Chronicle had a tbt article written by Denny Emerson about hacking out (riding outside of a confined space, in the “real world”) and its value. Original article is here if you want to read it.
People act like this is amazing and revolutionary. Ride Outside The Ring You Say? But... Such Danger! Many Uncertainties! How Manage? What Do?
Here’s the thing, internet. I’m a fat middle-aged amateur of indifferent skill level. Fat. I weigh 170 lbs on a 5′7″ female frame. Middle-aged. I’ll be 46 in April. Indifferent skill. I still look down to check my leads and I still superman over jumps. *sigh* At least I’m not lawn-darting over jumps. But anyway.
I ride outside. There is no ring, no fence, no nothing. It’s a hayfield and some woods and there’s a hard road with actual traffic alongside one edge of my workspace. We stay away from the hard road to start.
I ride outside by myself. Typically I don’t have a buddy to save my ass. It’s just me out there, on a horse. There are usually some folks around who would notice if the horse came back without me, but they aren’t going to see me come off. I file a flight plan for the first two or three outings (”We’re going to the buckwheat field, I should be back in an hour, keep an eye out...”) and I always wear my helmet but that’s it for safety protocols.
I ride outside by myself on very green horses. These are horses who have between four and six rides, lifetime, under their belts. They are VERY green horses. They understand the very basics of “go forward” “turn left” “turn right” “stop” “back up” and “one-rein stop” and once they are reasonably good at those skills PLUS can trot the length of the driveway with a halfway decent rhythm and balance, we leave the driveway and Go Out To See The World.
I ride outside by myself on very green horses that are Arabians. I don’t consider having a clever horse to be making the task harder, but other people feel differently. Either way, what I ride is very green Arabs and we Go Out and Do Stuff.
If I can do it, you can too.
Frequently Asked Questions! (Not really. I’m just not done writing yet.)
But What If You Fall Off? Well, I try not to do so. Sometimes it happens anyway, in which case I try to hold on to the reins which simplifies the “regain control of the horse” step. If I don’t keep hold of the reins, then I get up, locate horse, regain control of horse, briefly scold horse (”Ya Damn Idjit!” or similar), get back on, and continue the ride as planned. Thus far I have been very very lucky in coming off horses safely and with nothing more than a few bruises. (If I can see it coming, and I usually can, then I can pick a good landing spot. If I can’t see it coming but can get it wound down to where it’s a slo-motion wreck, then I can also pick a good landing spot. These things help A LOT if you are going to fall off. Seriously, spend some time learning how to fall.)
Wouldn’t It Be Safer To Ride With A Buddy?
Yes. If I had one, I would ride with them. There is not always a buddy available when I want to ride and I am not willing to let lack of a buddy keep me from riding.
What If You Let Go Of The Horse When You Fall Off And It Gets Hit By A Car?
That would really, really suck. Mostly they’re more... “Whew, done spooking. Oh, look! Alfalfa!” and then catching them is pretty straightforward. The only one we’ve had in ages who would vindictively put a rider off with extreme prejudice and then fling her tail over her butt and thunder pointedly homeward is the bay mare I refer to as “Beautiful.” The rest of ‘em are nicer than my personal riding mare of 14 years. Nick’s a bitch.
What If Turkeys Flew Up In Front Of You Or A Deer Jumped Out?
Then the horse spooks or doesn’t spook. No spook we continue working. If spook, I either sit the spook and we continue working or I fall off, locate horse, regain control of horse, scold horse, get back on, and we continue working. One is not able to control turkeys and deer and stuff. Turkeys gonna turkey. Deer gonna deer. After some exposure, the horse quits losing his shit over these things. I promise. Even Nick-the-bitch has pretty much given up spooking hard enough to ditch me. (She’s 18. Some horses take more exposure than others.)
You’re An Idiot.
That’s not a question. Many people agree with you.
