Required to Ride Out

The first time I sat on a horse, I cried. The first riding lesson I had, I cried. So why did I carry on riding? No idea, but that's not the point; the point is that I was an unconfident rider from the moment I sat on a pony. For many years I didn't want to canter, jump or even ride outside, but unfortunately, I learned the hard way that, what you want to do doesn't really matter with horses, it's what is best for them.

As you can imagine, even being scared to ride in the outdoor arena meant that there was no hacking going on and although this lasted a short while, in the long run, it did Spot no good. Of course, I was 9 years old and didn't have a horsey family so I wasn't uncaring, I genuinely had no clue what an impact not hacking has on horses. We did, however, occasionally get other riders to hack him for me and paid for hacking lessons to get my confidence up as something in me knew it was what he needed.

Although I wasn't a confident rider, this wasn't without reason; every time I would hack it would be a case of when Spot was going to bolt with me, not if. Strangely, I never connected hacking and endurance as, to me, it felt very different. Endurance rides have a clear route and (at first) my main focus was keeping a steady trot to make time and, therefore, my mind was occupied and I had no time for overthinking, so I just got on with it. Unfortunately , at our first pleasure ride spritely Spot had a little tantrum and grazed his hocks, so we retired half way round. Once we got home from the weekend, we took him to the vets to check they were healing well and there was no need for further intervention and that was when our eagle-eyed vet saw that Spot was 1-2 tenths lame as he had, and is susceptible to, suspensory ligament damage.

Suspensory ligament damage occurs when the ligament is over-strained; this can be through jumping too often, going too fast or over doing work in an arena. My issue was clearly the latter. It was a big wake up call, and luckily we were able to fix this issue fairly quickly with egg bar shoes and some months rest. During this time, I was super lucky to be lent one of Hannah Maskell's ponies, Crabswood Zelma (aka Echo who is in the picture below) who I did a whole lot of hacking and endurance on, eventually coming 5th in the Novice Pony Club Championships 2017 and winning the Novice Pony Club League (my first sash!). Echo was perfect for me, she taught me confidence and how to 'get on with it' as well as jumping and how to train for endurance.

Eventually, it was time to bring Spot back into work and I can confidently say I was a different rider, and he responded to that like a different horse. It was a chance to start anew, and so my first 15 minute walk back, which I remember distinctly, was a hack in the rain where we passed umbrellas, rattling drains and all sorts, but we had both manned up and made it home in one piece. This really was a turning point in mine and Spot's career. Hacking made him slimmer, more energetic and willing to work, but most of all, he was happier.

Since then, at least 70% of Spot (and Duke's) work is out of the arena and going in straight lines. However, this is not only because he is more likely to re-damage the ligament but because he is a better horse because of it. You don't get to know your horse in the arena like you do out on a hack and you don't build the bond and trust that you do either. My vet told me that too many horses are over schooled in circles these days, and that there was an increase lamenesses because of it. Never forget that the horses natural way of going is not on a 20m circle, but out in the open going in straight lines. I'm not saying schooling isn't important though, it really is, but I believe a lot of it can be done on hacks; leg yielding down the bridleway for example.

If nothing else, I hope sharing my experience will encourage you to think about if you are taking your horse out enough. No, it's not easy. Yes, it can be nerve-wracking but I just try and think of the benefits. As responsible and loving owners, we are required to ride out.