Whisper the hacker

Whisper. Mr. Anxious is able to hack. It's such a major thing for us. At the previous farm it took us months of work to get him to walk around the farm. We started off walking and he would turn and want to go back. So each day we would ask him to go a few steps further. He would plant his feet. Stop. Look stressed and threatened to spin and run home, but slowly we managed to get him to walk around the farm.

We have been at Horseland for almost four months and thought it was about time we tried hacking him here. I was a little nervous to be honest because the hacks are outside the farm in open fields. My main concern was that he would spook and run and hurt himself. I know Sophia can handle herself but he is a very strong horse and had a tendency to take off in a gallop if he was scared so I asked his exercise jockey from his racing days to take him. It was a windy day as well so I expected a few spooks but he was very good. It was a success. Whisper was calm, relaxed and enjoyed it.

Hacks are very important. They help a horse break from their normal routine and gain confidence. Ermi loves hacks, infact, there have been times that I have been ready to work him and he will drag me towards the gates because he would rather go out so I sometimes just let him have his way. He especially enjoys hacking without a bridle or saddle and is very well behaved. His lower lip will hang down from being so relaxed. It's a lovely thing to be able to do this with them.