Around the world in 80 hacks…

8 min read

HACK 1000 MILES

… well perhaps not quite 80, but several, and encompassing four continents. Mel Beale finds out from riders based in countries as diverse as Ireland and India what the hacking is like in their part of the world

NO MATTER WHERE in the world you go there are always horses. Horses of all shapes, sizes, colours and temperaments doing all manner of jobs, from pulling carriages, to carrying heavy loads, herding cattle and, of course, hacking.

Whatever form hacking takes, whether in lands as far afield as Iraq or Iceland, it is a fantastic way to spend time with a horse, to build a partnership and to enjoy the great outdoors.

So what is the hacking really like in Ireland, Sweden, the United States of America, Australia and India?

Ireland

Anne-Marie Cronin grew up in Ireland, and has lived in both the north and the south of the country, originally hailing from Dublin. She moved to Co Limerick 23 years ago, and even though she is now just 120 miles from the capital, there is a massive difference when it comes to the hacking.

“In Dublin the farming was more crops and beef cattle, and nearly every farmer would let me have a canter around the headland,” says Anne-Marie, 47. “Here we have a lot of dairy farmers who won’t even let you look over their gate with a horse. I find it hard down here.”

Without bridleways or a right to roam, hacking in Ireland can be difficult to navigate, and for Anne-Marie it makes keeping her two cobs — 16-year-old Duke and rising three-year-old Willow — fit a challenge, particularly Duke, with whom she does TREC and dressage in addition to #Hack1000Miles.

“Not having bridleways is a huge disadvantage as I live on a main road,” she says. “In the past I would head out early in the morning or late in the evening in summer for a hack, as there is a quiet road half a mile away from my house, but in recent years I can’t even do that. The road has simply become too busy. Drivers won’t give way, and I’ve had two close calls. My 12-year-old daughter, Emma, rides Duke, but not on the roads as it’s just too dangerous for her as well.”

**Annie-Marie Cronin aboard her cob, Duke**

Anne-Marie now generally chooses to box up her horses to go for hacks, often heading to her local forest, a 15-minute drive away.

“I also go to the beach sometimes, but that’s a two-hour drive. I think horses should have access to the local forests. It’s available to mountain bikers, so why not to horses?”