HACK 1000 MILES
Hacking out a new horse can bring the thrill of excitement, or leave the rider suffering from nervous butterflies, or worse. Mel Beale hears how two hack enthusiasts managed to build a bond with their new partners
RIDING A NEW horse can be an exciting prospect. There will, however, be many unknowns buzzing around in the brain before climbing into that saddle for the first outing. How responsive will he be in the arena? What will his transitions be like? Will I be able to sit to his trot or control his canter?
Does he pull up easily? Does he have any bad or annoying habits, like snatching the reins or dropping behind the leg? Is he confident or spooky? Could I fall off?
Once the partnership steps outside the arena to head for a hack there are even more elements to factor in, such as how the horse will behave in traffic. Will he spook at the various hazards encountered on the route? Will he pass those cows on the other side of the hedge just down the road?
Jane Outterson and Rosie Martin had just such thoughts when they first took on their new horses.
‘It’s important to accept the newness and realise that it won’t be like this forever’
Jane Outterson lost her Dales pony, Joey, in October 2023 from a respiratory disease. She had owned the grey gelding for three years, and they had completed the #Hack1000Miles challenge together in that time.
Jane knew that she wanted to buy another horse to continue the challenge, and after plenty of viewings she took the plunge and purchased the 14hh Connemara Teddy.
“He’s very honest and genuine, but completely different to Joey. I used to want Joey to be more forward — but be careful what you wish for because Teddy is certainly that,” says Co Durham-based Jane, 57. “I do enjoy having this more upbeat horse, though. I’m not at the back of group rides any more.”
Getting to know Teddy hasn’t been as straightforward as Jane anticipated, however.
“I expected to bring him home and a week later be hacking out, but that hasn’t been the case,” she confesses. “He doesn’t stand at the mounting block because his previous rider was a teenager who always got a leg up.
“He was also kept on a farm previously and was hacked around the fields, whereas I take him on roads and country lanes so he is seeing lots of things for the first time.
“I thought that I had asked the right questions of the seller, but perhaps not in the right way. Teddy does hack out, but I just took their answers to mean something different,” says Jane. “It’s all new and different for him, too. He’s gon
