Whats your hacking like??

[Blonde Donkey]

After looking at FirenLady's thread was just wondering what kind of hacking you guys have.
Where the girls (Sav and Daints) are we have two bridleways. One going over a railway line and through various kiddies parks (great fun when the pony you're on has an aversion to children and balls ). The other leads to an RAF base, which I gotta admit is kinda cool but very scary when they are using the planes but they are very good if you ring and ask when they will be flying so we can ride up there.
Where the other guys are we have a national speed limit road (read chavs race track) leading to a very dodgy part of the A64 (50+ accidents in the space of a year leading to 5 deaths so far), not happy about riding on that tbh. I gotta admit the only decent hacking we have found is near where my dad works 15 minute drive away through various quiet little villages.
So please make me jealous about your wonderful hacking

[racaille]

Well, I am so totally spoiled! My garden gates give straight onto a track which allows me access to about 3,000km of national park tracks and paths - mind you, not all of them passable on horseback!

The downside is that the Luberon is mostly rock and stone, but there are enough cultivated vineyards and forest tracks to get a good canter. And it's very up and down - I live on the top of a hill so there is always a climb back up at the end of a hack, but I can do it the slow way on the lane, rather than one of the forest tracks which tend to be steeper.

But I love the fact that there are no gates, barriers or hedges. In principle I can go anywhere I like within reason. I have a few favourite 'short' hacks around where I live, but I can also potter down to the river for a swim or go up and over the mountains to a whole different landscape, much lusher. I can ride for more than an hour without having to cross a road.

But you do need an 'adapted' horse for this terrain. No spindly legs will survive. So a stocky, surefooted boy is a must, short cannon bones, tendons like steel and feet like iron ;D

[racaille]

Oh, and one of my favourite hacks is a fast one through vineyards to the next village, where I stop next to a cool and shady water bassin and grab myself a beer.......

[haffyfan]

Not quite the same as Rac but I'm totally spoilt too....my field gate opens onto a bridleway (Farm track/lane) which leads up onto the common (which is an MOD training ground but not heavily used or not right now anyhows and the signs seem to scare all but locals/twitchers away) this in turn attaches to the country park and the woods beyond which stretch for miles. Road crossings (busy ones though- although they are literally only crossings!) link via a bridleway between fields and another smaller wood up to Clumber park and beyond in one direction and the other direction links down to 'field' bridleways around village/by river and into the next village across and no idea where to from there but again no road work other than crossing looking at the map/from the bits you can see. From this one a few hundred meters ( but up road) you have another large forestry commision managed wood (permit required here) but it's very very touristy and much busier than the country park due to the facilities and mountain bike tracks etc

Must say very lucky in general as Nottinghamshire has over 500 miles of routes for riders and they have actively tried to link as many of them as possible hence how they manage to host 4 large but different endurance ride routes within about a 15 miles radius of me non of which need to use the same tracks/areas. By boxing there is access to several other woods and the southwell trail within a short distance too.

On the downside most of the paths are forestry roads or maintained/surfaced paths (so canter paths are very limited unless you don't care for your nags legs...which it seems of the odd rider you come across round me most don't!) The roads are shocking at the moment as they were rallying a couple of weekends ago and ripped up the surfaces/put huge ditched grooves into them....now I actually love rallying but the mess they make of the tracks....grrrr...go rally elsewhere! Oh and they don't tend to warn very well of the rallying from our end....you have to find out for yourself (or wind up being be part of the action)...that winds me up too that one sign half way up a path they are using is all the warning given...never mind that to reda the sign you have to ride/walk along other paths they rally down....sorry that turned into a rant!

[duckles]

In two words: not great. Roads, the odd muddy track and stubble fields in season. I really envy you lot with bridle paths and forrestry and of course Racaille and Nepoleon's law.

[solomon]

We have sleepy lanes, forestry commision woods permit required £55 a year. Also a couple of bridleways which are quite stony. Not bad Oh I nearly forgot the best bit the disused railway, perfect for cantering summer and winter and miles of it!

[fimacg]

We have the right to roam so can go anywhere we like (within reason) on horseback as long was we don't do damage.

My short distance hacking largely involves my road (single track lane) and surrounding roads, more lanes and one B class road. Lots of farmers fields, I am good friends with 2 of the big farmers around me who know I will only go into their fields when they are stubble or just cut from silage or no stock in them, also have a couple of dirt farm tracks.

My house back onto the forest behind me, which in theory is great, but the only access points have locked gates to stop vehicles getting up into the trees and fly tipping. If I want to get into the forest I have to hack for about 40 minutes up the hill to get there, but it is definately worth it for the view, once in the forest there is many a day's hacking in there its about 10km2 to explore and beyond that is the corntry park which is very horse friendly. although I normally drive them to the country park as it would take about 3 hours to get there on horseback avoiding the main roads.

Beyond the forest behind my house is an area of wild land, its not farmed as such and sits between the 2 areas of the forest and a loch. Up there lives a herd of wild ponies, most look like welsh or connemara types but there are quite a few coloureds in the herd too. I have no idea how they got there or who owns them (if anyone actually does) but there are some really nice ones, occasionally they come down to the road side and there must be 50-100 horses in the herd.

They freak out my boys if they appear when we are hacking past but its kind of nice avign them there.

[brigadier]

Im spolit now. Lots of tracks and fields on the doorstep with no roads or very quiet roads. Long riverbank canters, village to potter around and a very nice day ride to a pub. Cant believe I dropped on!!

[jane]

I live in a tiny village surrounded by mountains, so totally spoilt for choice with off road tracks, there are forests, moorland and the mountain tracks,and the roadwork here is quiet and safe too.

[spotti]

Duckles, it appears we are the unlucky ones who only have roads and the odd stony track to ride on!

We do have bridleways, but you have to do atleast 40 mins to an hours pretty heavy roadwork to get to them...

To give you an idea of how far we have to go to have a short canter or even a paddle in the little ford, we have to ride out of the yard, through a relatively quiet estate past the occasional bus and lots of cars, up a narrow track with low hanging branches (big horses can't fit in here! Yay for ponies ) to a cow farm at the top of the massive hill, join a national speed limit road (albeit a relatively quiet one) and ride on that for at least 20-30 mins until we reach a roundabout, then we wander along some other roads (I guess they would be B roads, but they're petty busy...almost always have a bus and a tractor somewhere along them) to the first bit of our nearest bridleway. We have to walk down this bit as its downhill and quite narrow, then down another bit of quiet road to the next bit of the bridleway, again walked. Soon meet the road again, and another little roundabout, then up the side of a pub and down a little hill track to the ford at the bottom - the horses can have a paddle if they want, but Faith hates running water so we don't bother LOL. Then you can either go back up the little hill track and turn right and continue along that track to a place where apparently there are some logs you can jump and a bigger river to paddle in, but we've never been that far OR you can head back the way you came, back past the pub and the roundabout and the busy roads, have a little canter/short gallop up the hilly bridleway, trot along the grass verge of the road with houses on only one side, then canter/gallop up the other bit of bridleway before calming the horses down, crossing the roundabout and rejoining the 60mph road that leads to the cow farm on the hill. About 20-30 mins later, back down the cow farm track, little canter or trot opportunity here, although it can be quite stoney so the ground has to be good for us to even consider going faster than a walk (also you have to remember to dodge the low branches...especially funny when my friends 15.3hh horse thinks that leaning forwards = go faster!!! Me and Faith just miss them all anyway because we are litte ). Last stretch back to the yard includes a short wander through the estate and either up a stoney backpath that leads around one of the fields, or head out onto the main road (wth proper busy traffic on it), down the hill and into the main yard gates.
All in all that would take us about...um...a good few hours! Last time I went there we set off at about 3:00-3:30pm and didn't get back to the yard until nearly 8:00pm! And that is our nearest canter/gallop spot...atleast it is if you don't want to wreck your horses legs on unsuitable ground.

Apparently we have another canter spot up a farmers field, but it takes my sister about 2 hours to do that hack, and she trots almost everywhere and canters whenever possible. So if we walked bits, we'd be out for days!!!!!


So yeah, my point is to enjoy the hacking you have as believe me, ours is much worse!


On the plus side though, all of our horses are pretty good in heavy traffic, and when I say heavy, I mean HEAVY - as in constant cars, big lorries, multiple buses, the occasional tractor, often motorbikes and pedal bikes and kids playing about on motorised scooters and what not. We regularly see kids on trampolines, kids playing football around our feet, pink girls with pink cheerleader pom-poms prancing about and singing, people pushing prams and kids running up behind us shouting "PONYYYYYY!!!". There are skips and things with flashy lights on at the sides of the road, along with cones and bags and flappy plastic things that would scare anyone not used to them. We have to cross little-ish roundabouts, follow traffic lights, go past a big noisy factory with massive gates that creak when they open. We face old grannies on scooters (scary grannymobiles, accoiding to Faith and George ) and people using their vacuum cleaners and paint spayers and hosepipes. Recently we've had council people re-tarmacing the road, so there's been loose gravel, funny crunchy car tyre noises and large yellow machines with flashy lights billowing out random puffs of steam.



So you can see why I'm so jealous of all of your off-road hacking! ;D

[duckles]

Spotti- glad I am not the only one without to die for hacking. Actually, yours sounds a little worse than mine as the roads here are mostly quiet - still- think what great horses we must have coping with all these hazards (and sometimes not coping at all!!)

[spotti]

Well that's what I keep thinking to myself, but TBH I hadn't realised quite how dangerous our hacking can be until I wrote that post earlier!

Our horsies must be good if they can hack out in that lot...I think Faith would get proper confused and probably do something stupid if we went somewhere quiet and safe, just to add a bit of danger to mix it up a bit!!! All that traffic-watching certainly keeps her mind busy and suprisingly calm (have I ever told you I have a freak pony )

[ernieburt]

At the mo zilch sounds very much like spotti lucky Nobbie is hard as nails and thinks he's bigger and better than a lorry. On the other hand if I was really brave and moved to the yard I mention in another post I will actually get off road hacking and miles of bridle paths. MMMMMMMMM!

[spotti]

Ernie - you know you want to move to have off road hacking!!! Forget those lorries, bring on the bridleways

[fleabitten]

I think im lucky enough here. We have a main B road with a short path which means i dont have to ride along the edge of the road and its lucky because i can use that to access other road routes.

Country roads - they arent wee quiet lane-roads though. There is lots of farmers round about me so plenty of farm traffic and plenty of cars also.

I have 3 short bridle paths (public as they have wee wooden signposts) one beginning within yards of my house. Just have to cross B road and you are on it.

First one is basically just a track up through a field - its completely open but its supposed to be fenced i think but the farmers that have the field took the fence down years ago.
Good for a nice gallop/canter as its flattish and its basically just grass with a bit of gravel and mud and then its a hill till the gate at the top. Theres a kissing gate at each end of the field along with the main gates. However, as it was so close to my house i tended to walk up it mostly and just do the odd play about in it when there is no animals in it.

The second one is just a few yards away from the top gate of the first one. You go along a country road and then up a lane which is stony/gravelly. Then you go straight on following the arrow (the stony path curves round to the left to a house) and they paved it with large sharp stones a year or 2 ago but the grass has grown up and so its fairly well padded. Its a slight slope so again perfect for a nice canter. Its not long though, probably only 60-90m long. Then theres a proper horse riders gate - you know the one with the metal lever that you pull?

Then theres a farm track - its ok for a trot, its a bit stony but not as hard as the first part. Then you come to a farm and come out onto a road.

So the 3rd track is a bit further down the country road and its a stony/gravelly lane as theres houses along it. Once you get to the end you go left up a track - this is grassy and muddy so again good for some nice trots and canters and its quite undulating.

Then you come out onto a road and you have to hack back along roads to get home.

It takes about 2 hours walking.

Theres also the odd wee lane you come across to go down for a canter - i dont think theres any other bridle paths nearby.

[florence]

National speed limit on very bendy country lanes for about half an hour or more before getting off road. Stubble fields for a few weeks in the summer.

[gingernut]

My yard is on a national speed limit road but we have permission to ride on the cycle path so we don't have to ride actually on it, but most people don't bother slowing down - luckily our horses are good in traffic. Once off that though we have quite a lot of decent rides, most have a lot of road work but there are some nice bridleways. In the winter we can ride down onto the small beach which is about half an hour ride away which is nice. The only problem is being in the south hams you get all the 'ya's' coming down in the summer and have no idea how to drive past a horse or even drive a car on smaller roads!! but in winter we can venture for miles. Quite lucky really.