I thought that Ace has schooled for several weeks without a change, that I should take him out for a hack. It's been perfectly clear for a long time now that Ace does not enjoy hacking any more than Jazz did. He is just easier to control. If it was his choice, he would not do it.
So I took him out intending to see whether our new discipline schooling had increased his confidence and enjoyment of hacking. The answer was no. He doesn't ever really relax, he is on edge the whole time lookin for dangerous things like a damp patch on the road surface, or a horse-eating sheep. If it was up to him we would have turned back home before we'd got to the bottom of the hill. It just isn't his thing.
So I have decided that I won't make him do it any more. What is the point? He dislikes it, and only a masochist would want to hack a horse who does not want to do it. I would rather school than hack him anyway, because I have Radar to hack and in the winter what riding I manage to get with Ace I would prefer to do on the arena to progress his schooling.
This is really odd. Until I owned Jazz I would have sworn that there was no horse in the world who could not be got to a stage where they genuinely enjoyed going for a hack more than schooling. Jazz changed all that of course, but now I have Ace as well. I wonder if this is a warmblood trait?
C
Hmmm, maybe! My first WB was a nightmare to hack, nappy, stroppy threw everything at me. Eventually he began to enjoy it as long as he could go at his own pace and had the company of a large cob whose tail he used to hide his head in to go past anything scary! I had the fortune at that time of having land which went straight out onto a bridle way so could deal with the tantrums without traffic around. But he was never reliable, and still isn't at 22!
ReplyDeleteMy next WB who I had at 7 had never been hacked and again I went through the napping, reversing etc but I perservered with him as when he was going forward he really enjoyed himself, he doesn't like company to hack but has become the most wonderful and reliable horse to ride anywhere now and we both have a great time, but he is now 20! So it took a long while. I think the best decision I made was not worrying if we never hacked, it took the pressure off but we used to go walking round the fiields and sometimes I would take him to a friends farm to play and do cross country fences and gradually his confidence grew.
I have to say having had thoroughbreds and then a fantastic Anglo Arab who just thrived on the adventure of riding miles all over the place it was quite a shock to have horses that didn't seem to enjoy it!
Don't know. The warmbloods I knew from places where I boarded were fine out on the trails. Chance is an American Warmblood--Dad a registered Hanovarian, Mom was a Paint. Don't know if Mom rubbed off more than Dad, but Chance LOVES going out on hacks. As a matter of fact, he'd much rather do that than school.
ReplyDeletehurray! i have finally finally persuaded google to make the "follower" app work on your blog...i hadn't gone missing at all....
ReplyDeleteanyway, i agree with that .. if the horse doesn't want to do it, no point if there's other stuff you can enjoy..
Well I have a Fjord, a Welsh/Hannovarian and her 6yr old daughter (3/4 hannovarian). The Fjord is far too lazy to waste valuable energy spooking and being silly and is pretty bombproof. Did not bat an eyelid when a car driver honked his horn at her yesterday on the road.
ReplyDeleteThe Welsh/hannovarian initialy sulked when I first started hacking her out, but I think the native blood in her overcomes most of her Hannovarian tendencies. She doesn't really spin round or anything. She is now 20yrs old and I have owned her since she was 7, and she's taught my girls to ride too, as a veteran (they took her to pony club barefoot)
Now the daughter is a different kettle of fish. Sharp and easy to get adrenalin bursts with her. Very reactive and explosive and has been fond of standing on two legs from a foal ! Never bit or kicked, and is very affectionate, but very bossy. Her mother was the herd boss, and she thinks she should be too. I think a lot of her anxiety out hacking is linked to her feeling she should be in charge of her herd instead of leaving that to ME ! So I too will treat her like Ace, only schooling in field for a long time, to build her up again and build up a rapport riding in the field first. Her leg is weak from her accident and with riding in the field, I can stop when the feel is right and reward her for that, whereas Hacking, I could go to far and tire her out and cause her to have a paddy ?
I wish I could do a lobotomy sometimes and give my feisty hannovarian the Fjord's brain. The Fjord studies and watches everything going on and works things out !