Hi, strange question, I was wondering what the difference is between hacking, trekking and trailriding? I guess it may depend on what country your from.
Hacking, Trail Riding, Trekking - whats the difference?
- Thread starter kiwigirl
- Start date
In NZ Horse Trekking is when you pay to go on a ride (usually advertised to tourists) for anything from 1 hour - 1 day. They all seem to allow people who have never ridden on them and generally the horses just follow each other! (well that is what I have experienced) The more experience the group has the faster the ride will be.
there you go, trekking is a NZ word. I didn't realise that...
but I 'spose that's where www.horsetreknz.com/ comes from...
but I 'spose that's where www.horsetreknz.com/ comes from...
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Trail riding in Aus, although these days "hacking" is used quite a bit where I am in reference to a trail ride. What we call hacking in Aus is I think the equivilant of UK show horses... where you circle around the judge, do a workout and get judged on turnout, breed, colour, height etc
It may be just a local thing, but I tend to think of a hack as being a normal ride out with a group of people who are happy at walk/trot/canter and maybe the odd gallop. On the other hand trail riding brings to mind the image of a lot of less experienced riders plodding along nose-to-tail. This is probably re-enforced by the mass market US trail ride/dude ranch adverts we see in the UK. I am sure there are lots of advanced rides in the US too. Maybe someone from over there could comment if they still get called "trail rides" or something else?
Trekking sounds kind of more adventurous
Probably because it isn't really a word in much local usage, so it sounds like something you would do abroad across Iceland or something!
Also "hacking" sounds more horse specific, whereas somewhere advertising a guided plod would probably say "trail ride" over here...
This is obviously an extreme generalization! I know there are very advanced trail rides as well
Trekking sounds kind of more adventurous
Probably because it isn't really a word in much local usage, so it sounds like something you would do abroad across Iceland or something!Also "hacking" sounds more horse specific, whereas somewhere advertising a guided plod would probably say "trail ride" over here...
This is obviously an extreme generalization! I know there are very advanced trail rides as well
You can hack in a group, or on your own or just with one other person - any number.
Same goes for trail riding - I've ridden as a tourist nose to tail with beginners, but also out with just one wrangler or my freind. But a trail ride in my experience is on a trail - a designated horse route?
Whereas a hack can be on roads or just across open ground?
Same goes for trail riding - I've ridden as a tourist nose to tail with beginners, but also out with just one wrangler or my freind. But a trail ride in my experience is on a trail - a designated horse route?
Whereas a hack can be on roads or just across open ground?
Gosh - don't we all have different ideas about this!
Here's my twopenn'orth:
(Pony) trekking in the UK would conjure up the nose-to-tail, no-experience-necessary type of ride that tourists might take.
Hacking is the UK word for riding out, alone or in company, but with some riding experience and control of your horse.
Trail riding is the US word for hacking. The Americans I learn from in Austria use 'trail riding' in this way.
Next please...!
Here's my twopenn'orth:
(Pony) trekking in the UK would conjure up the nose-to-tail, no-experience-necessary type of ride that tourists might take.
Hacking is the UK word for riding out, alone or in company, but with some riding experience and control of your horse.
Trail riding is the US word for hacking. The Americans I learn from in Austria use 'trail riding' in this way.
Next please...!
In the UK I would be thinking:
hack - 1 or 2 hours in countryside
trekking - from a holiday centre, definitely at least 2 hours, probably in more 'wild' looking countryside - Welsh mountains rather than Surrey woodland!
trail-riding - trekking-type countryside and riding but out all day and going from place to place rather than always starting and finishing at the same place.
So a hack can be quite like a trek - I've done rides which were dead easy and completely exhausting which were all described as 'trekking'. And a trail ride or trek could be a few confident riders in challenging riding country or a load of nose to tail tourists. But I would have a rough expectations of what I might see while riding and how low I would be out for, although would need to ask more questions about riding level to know what I'd let myself in for!
hack - 1 or 2 hours in countryside
trekking - from a holiday centre, definitely at least 2 hours, probably in more 'wild' looking countryside - Welsh mountains rather than Surrey woodland!
trail-riding - trekking-type countryside and riding but out all day and going from place to place rather than always starting and finishing at the same place.
So a hack can be quite like a trek - I've done rides which were dead easy and completely exhausting which were all described as 'trekking'. And a trail ride or trek could be a few confident riders in challenging riding country or a load of nose to tail tourists. But I would have a rough expectations of what I might see while riding and how low I would be out for, although would need to ask more questions about riding level to know what I'd let myself in for!
Hah, no, trekking is not down here!
Although I'm going to start using it from now on. I can just imagine the looks on my friends' faces when I say "Hey, guys! Let's go a'trekking!"
Hacking and trail riding are pretty synonymous in Canada and the States I've heard both
Although I'm going to start using it from now on. I can just imagine the looks on my friends' faces when I say "Hey, guys! Let's go a'trekking!"
Hacking and trail riding are pretty synonymous in Canada and the States
I've heard both
You’ll be better starting a new thread to ask your question, this one is from 2007 so people are likely to overlook replying
Hjack dont be put off. I will answer your question as I learned to ride as an older adult and had the same problem.
In the UK the general rule (BHS) is that a person must be able to canter in the school before they are allowed to hack.
There is a reason for this. If a horse gets frightened and spooks, it may canter off and if a learner cant yet canter they may fall off.
I was allowed to start hacking after my lesson horse spooked and cantered in the school (I was trotting over poles) and I didnt fall off. However, I went on having lessons and I didnt canter on hacks for some time. I didnt fall off but I would not say I was competent or confident in canter.
However, if you are allowed to go out on a hack before you can canter, it is sometimes easier for beginners to learn to canter on hacks because there are no corners. It can be hard to balance in canter at corners in the school. There are some riding schools or trail ride centers which specialise in teaching canter out on hacks and that is how I learned to canter properly.
Some schools teaching canter out on hacks, teach one to use a forward or light seat. Mine did not, yet strangely, they always cantered up hills. Some RIs believe this makes it easier as the learner does not tip forwards. But it also means that the seat of the learner is deep in the saddle and if the horse has a bumpy canter, that makes it harder.
I always find it best to ask the advice of the RI about any particular horse. But I have been cantering for years and out of habit canter up hills even though the horse I ride at the moment has a very bumpy canter. So I need to re think things myself.
In the UK the general rule (BHS) is that a person must be able to canter in the school before they are allowed to hack.
There is a reason for this. If a horse gets frightened and spooks, it may canter off and if a learner cant yet canter they may fall off.
I was allowed to start hacking after my lesson horse spooked and cantered in the school (I was trotting over poles) and I didnt fall off. However, I went on having lessons and I didnt canter on hacks for some time. I didnt fall off but I would not say I was competent or confident in canter.
However, if you are allowed to go out on a hack before you can canter, it is sometimes easier for beginners to learn to canter on hacks because there are no corners. It can be hard to balance in canter at corners in the school. There are some riding schools or trail ride centers which specialise in teaching canter out on hacks and that is how I learned to canter properly.
Some schools teaching canter out on hacks, teach one to use a forward or light seat. Mine did not, yet strangely, they always cantered up hills. Some RIs believe this makes it easier as the learner does not tip forwards. But it also means that the seat of the learner is deep in the saddle and if the horse has a bumpy canter, that makes it harder.
I always find it best to ask the advice of the RI about any particular horse. But I have been cantering for years and out of habit canter up hills even though the horse I ride at the moment has a very bumpy canter. So I need to re think things myself.
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