Is your horse better alone or in company?

midnightmare

midnightmare

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Oct 21, 2007
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Cleo is so much better out hacking alone than in company, when I'm out with her and something worries her, she'll tell me that she doesn't feel comfortable, but she lets me tell her what to do.

Whereas when we are in company, if something worries her she looks to the other horses we are with and sees what they are doing. Last time we were out with two other horses, one was rearing and generally creating at something in the hedge, Cleo wasn't bothered by what ever it was but when she saw that big leader horse was saying 'go!' she decided to wanted to go, (I'm not a confident hacker, so I got a bit worried when she started backing up at speed whilst bunny hopping) I turned her away from the commotion 'if we can't see it, it isn't happening..' and she settled down a bit, but then when a herd of horses started galloping about in the field next to us I dismounted and led her home :redface:

At the moment though she is VERY dependent on other horses and copies their behavior, she used to be fine to catch and bring in but since moving in with two hard to catch mares she canters over to them and they all bugger off together :unsure: So somehow we have to get her less dependent on other horses so that I can catch her without feeding the whole herd carrots (I am allowed to) and hack her out with others and getting her to listen to me instead of other horses.


so after all that ramble, Cleo is much better to hack out alone than in company
 
Rafi is the same - we go out on our own no problem, he goes even better with another older, bomb proof horse (I go out with him as much as I can to try and get Rafi confident on the roads), but go out with another horse that starts being nappy or stroppy and Rafi suddenly becomes very worried about what they're stressing over. Definitely not a good idea!
 
Mine are fine either way, but definitely more relaxed in company. I wouldn't expect anything else.
 
Depends what the company is, Rhi is fairly happy but very aware on her own, in relaxed company she is relaxed but in skittish and flighty company she gets nervous over things.
 
Depends what the criteria is that you are judging by.

Joy is more distracted on a hack in company and that's because I'm more distracted! She's not bothered by the other horses at all and tend to ignore them, she does however take the opportunity to look about more as I'm gossiping away!
 
i have no company when hacking so mine HAVE to be reasonably ok on their own. Toby is actually better alone than in company, he acts up more if we've company whereas alone we toddle along whilst i rabbit on in his ear.
 
I have not got up the courage to hack izzy on his own but I know he does quite happily. I have taken him in a huge haylage field on his own and he was absolutely fine.

In company he is generally very well behaved. He is brave and will always go past something if the other horses are worried. He just doesn't get worried. I am working up to hacking on my own this summer.
 
JJ is almost a riding school 'follow the tail in front' horse in company - out alone he is more spooky I have to say. Dolly I havent a clue - so far she seems very laid back out alone - have to get some shoes on JJ for a friend to hack out with me and Dolly to see what she thinks of company.:unsure:
 
angel doesn't care, really. we mostly hack alone, anyway - i'd hate to have a horse where i wasn't able to do that (i dont like having to rely on other people if i want to ride!). appley seems pretty pastcaring as well (but then, she's been longreining and leading out and about by herself right from the start because i have every intention of being able to take her out by herself and did not want to create a 'follower'. and she is a very brave pony, anyway!)!
 
Between the two, mine tends to hack better by himself and I prefer it that way. Having said that in my very limited experience of riding out with other horses (only done it the once) he didn't give a hoot about them.
 
Humm

I always said that I have to be careful who I hack out with as I dont like riding with nutty horses that can be highly strung hummmm:unsure:

Now I have that horse:biggrin:

In company he can be calm one minute then reserving and leaping the next especially if he is at the back.

On his own he use to nap pretty much every stride but now he will go pass anything for me but will be nervous and spooky and on the way home from our favourite hack he will leap about lots.

So neither really. I guess he will never be a happy hack but I lobe his character:giggle:
 
Hmmm it depends who were out riding with really. I find poppet's better by herself as theres no one to race with when were cantering:tongue:

But most of the time shes good either way. Sometimes we go out with people who have a new horse as poppets seen it all before so is normally calm:)
 
My boy is defo more confident dealing with things alone. He listens to me to tell him to go on and he is a lot more mature, but if he goes out with his field mate and best friend, he acts all silly and focuses on what other horse does rather than me.
 
guess im lucky as my mare hacks fab on her own and is just the same in company, took her out last weekend with my friend and her horse went lame so she turned around and went home me and sassy carried on with our ride with no problems what so ever she is an:angel:
 
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