Top Tips for Hacking With Confidence
With the summer sun starting to fade, we move into Autumn but this doesn’t mean the fun of hacking with your horse has to finish!
Whether you hack regularly or want to start venturing out, take a look at our top tips below to make sure you’re staying safe at all times.
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Be visible on the road – Visibility on the roads can sometimes be compromised, especially if you are riding through trees. By making sure you have high-visibility clothing on you and your horse, you increase your chances of being seen by other road users. High-vis is available in so many different forms now, from ear bonnets to exercise sheets, boots and breastplates! A top tip is to always make sure you have at least one form of high-vis on you or your horse, but of course, more is always advantageous.
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Ride with friends – if it is possible to go with a friend always do so, the saying ‘safety in numbers’ is true! Always look out for one another, communicate if you’re a bit nervous or you’re approaching a known issue for your horse. If schedules don’t allow this, another alternative is asking someone to walk alongside you on foot for support. This can still offer support to your horse, especially if they have treats!
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Plan your route – always check your route ahead of riding, you never know when there may be a fallen tree or road closure, even on a route you regularly ride. The same goes for when the nights start to draw in even more. By planning your route before leaving, you’re more likely to enjoy your hack with your horse.
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Be prepared – ensuring that your current safety wear is up to date, fits and is in good condition is also vital! If you have concerns about your hat or body protector, remember you can bring them into Lillico’s to have a member of our experienced team check the standard and condition. We also offer free hat and body protector fittings on new safety wear too. It’s so important if you have recently had a fall to get your safety wear checked as damage is not always visible from the outside. Another safety top tip is to put a neck strap on your horse too, this can be done with an old stirrup leather and is particularly helpful if your horse is known for a sudden sidewards spook!
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Attach a tag to your horse’s saddle or bridle – if the worst does happen (as often can with horses!), attaching a tag with your mobile number and an emergency contact name and number can be helpful for if you and you horse are separated. If there’s room, it may be beneficial to include the name and postcode of your yard too.
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Stay in contact – always tell someone the route you will be taking before you leave the yard and roughly how long you are expecting to be. It’s always worth taking your mobile phone with you too (make sure it’s charged) so you can reach someone easily in an emergency.
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Familiarise your horse with its surroundings – if your yard is very rural familiarising your horse with farm animals and machinery will help him to feel more comfortable. The same for if your yard has more road hacking than open fields, lorries, trailers and buses may be more common encounters. If possible, introducing your horse to things like bikes, children playing and dogs in a safe environment, such as on the yard or in the arena, can help him to feel happier when meeting them on a hack – and it will also help to build your confidence too.
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Co-ordinate your high-vis with the seasons – different colour high vis can help you and your horse be seen better at different times of the year. For Autumn, neon yellow is advisable as it stands out more due to the leaves turning orange, the sky darkening and hedgerows having now changed to brown. For other times of the year, it’s advisable to wear pink high-vis in the Spring as it will stand out against the bright and vibrant colours, and orange in the Summer as it is most visible against greenery, shadows created by the trees and yellow cut fields. Finally, Winter is a combination of all of the above! Yellow can be lost in the snow and hard frost, so pink or orange may be suitable on frosty days. However orange may be harder to see on very dark and overcast days, so neon yellow would be best suited. Ensure you have a couple of different colour options available for you and your horse which will help you be seen out hacking all year round.
Find everything you need for your horse from safety and high visibility wear to feed advice, yard accessories, clothing, footwear and more at our stores which are open 7 days a week.
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