been good! (Bad pic - his legs aren't that short!!!)View attachment 97003


I really love the look of him:)
 
Well yesterday I finally managed to hack Melody we went round the tracks with H on Eva..... we just walked but it was wonderful to be out of the school again and in the light evenings. We were out for about 30-40 mins will be slowly increasing my time out.
Looking forward to a spring/summer of hacking ahead...

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Well yesterday I finally managed to hack Melody we went round the tracks with H on Eva..... we just walked but it was wonderful to be out of the school again and in the light evenings. We were out for about 30-40 mins will be slowly increasing my time out.
Looking forward to a spring/summer of hacking ahead...

View attachment 97004View attachment 97005
Lovely pics. This weather and the lighter evenings are great, but can't help feeling we're going to pay for it sometime soon!
 
We got out for a 7 mile hack this afternoon - although the weather wasn't quite as Spring-like as it has been, it's lovely to be arriving back on the yard at 5pm in daylight ❤ Mum joined us for a few miles and managed to snap a few pictures.

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Plus our rosette turned up in the post today and obviously, I made Pete pose with it ....

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We got out for a 7 mile hack this afternoon - although the weather wasn't quite as Spring-like as it has been, it's lovely to be arriving back on the yard at 5pm in daylight ❤ Mum joined us for a few miles and managed to snap a few pictures.

cLgyLEu.jpg


smpK21w.jpg


Plus our rosette turned up in the post today and obviously, I made Pete pose with it ....

LuriQZU.jpg
Pete looks lovely, but decidedly underwhelmed by the rosette !:D
 
We now have at least four confirmed outbreaks of equine flu in our area. Vet advice seems to be carry on as normal but be careful. I've cancelled all my trips out in the horsebox, but on Saturday I did have a short hack out with the YO. Our horses have both been recently vaccinated.

On Sunday I spotted a fun grid set up in the school so decided to have a play. My YO said she would come and watch so I got a bit of tuition too (she is a level 3 SJ coach). Harvey was as enthusiastic as even and in fact at one point got a bit overexcited and very nearly bucked me off. I was concentrating on sorting out my canter balance and approach to the fences but I wanted to jump a reasonable height too. My helpers "accidentally" put one of the fences up to 100cm so it ended up being the highest I have jumped Harvey (who took it all in his stride!)

Harvey OTT as usual!
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This was the exercise (before the fences went up) - a bounce in the middle and a fence down each long side ridden a figure of 8(ish)
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Plenty of support :)
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Jumping 100cm :) (It looks very small on the photo , but those jump stands are quite tall!)
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Hacking
4.4 miles
1 hour 20

Schooling
35 minutes

Totals

Schooling
5 hours 50

Hacking
31.2 miles
8 hours 30 minutes
 
Sonny unmounted 10.00 hrs
Mounted 3.75 hrs

Ugh such an up and down with weather and Ice.
I finally got to play a little in the cavaletti pen with some St pat day flags.
I had to keep them off the fence on the goats side I no sooner put up all around and
Chester jumped up grabbed one and broke the shaft little brat.

Then I went into the arena for some low key lunging. It was packed snow and granular ice
and the clear bits were worse cause it was clear to ground and then shiny slick ice.
But he was a good boy I stayed to the snowy granular area.

Its taken days to get rid of most of the ice thank god I bought Ice tread thigs for my boots
NOW TODAY MORE SNOW:(:(:(
BUT thankfully its staying all snow not the snow ice sleet rain freezing messo_Oo_Oo_O
we have that sort of mess coming again Wednesday night:mad::mad:

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Hacked out Saturday (with the love of Hogans life again,) went a bit farther, and main objective is getting him to behave in front and behind. As he's ex riding school, I think he may have got frustrated at always following, or conversely, maybe he was always the escort? Who knows, but he has been getting a bit snarky, when not in the lead. Quite improved, with swapping around - learning either position is ok. Seems fine still with saddle. Horrible grim grey morning today, and just wasn't feeling it, so slunk off home! Sun came out around 2, so quickly walked dog, and decided to go out. He was a total git in the stable, it was as though we'd gone back to when I first got him - barging about, pawing the floor - generally being an ar**. Finally got tacked up, out the gate and schizo Hogan turns into nice boy. Just got into the forest, and the heavens opened. All things considered, we did ok - walking up with a bit more energy, bit of a wobbler over an umbrella (nice man saw the panic on Hogans face, and put it down!) Note to self - umbrella practice in field! Something in the bushes behind us on the lane spooked us both, but he seems pretty easy to rein in after a spook. Pretty pleased at managing a steady 3 hacks a week.
 
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