What Is Horse Hacking? (Revealed!)
I was out at an event for horse owners recently, and I got chatting to a very seasoned rider from England.
Though I’ve been a horse enthusiast all my life and have owned horses for as long as I can remember, one thing I’ve never really gotten to grips with is the jargon.
He kept talking about how he loved to take his horse ‘hacking’.
I had no idea what he meant, and eventually I got the courage up to ask and understand what he meant.
So, what is horse hacking?
Hack in the equestrian field typically refers to one of two things, but as a verb it refers to riding a horse for pleasure and light exercise. It can also refer to a certain breed of carriage pulling horse, and finally can also refer to a particular kind of horse show.
So, there are various uses for the term, but ‘hacking’ in particular usually refers to the act of riding for pleasure and exercise.
And that’s exercise for both you and the horse, so hacking is an age-old tradition in the world of horse riding.
Let’s look at it in more detail.
Why is it called hacking?
Horse riding is an old, storied tradition with much esoteric knowledge surrounding it, especially when it comes to terminology.
The answer to why the practice is called hacking is fairly straightforward, though.
There isn’t necessarily absolute certainty about where the term comes from, but we have a good idea.
Essentially, there is a borough of London called Hackney.
In the 19th Century, riding horses were pastured here, and a particular breed of horses called the Hackney breed emerged sometime in the centuries leading up.
The term originally meant an ordinary riding horse, often when they were for hire.
The term was also more broadly used to describe horses in this area that were fit for inexperienced riders, or riders who simply did so for leisure.
At the time, ‘hack’ basically meant a horse of good disposition and calm manner that wouldn’t be a problem for inexperienced riders.
So, this is where the term is believed to come from.
Since, today, it describes a certain kind of recreational riding, the connection seems clear.
Is hacking good for horses?
Hacking is really great for your horse in a load of different ways.
Think about it simply, first of all: your horse needs exercise just like you do!
Hacking is a great way not only to get your horse exercised, but it provides it with fresh scenery and mental stimulation too.
You really ought to be exercising your horse in this way, where possible.
So, hacking is not only good for horses, it’s more or less necessary.
Regularly walking the relatively long distances will keep up their stamina and endurance and the strength of muscles and joints.
It can also help your horse develop its balance and condition its heart.
Treading on different terrain and surfaces will help the horse develop coordination, too, and learn to get used to different types of ground.
Furthermore, mentally, hacking is again pretty much essential for your horse.
Horses in the wild roam a long way each day, so keeping them penned in all the time will start to make them distressed very soon.
Hacking is great for your horse, then.
How long can you hack a horse for?
It largely depends on the strength and stamina of your individual horse, so a good way to determine how long you can go for is to take the horse on short, test hacks.
See how it does after certain distance milestones.
In general, the average hack is about two hours.
A long hack might be up to four hours.
An average hack of somewhere up to two hours would probably cover 6-8 miles, but an individual horse could do up to twenty miles in a single hack if they have the endurance for it.
It will depend a lot upon your individual horse, but a hack of about two hours is pretty standard and will work well for most horses.
What is the difference between a hack and a riding horse?
The main difference is in breeding, which obviously leads to a lot of differences in physicality.
A riding horse is typically a deeper girthed horse, crossed with thoroughbreds but intended to produce a more substantial horse.
Thoroughbreds, typically racehorses, are much thinner and more aerodynamic since they’re bred for speed.
Hacks, on the other hand, are typically bred to be much closer to thoroughbreds.
They still maintain a wider back and usually a calmer disposition, but they are intended to be well bred horses designed for endurance.
The main difference is that riding horses are typically a lot larger, and harder to control.
So, to put it as simply as possible, hacking more or less just means riding.
It has its origins in a borough of London in England, and the term is very often region specific.
But it essentially means the same thing as trail riding.
Long, slow walks designed to exercise the horse and provide a fun leisure activity for the rider.
More generally, a ‘hack’ can be a breed of carriage pulling horse, and can in some rarer cases even refer to a certain type of show.