The effects of riding only on a surface
Fear of hacking on the roads could be causing issues, as it is important to work horses on a range of different surfaces
IS the fear of hacking out causing horses to suffer more injuries? Some experts believe so.
While riders are encouraged to train their horses on a variety of surfaces to decrease the risk of injury, safety while riding on the roads is a real concern for many.
One farrier told H&H he has found people are doing less roadwork, which means he can no longer see uneven weight-bearing in the way shoes are being worn. Osteopath Bryony Burt agrees. “I see more issues, mostly with younger horses being over-schooled in replacement of important straight line work achieved on hacks,” she told H&H.
“Young horses are inherently unstable and circles on a surface are very challenging so, especially with a novice rider, they tend to brace and stiffen the back, leading to muscle spasms and back pain.”
She also sees an increased incidence of stifle pain. “Circles and soft surfaces increase torque strain through the stifle, which causes local pain and then compensatory tension through the hindquarters, which can track up into the back,” she added.
Vet Rachel Murray from the Animal Health Trust has done extensive work on the subject, and told H&H it is very important to train on multiple surfaces.
“If you consistently train your horse on an arena surface,
its bones, joints, tendons and ligaments all adapt to that, so when you ride on a different type, these are not as well protected,” she said. “If you’re always in an arena doing the same thing, some parts of the body can be overused.
“If you cross-train, you’ll condition the different tissues in a more balanced way, to generally get stronger legs.”
One factor could be lack of access to safe hacking. Several riders told H&H they have stopped going out on local routes as traffic has become so fast.
“A lot of people don’t like roadwork or don’t have access to safe roads but still want to ride, so stick to the arena,” Dr Murray added. “And it depends on the surface; certain features increase risk — arenas need maintaining properly, too.
“Small arenas have higher risk than larger ones, where you can do bigger circles. You need to alter patterns with straight lines. Ultimately it’s all about variety. ”
Gold medal-winning para dressage rider Natasha Baker sees the importance of hacking out, so has adapted to keep variety in her horses’ training.
“I tend to hack in fields now, or box and hack to bridleways, as being so close to London it’s so built up and busy,” she said.
“I think the roads are getting more dangerous, too, and you hear so many horror stories; it worries me. But it’s important for horses physically and mentally to have a break from the school. It’s key for fitness and exposes them to more, so they don’t get worried about a crisp packet or a bird flying out.”