It’s all too easy when out hacking to do long stretches in one pace. By mixing it up and incorporating transitions, this will ensure your horse is listening to your aids and engaged, and improve your flatwork while you’re at it.

If you’re hacking out in company, you can still do this flatwork exercise. Count strides together and make it fun!

Aims

• Improve your accuracy in making upward and downward transitions
• Be disciplined about making the transition at the intended moment, rather than drifting into the new pace
• Ensure your horse is listening to you in a distracting environment, and that your aids are clear

The setup

No setup required. You can do this in an arena, field or out hacking.

How to ride the exercise

• Decide on a sequence of transitions that you will stick to. For example, trot 20 strides, walk 10 strides, trot 20 strides, walk 10 strides. You can also include canter and halt.
• Be disciplined about when the transition happens, rather than drifting into walk or trotting two strides after you intended. Prepare early, using one or more half-halts, so that your horse is ready, then execute the transition at the designated point.
• If you’ve nailed the straightforward transitions, work on transitions within the gait, for example lengthened strides, free walk to medium walk, collected trot to working, or skipping a gait, like halt to trot or walk to canter and back again.

You may find your horse is more easily distracted out hacking than he would be schooling in the arena, so this is a great way to keep him listening.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Lack of response into trot

Your horse does not have enough impulsion. Transitions are an excellent remedy for helping the horse be sharper off the leg, so try doing more frequent transitions. Also use transitions within the gait to build responsiveness and engagement.

2. Falling into walk

This reveals a lack of engagement, and could also mean the rider is leaning forward or collapsing through their core into the downward transition. Wrap your leg around your horse’s belly, close your thighs, sit up tall and maintain a consistent contact to keep the quarters engaged as he steps forward into walk.

3. Horse hollows

Your horse may hollow its back and lift his head as you make a downward transition. This can occur when the rider blocks with the reins. Soften your hand slightly during the transition, without losing the contact completely, to allow the horse to lift its back and step under.

Want more ideas? Check out our full daily training inspiration library

• For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The idyllic image of galloping along a beach or across empty moorland may be a dream scenario – but for some riders it’s a nightmarish prospect. While most of us start our riding lessons in arenas, and may feel quite secure within an enclosed space, the thought of the freedom of horse riding in open spaces can be daunting.

Providing the horse itself is used to the sight of an expanse ahead and not liable to get over-excited, riding in open spaces – whether walking, trotting or cantering – should be a thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating experience for both horse and rider.

However, it can be shrouded in fear due to the rider’s trepidation or past negative experiences. Let’s take a look at how to build our confidence up to the stage where you’re ready to take on the challenge.

4 ways to build confidence horse riding in open spaces

1. Be present

Mindset and performance coach Jenni Winter-Leach of Flying Changes explains that worrying about riding in open spaces is often because riders don’t feel in control when there’s not a “barrier” around them.

“Maybe a rider has had issues like their horse taking off, or just feeling out of control,” says Jenni.

“From there, when we get worried we go into ‘what ifs’, but ‘what ifs’ are in the future – they’re not now in this moment.

“We need to stay present in the moment, because when we project things into the future our bodies start doing things which are never helpful in our riding like tensing up or not breathing properly, and we go into a freeze response.

“The best place to be in the present moment is in our body and physical feeling; so think about your breathing, and your position on the horse.

“By doing this you’re aiming to change the pattern and prevent yourself from going into the ‘what if’ mode, and you can then be effective in the moment.”

2. Elevator breathing

Equestrian mindset and confidence coach Debbie Hill of Ahead for Life recommends practising breathing exercises before you set out.

“One of my favourites is to imagine that you’ve got an elevator inside and when you breathe in the elevator stops at your belly button, then it stops at your mid chest, then the top of your chest,” she explains.

“Then you watch it slowly descend back down towards your tummy. By using the image of an elevator, you’re using your conscious mind to stay in the moment,” she explains.

“When doing this you should breathe in through your nose, and gradually out through your nose, and the reason this is important is because it tells the rest of your body through your nervous system that everything is OK.

“As soon as we breathe through our mouths it can cause stress, because we would usually breathe through our mouths when we’re running or fighting to get as much breath in.”

3. Take in your surroundings

Debbie also recommends immersing yourself in nature and admiring the view.

“Practising mindfulness when you’re on your horse can be really helpful and remind you to enjoy being out,” she explains.

“Think about what you can see: are the trees changing colour? What new flowers have come up? Have you spotted a buzzard? What do the clouds look like?

“Looking up is really important because when we look up and we use our peripheral vision, it relaxes our mind. When we’re in ‘focus’ vision, like when we’re staring at something thinking, ‘That’s going to spook my horse!’ that sets us off, because going back to tribal times we’d have only been in focal vision when we were hunting or being hunted.

“To widen our vision and look around us is useful to calm the mind, and also helps us to balance. If we’re crossing the road for instance we wouldn’t just focus on one spot on the other side, you’re aware of the traffic coming and going because it helps us to judge speed and balance when we step off the kerb.

“Enjoy your surroundings; we tend to forget to enjoy it because we’re so worried what might happen.”

4. Turn the dial down

Debbie says a useful tool is using the “arousal dial” to help bring calm to a situation.

“Imagine there is a dial between your horse’s ears – and you can turn this up and down,” advises Debbie.

“If we say that at number one you’re completely relaxed, and number 10 is you’re so nervous you can’t ride.

“When you’re riding consider what level you would like to be at. To work this out you can think of something that went well, and think about where on the dial you were, was it maybe a four or a five?

“When you are riding and you start to feel overwhelmed and that dial is creeping up, take a moment and picture turning that dial back down to that time it went well.”

So whether you’re planning a beach ride, or are going to head out into the open countryside with your horse, using these techniques can help ensure you are in the best possible mental place to enjoy the experience.

You may also be interested in:

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

You may be happy soaring over five-foot hedges or riding into a dressage arena packed with spectators, but the idea of hacking on the roads sets you quaking in your boots. Building confidence for riding a horse on the road is a tricky area.

Traffic has increased massively over the years, and not all drivers know how to pass horses appropriately. Although the British Horse Society (BHS) has made huge efforts with their road safety campaigns, it remains a major concern.

However, for many of us, riding on the roads is essential if only to get to safe hacking routes. If we have a mental block about it, our nerves can transfer to our horse and exacerbate the tension.

Let’s take a look at how to alleviate some of the worries, so that you can enjoy every step of the ride.

5 key steps to improve confidence for horse riding on the road

1. Set yourself up for safety

The BHS has several tips that we can follow to help us stay safe when on the roads with our horses.

These include:

• Wear high-vis and reflective equipment, both on yourself and on your horse, so that you are easy to see from all angles. LED lights should also be considered
• Learn the Highway Code rules to ensure you behave correctly and interact appropriately with other road users
• Be alert at all times – so put that phone away, and don’t hack on the roads while wearing headphones
• Take a road safety test such as the BHS Ride Safe Award or Pony Club Riding and Road Safety
• Use hand signals to show when you are intending to make a manoeuvre
• Take a charged phone with you, and tell people back at the yard where you are going
• Report any incidents or dangerous driving

2. Pick something to focus on

Equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford says when riders worry about what might happen on the road, it often means they have become fixated on an outcome.

“If you’re going out and thinking, ‘I just want to survive this’, you’re going to cause anxiety in your body, your body’s going to feel out of control and you’re going to be tense,” she says.

“You want to switch from thinking about the ‘what if’ to thinking about what you want to achieve while hacking out.”

“Choose something to focus on like being able to soften your hands and let your horse stretch, keeping your body straight, or just giving your horse something to do so that you have a job. By focusing on something we’re taking ourselves away from that outcome that creates the stress, and engaging in things that we know that we can do.

“It sounds kind of obvious, but it’s not obvious at all when you’re in those moments of worry and doubt. Doing this will allow you to take control of the experience, rather than having an ‘I just need to get through this’ mentality.”

3. Get a pen and paper

Poppy recommends writing your worries down to help boost your confidence horse riding on the road.

“If the ‘what ifs’ and worries are flying around your head then write them down. It might be, ‘What if my horse spooks at something on the road?’,” she says.

“Put it on paper, and then write what you will do in that moment. How would you slow them down or reconnect with them?

“By writing down what you will do you are coming up with solutions, and when you start to program your brain into solutions, we’re moving away from the anxiety by saying, ‘No matter what happens, I have a solution’.

“By making a plan for it, you’re taking control of your behaviour and you’re moving away from being reactive in these situations to being proactive.”

4. Find your anchor

Ahead for Life’s Debbie Hill says when riders have worries about the road what they are doing is risk assessing – and she reminds us that this is normal and OK.

“We risk assess for a reason – because riding on the road can be dangerous, but once we’ve risk assessed we can accept that those risks are there, and carry on. Often it’s the perception and catastrophising that causes the lack of confidence,” explains Debbie.

“We’re thinking about things that could go wrong, and when we do this we kick off the fight, flight or freeze mechanisms; we become tense, our breathing becomes shorter, and then our horses tune into this.

“When you’re in this moment, it’s helpful to envision a place where you feel calm and or think of a song that you can immerse yourself into that takes you to a happy place where you feel safe. We call these anchors, so it’s anchoring you into a frame of mind and way of being, and taking yourself out of that place of worry.”

5. Box breathing

Consultant clinical psychologist with Changing Minds Dr Duncan Law, who has worked with top sports athletes, recommends using breathing techniques during moments of anxiousness.

Box breathing involves inhaling through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for four, exhaling through your mouth for four, then holding your breath for four – and repeating.

“If you’ve had situations where you’ve had poor outcomes, you might have a tendency to dwell on those unhelpful thoughts and think things like, ‘Here we go again’ or ‘I can’t do this anymore’. These can be understandable thoughts, but in order to perform a task, you need to push these out of your head,” he says.

“Box breathing helps people first of all to remember to breathe, which might sound crazy, but when we get really anxious and adrenaline starts to flow we forget to breathe or we almost pant, where we really shallow breathe.

“All sorts of biochemical processes go on and you can feel light headed, can’t concentrate, and you’re less well prepared. Box breathing helps you to remember to breathe and to breathe properly, and by doing this it calms down the bit of your nervous system that helps regulate us.”

We cannot remove all elements of risk associated with riding on the roads, but we can improve our mental and physical approach to help ourselves and our horses behave in a calm and relaxed manner. This not only makes the ride more enjoyable, but reduces certain aspects of the risk due to your control of the situation.

You may also be interested in:

Build your confidence in handling horses on the ground, whether you’re a rider or the vital helping hand

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Lost riding confidence after having a baby? A confidence coach explains why becoming a parent can affect your equestrian life

Scared after falling off a horse? A confidence coach explains why this might happen

Struggling with nerves? Boost your confidence and enjoy riding again with these helpful tips

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Horse and rider training

Welcome to Horse & Hound’s training hub. Whether you are looking for techniques to improve your riding skills, insight from top trainers and riders on how to prepare your horse for a specific sport, or tips to help solve specific problems, you will find useful advice from experts to help.

Horse & Hound’s training exercise of the week

Choose a topic:

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Daily training inspiration

Execute smarter square halts with just four poles

• Improve horse’s straightness
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Try today’s exercise or find more daily inspiration.

Even if you’re lucky enough to have great off-road hacking, introducing your horse to traffic is a sensible step. Whether it’s in the car park at the vet clinic or the lorry park at a show, every horse will come across traffic at some point and it makes sense to do everything you can to reduce the risk of an accident.

“The first thing to say, and this applies to all training when introducing something new to a horse, is start with a safe environment that you can manage,” says Jason Webb, a trainer who specialises in starting young horses and retraining those with problems.

“There are horses with whom you can just say, right I’m going to introduce the horse to traffic, and you just go for a ride out on the road and you can get away with it, but for safety’s sake and your horse’s ongoing future in terms of being able to deal with those environments, it’s best to do things with a process.

“That means being able to increase the intensity of an environment to increase your horse’s ability to cope and reduce the amount of energy in an environment so it’s manageable and doesn’t push the horse into an incoherent flight state.”

Before starting the process of introducing your horse to traffic, Jason says you need some basics, including being able to control flight, such as by using one-rein controls and bending the horse.

“This puts your horse in a shape that means they can’t drive,” he says. “It disengages the hind end and engine. Their ability to run is hindered.

“It also means the horse’s head comes round and not up. When a horse’s head is up, they tend to be more anxious and adrenalised. In this sort of situation, you won’t generally be able to force your horse to put their head down, but what you will be able to do in a bend is relax one half of your horse and allow energy to dissipate by moving round in a circle.

“That’s really important because if you hold with two reins, energy is trapped and can explode out in all sorts of unwanted ways.”

Introducing your horse to traffic: a five-point plan

1. Assess your horse’s responses

Jason suggests starting by leading your horse into somewhere like the car park at your yard and letting them look around.

“Just note how your horse is coping in that environment,” he says. “Are they really looking at the traffic? Do they become more aware or flighty or are they just normal? This gives you an idea of how to move on from this point.”

If your horse is anxious, Jason suggests repeating this exercise, not forcing the horse to look at the vehicles or touch them, but just letting them take in the environment and absorb it all.

“Once they start to get familiar with it, you’ll start to see them become more inquisitive. Then you can start to approach areas you might not have been able to approach before.”

2. Use tying up

Jason’s next step is to tie the horse up and drive a vehicle smoothly past them, with the distance depending on their responses during step one.

He says: “It’s important not to creep. I just move the vehicle consistently past them. Horses like to see a rhythm and pattern. If you’re moving erratically, it makes it harder for horses to process and therefore makes a more anxious or flight response.”

If the horse gives no response, then Jason will start to bring the vehicle closer, until it’s in a place where the horse is just able to tolerate it, and then he’ll repeat the exercise until the horse starts to relax.

“The important part is that my horse doesn’t swing from left to right while this is happening and I can control this by using the standing on the tie exercise. The reason this is so important is because I want to be the person to show the horse that where I’ve put them is a perfectly safe place to be even when traffic is moving past – that not only gets them used to traffic going past them, but it gets them used to you being able to show them it’s all right and their confidence in you starts to build.”

Jason will build this up so the horse sees traffic coming towards them from in front and approaching from behind and uses different combinations of traffic and speed.

3. Follow a vehicle

As the first mounted exercise, Jason will ride the horse behind a vehicle driving around a familiar paddock or arena.

He says: “Initially the horse is going to want to go left and right and keep their distance, but as they become more familiar with the vehicle moving round, you’ll start to feel you can ride them a little bit closer. I use this exercise until I can get the horse to go up and actually make contact with the vehicle when stopped.”

4. Go round the vehicle and vice versa

Next, Jason will trot around the stationary vehicle, with the engine on or off.

“Again I’m assessing where’s that comfort line and I’m just focusing on riding straight lines around the vehicle,” he says. “If you ride a circle you’re more likely to lose your horse’s shoulder and they sort of bow out.”

Then Jason swaps things round so the vehicle goes in circles around the horse, initially at a distance the horse is comfortable with and then pushing this circle slightly closer.

“If my horse starts to become more anxious and move, I allow them to walk a small circle in the opposite direction to the way the vehicle is travelling and I just allow this to happen until my horse stops. When my horse stops, we’ll simply reverse the roles. I repeat these two exercises for however long it takes for my horse and me to feel comfortable that my horse is becoming confident with the vehicle moving and stationary.”

5. Ride the horse past the car

Jason will then ride the horse backwards and forwards up a fence line 5-10m from a stationary car.

He says: “If I get a slight flight response, I’ll immediately bend my horse, face them back in the new direction and then go back past again and I’ll do this until my horse can go through this gap calmly. Then I’ll change the sequence so I’m standing still and the vehicle will move backwards and forwards past me. I’ll just ask my horse to stand and be relaxed.

“Backing up is not a problem in this instance. I might ask if this happens that the vehicle give me a little more space and or as the rider your job is to keep your horse’s head straight until the vehicle moves past – until the horse realises that if they stay straight and allow the vehicle to go past, it will be fine.

“If a horse learns to turn in this situation, then they can start napping or spinning behaviours. A horse that just goes backwards will lose that will to go backwards once they realise the vehicle will travel past and it’s fine. If the horse wants to shoot forwards then I simply turn my horse back to where they were – so a small figure of eight – and I repeat this until my horse can stand and deal with the traffic passing.”

Jason recommends using combinations of these exercises and variations when introducing your horse to traffic, depending on the horse, before heading out on to the roads.

“Think how you can teach your horse to find that place of comfort,” he concludes.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Do you struggle to ride your horse behind when hacking with friends? Perhaps your mount is great when he’s leading the way, but becomes hot and buzzy if he’s asked to take a turn in the rear.

Jason Webb, a trainer who specialises in starting young horses and retraining those with problems, says to start training the horse to go behind when hacking in a low energy environment – with just one other horse, in a familiar place.

He suggests three exercises to help with this problem.

1. Alternate positions

“The first thing to do for a little while is to ride in front,” says Jason. “Don’t make a big fuss about it, just allow the horse to be in front and relax.

“Then get the person with you to ride up alongside you. Then I would alternate positions, just checking your horse in behind and coming up to the other side of the other horse and riding along again.

“If your horse gets bothered by this movement, allow him to spend some time in front, before switching again.”

2. Variation within the pace

A problem with your horse going behind when hacking comes down to being able to control your horse’s paces, slowing the horse’s walk and then allowing them to walk on again, says Jason.

“This must be done in an environment that your horse is comfortable with at first and generally I practise this going away from home, with or without company,” he says.

“When I’m on my way home I always find the the most comfortable place for my horse and allow him to be there because a lot of problems with riding in company, and hacking in general, come from holding your horse up when on the way home.

“So on the way out, practise getting your horse to walk slower and then walk out again.”

3. Let the horse choose

You need a companion horse who is happy to stand quietly while another horse walks past in both directions for this exercise.

“Set yourself to go 100m down a track – that’s as far as I want to go because I know when he’s behind my horse gets anxious,” says Jason.

“I start out behind the other horse, then if I feel my horse get anxious, I ask the other person to stop and I’ll allow my horse to go past. When I get in front, I’ll start to ride around in fairly small circles left and right. I’ll do this for a minute maybe, then I’ll ride back past the horse standing patiently waiting for me and position my horse where I want him to be, behind the other horse.

“When I ask him to stand there, he may choose to walk off again to get back in front. If so, all I do is repeat the process of a few circles walking around in front of the other horse and go back. I do this until my horse can stand with a loose rein behind the horse in front.

“The idea of this exercise is that when I’m behind, I don’t hold my horse, I allow him to choose to stay there. If he chooses not to and chooses to go in front, I make it slightly awkward for him by doing some small circles and figures of eight and then I take him back behind and leave him alone again.

“In doing this, I allow my horse to make the decision – if he decides to go in front he has to do these circles and serpentines and it’s quite tight and slightly awkward or he can choose to stay behind where it feels like he’s got space to relax. The horse in front isn’t going anywhere so he will realise maybe this is the best place to be in this situation.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International, plus expert advice on horse care, training, and much more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

With a little imagination, hacking can be fun and a useful tool for preparing your horse to succeed on competition day.

Whether you’re seeking extra marks in the dressage arena or want to become more confident across country, here are nine tips that will help.

1. Practise being accurate

It’s so easy to lose marks for not being accurate in a dressage test, and you must be able to ride an exacting line to a narrow cross-country fence. So while you’re hacking, pick a marker in the hedge — it could be a certain tree or a telegraph pole — and make a transition there.

2. Learn to leg-yield

Leg-yield past spooky objects by turning the horse’s head away from it while still maintaining forward momentum. He’s learning to move away from your leg pressure without over-thinking it.

3. Open and close gates

Don’t shy away from opening and closing gates out hacking. By doing it while mounted, your horse will be learning to turn on the forehand and rein back without realising it.

4. Perfect the free walk

A happy horse is more likely to be marching along out hacking and going forward. This makes it easier to encourage them to stretch down on a long rein compared to in an arena, where they may not be as relaxed.

You can also practise riding medium walk, too, and really feeling the difference.

5. Make banks easy

If you live near woodland, walking up and down natural banks is an ideal way to build a horse’s confidence. It’s surprising how difficult some young or inexperienced horses find going up and down banks, so hacking is the ideal place to learn that skill. Begin with small banks and build up gradually.

6. Become brave about ditches

Popping small ditches out hacking is good fun too, providing you don’t teach the horse bad habits. Find a small, inviting natural ditch to begin with and work up from there. However, we don’t suggest you use drainage ditches on verges, and make sure that the ground on either side is suitable and free from debris.

7. Build the bond you have

Most horses will try to step around a puddle, because sense tells them that the ground is lower there. If you can convince them to step in and walk through happily, not only are they learning that getting their feet wet is fun, but you are building a trusting relationship too.

8. Make water fun

Walking through ford crossings, streams and natural water is a brilliant way to teach your horse to enjoy getting wet. Begin where it is shallow, and always make sure the bottom is safe.

Many leading riders regularly take their horses, including their top rides, into water prior to an event in order to keep them confident.

9. Cope with the unexpected

You never quite know what you’re going to come across while hacking, and the same is true when you’re away competing. So if your horse is used to dealing with variable terrain, damp patches, shadows and anything unusual on a daily basis, it shouldn’t be a problem on competition day.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Riding horses through cows might be commonplace on the plains of Montana, but in the UK on most hacking routes riders will not encounter livestock. Being confronted by a field full of cattle while out on a ride may cause alarm, but the majority of the time, livestock – whether sheep, cattle or other horses – on a public right of way present no issues to horses and riders. Pigs are anecdotally known to spook to many horses, but they are unlikely to cause an upset on purpose. Occasionally cattle may behave in a dangerous manner, leaving both you and your horse fearful or under threat. It is possible to appeal to a highway authority to have threatening animals removed, but you need evidence of their dangerous behaviour – rather than your horse simply being scared of a herd of ruminants.

In fact, in most parts of the world, equines co-exist quite happily with other livestock. For example, in Africa, where antelopes, zebras, elephants, giraffes, rhinos and others all graze in the same area. Before the Ice Age in Britain, wild horses grazed with bison, deer, woolly rhinos and wild cattle. However, our modern horses may not be used to the sight of flocks and herds of other species, so this needs addressing before heading through a field with livestock.

Preparing your horse to ride among livestock

The first step is to make sure your horse is well prepared. Your Horsemanship trainer Jason Webb grew up farming sheep and cattle off horseback in Australia, and advocates starting slowly with “what I term reasonable exposure”.

“Turn your horse out in a field where they can see livestock,” he suggests. “Or, if you know you are going to meet them on a hacking route, have a quiet, experienced horse between them and the cows or sheep, or start by leading them from the ground – as long as your groundwork is good!

“Pick your times well. Ask the farmer when he usually feeds the animals, and avoid those times as the livestock will tend to be on the move, and avoid times when the road may be busier, such as school run times.”

On the specific training, “good ridden controls” are a must.

“Make sure you can do a one-rein turn and one-rein stop and that you are able to control your horse’s hind end from the ground if you decide you need to dismount,” he says. “Make sure your horse is desensitised to a whip or stick. If you are moving through a field of livestock, you may need to carry a whip or a stick to move the livestock away. A good test is your horse not reacting when you tap the whip or stick on fencing when you are riding in the arena or on hedgerows or branches when you are out hacking.”

Jason explains that the ideal situation for training would be to work with stock that moves away from a horse or rider.

“I would push that animal around with the help of another horse who’s used to herding,” he says. “A week of this would see your horse really gain confidence as they realise that they can move the stock away from them, rather than the other way round. This is what we do in Australia; the sheep and cattle know the horses mean that they are going to be moved from one paddock to another.”

Riding horses though cows and other animals

An understanding of how livestock behave can help you avoid threatening situations and enable you to respond appropriately. This would also apply to areas with a high frequency of dog walkers. Dogs are more likely than most livestock to chase horses, because they are naturally more predatory than grazing animals such as cows and sheep. A pet dog may think a moving horse is cue for a game of tag, so always slow and halt to avoid a situation escalating. With any luck the owner will bring the dog under control. But knowing how dogs behave and preparing your horse for their reactions will make for a much safer hack.

The best advice is usually to steer clear of other animals, rather than approaching them. If this a regular occurrence, both your horse and the livestock will be familiar and less reactive – it’s the one-off or first-time experiences that cause concern, and need to be managed correctly so that they don’t set a precedent of trauma.

A sense of distress is often a trigger to panicked behaviour among livestock – and your own horse – so always keep calm and purposeful, using your voice confidently. However, don’t try to sneak through the field in case they are suddenly surprised by you. You want the livestock to be aware that you are there, but are not exhibiting any threat towards them.

Look out for any cows with calves or ewes with lambs. The mothers will defend their young with their life, being highly protective and potentially aggressive or agitated, so give them a wide berth so they don’t feel any threat from you.

A potential snag is when the livestock are crowded around a gateway you need to use. Jason says there is no point seeking confrontation if you are concerned.

“I would avoid going through that gate with a nervous horse,” he says. “It might be a better idea to turn around and go back the way you came, or walk along the fence a bit to encourage the stock to move away from the gate.”

Bulls, rams or stallions may be aggressive to protect the females in their group so give them plenty of space.

Bullocks and groups of young horses tend to be curious rather than aggressive, but it can feel quite threatening when they follow you and start getting excitable. Try to avoid attracting their attention and do not get stressed or agitated yourself. Turn to face the livestock, and if necessary move towards them as this is likely to cause them to retreat. Running away will look like a game.

Avoid any field where dogs are working with the animals, for example sheepdogs, as you may be considered a threat to the flock – and your horse might be rounded up in the process!

How to respond if your horse is scared

Despite excellent preparation and thoughtful riding, your horse may still get scared, so you need to know how to deal with a situation.

“When your horse gets adrenalised, you need to be able to control him without blocking him, which could result in him getting more panicked,” says Jason. “Therefore using a one-rein turn into a circle is a great way of maintaining control while allowing your horse to continue to travel forwards.

“If it is difficult to turn or circle in the environment you are in, focus on a point or object in the distance to ride towards. This keeps you riding forward positively and being proactive in the situation.”

With some practical preparation, calm and firm controls from the saddle, and you and your horse will be able to cope with whatever situation arises while out together.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Horses and hounds go together – or do they? The BHS reports there have been 706 dog attacks on horses in the past two years, although it is believed the figures could be much higher as many incidents go unreported. These are not rare occurrences, which means all riders need to know what to do if they find themselves dealing with a situation involving out-of-control dogs around horses.

Sophie Rubie was hacking out in Bramshill Forest, Hants, when a large, muscular dog on a choke-chain pulled away from his handler and began jumping up at her mare, barking and snarling.

“My horse was amazing at trying to protect herself and me, she kept spinning round to face the dog, and striking out with her forelegs,” says Sophie. “I was screaming at the owner, but they couldn’t get their dog back. After what seemed like an age but was probably a few minutes, I managed to gallop away down a long sandy track, and the dog gave up chasing. I’m not sure if I did the right thing, but at least we got away unscathed.”

Many riders aren’t so lucky. In the past two years, the BHS reported three horse fatalities due to dog attacks, with 75 horses and 102 humans injured. Many dog attacks do not involve the dog actually biting the horse. Injuries are often caused by the dog chasing the horse, the rider falling off and injuring themselves, or the horse suffering or causing damage while running loose and panicking.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control, whether on private land or in a public place. This means that the owner should be able to control the dog instantly and recall it, whatever the circumstances. However, just because it is illegal does not mean it never happens, so you need to be prepared.

Dog trainer and behaviourist Helen Masters, who is also a rider, says that most dogs “quickly back off once they have appreciated the sheer size of the horse”.

“However, dogs are by nature predatory, and some are extremely prone to chasing and herding,” she explains. “To these dogs, and those who may not be well trained and have no impulse control, any thing that is going quickly is game on! I would say from experience 90% of incidents happen when a horse is trotting, cantering or galloping. To a pet dog this is a game of tag.”

Out-of-control dogs around horses: what to do

If you spot a dog on its own, without a handler nearby, it may leave your horse well alone. However, even friendly dogs can get excitable, cause your horse to spook, or chase them for fun. Make this less of a likelihood by slowing to a walk, and giving the dog a wide berth so that they do not feel threatened or provoked. Call out that you are passing, in case the owner is near enough to control their dog and simply wasn’t aware of your presence. They are more likely to spot you if you’re wearing one of the best high-vis options for horse riders.

Helen says there are ways that you can prevent what a dog may see as a fun game of chase from escalating.

“Stop, as quickly as possible,” she says. “The horse may not want to stop due to being chased and is going flat-out to get away. In this instance you can either hope that the dog gets worn out, gets too close to a hoof and backs off altogether, or sadly if you have a crop you may need to use it for the safety of all involved. If you can circle there is more chance of being able to slow things down and stop your horse. Either way, it makes for an unpleasant experience. 

“If you can stop then just stand still and hope the owner is not too far behind. If the dog continues to be a nuisance, then I would dismount, and the dog would meet me and be backed off my horse by a very assertive forward movement and a back-off command. I would continue to do this until such time as the owner appeared or the dog retreated. 

“Should there be no sign of an owner, again dismount, get a hold of the dog (pray it has a collar on) and walk with it back to your lorry or yard. Or if the dog and the horse can stay still, try calling the number on the dog’s collar, which by law all dogs should have on in a public place. Lastly, if no collar, improvise with a stirrup leather as a make-do lead until you can get help or your horse safely back home or to the lorry.”

If the dog shows signs that it may attack – such as barking, growling and jumping up – try to stay calm. The BHS advises:

• Distance yourself from the dog by riding away
• Protect young or vulnerable riders if possible and safe to do so
• Keep the horse’s head away from the dog
• Allow your horse to defend itself
• Make a note of any identifying details of either the dog or their owner

Helen always wears a riding hat camera on her helmet in case of situations like these.

“If you are thrown, your horse gets bitten or injured as a result, or the dog does, then hopefully you have video evidence of the incident at hand,” she says. “Try as hard as you can to stay calm and rational, and in doing so the likelihood of you all coming out of the situation unscathed is very much higher.”

If your horse has suffered any injury, call the vet immediately. You may need to summon an emergency vet to the incident itself if you cannot safely walk the horse home, for instance if there is severe bleeding, lameness or shock. Even if the injury looks superficial, a dog’s saliva is full of bacteria which may cause infection.

Once the situation has been diffused, and assuming you and your horse are safe, try to get the owner’s contact details in case the incident needs following up. Report any incident to the Police and ask them to refer it to the Dog Legislation Officer – an expert in canine matters – which every police force is recommended to have. You should also report the incident to the BHS, whether or not you are a member, as your information can be used to improve equine safety.

Are you a rider? Here’s how to behave around dogs

“Riders must be equally respectful to dogs and their owners alike,” says Helen. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, owners put their dogs back on a lead and stand still while you pass. You should always thank them for their consideration. Furthermore, if you were foolish enough to trot or canter past at a rate of knots, not only is this extremely rude but outright stupid as you are asking to be chased. There may be times that you do not see a dog initially, but the second you do, slow down, stop and apologise.”

Helen also recommends desensitising your horse to dogs if you can.

“Walk out with a well-trained dog and its handler. Having the dog run alongside while you trot will help your horse get used to dogs,” she says.

Are you a dog walker? Here’s how to behave around horses

Dogs should always be kept on a lead or within sight of their walker, with reliable confidence that the dog can be recalled instantly.

Familiarise your dog to horses in a controlled situation so that you can train them not to react, but to stay calm if they meet horses while out on a walk. Teach your dog to sit and stay, quietly, while the horse passes.

“I would walk the dog on its lead alongside a horse that is being ridden,” says Helen. “Go near fields where horses graze and walk them around outside. If the dog gets excitable and shows interest, correct them and ask them to leave it and redirect. Riding schools may let you bring your dog on site and watch, on a lead, at a distance to help teach your dog manners.”

According to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, if your dog is deemed dangerously out of control, the consequences are severe. The dog may be destroyed, you may be banned from keeping dogs and even be sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. At the lesser end of the scale is a potential £5,000 fine, an order to muzzle your dog and keep him on a lead in public.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

It’s one of the great joys in life to head out for a ride with your beloved dog in tow. Alas, it’s the preserve of the lucky few who have access to private land or large off-road areas where their dog can run freely. Riding your horse with a dog off the lead is not simply a matter of trying it out and seeing if it works. You need to put in hours of training, for horse, dog and handler, until you are ready to head out together safely.

Dog trainer and behaviourist Helen Masters, who hacks out with her beautifully trained dogs beside her horse, takes a step-by-step approach.

“Introduce the dog and horse in the yard, so they become used to each other’s presence. Next get someone to walk the dog with you while you hack and – if you are lucky enough to have a school — to stand in the manège with the dog on lead while the horse is worked in all gaits.

“Once the dog seems unfazed, you can then see if it maintains the same demeanour off the lead while the horse is worked in the manège. Mine either go out and mooch around nearby or sit in the middle of the school. If you have access to private land, then the same thesis applies. 

“If it is your own dog, you should have put in the time to teach a recall and the dog will invariably follow you anyway. If the dog is not reliable with recall and following you and runs off to hunt or go into bushes to do their own thing, then until the dog is trained to come when called it would not be sensible to try riding out with it.”

Becoming separated from your dog is much more alarming when you are mounted, as you are not as free to track it down.

“Sometimes the dog may spook and bolt, head back to where your lorry is parked or back home if you have your own land to ride around,” says Helen. “Dogs invariably go back to the place they know and feel safe, which will either be back home or the lorry. It is always a good idea to have one of the best GPS trackers for dogs just in case they don’t do either of these things. Tractive is great and you get real time location.

“Always tell someone where you are going to ride if you are taking the dog and an approximate time of how long you will be.”

Your Horsemanship trainer Jason Webb says it’s essential that your dog is progressively introduced to horses, for both species’ sake.

“Have your dog on the lead or tied up on the yard while your horse is tied up, or walk your dog on a lead next to, or through, their field,” he advises. ‘“Make sure you have good control of your dog before you let him loose around your horse on the yard and the field. I have our dogs loose on the yard and they get in and around the young horses and run around the arena – the horses get used to them really quickly.”

Case study: Inca – “I can trust her implicitly”

Dan Gregory’s nine-year-old German Short-haired Pointer/Weimaraner, Inca, loves nothing more than a “hoolie with the horses”. When Dan was training for three-day events, Inca would do the hill reps in canter alongside his horse Archie. 

“She is the type of breed that can go all day and has both the legs and the stamina,” says Dan, a joint-master of the Staff College Drag Hunt. “She loves it so much that as soon as we arrive at the yard, she’s yipping and yapping so I don’t forget to take her, she’s itching to go out.”

But Dan trained her meticulously so that he knew that even once aboard Archie, he had complete control of his dog.

“I wouldn’t do it if you haven’t got a dog you can trust implicitly, because you add another layer of complexity given that your ability to do something, if there’s a situation, is compromised because you are on the back of a horse,” Dan says.

“The basis of her education was gundog training and I was black and white with the obedience. I trained her with the whistle, and taught her to sit on command if I blew one long blast. This is really useful if she’s ahead of me and a situation develops, as I can get her to sit from afar. A good dog training whistle, like an Acme gundog whistle, has the benefit that it carries much further than me whistling.

“There was an element of progression. Once she knew ‘heel’ off the lead, I would cycle round on a bike, in an area where I could control her easily. When that went well, I took her out for a ride in an area with lots of space, no roads, and taught her to understand about heel to my horse. I should say the horse is ideal because he’s used to going out with hounds.

“We give Inca a lot of free rein now, and let her run, but with a lot of recall too, making her walk to heel and then releasing as a reward.”

Dan adds that the breed is important. He’d advise taking a dog that really loves long, fast outings and has the stamina to keep up and enjoy themselves.

“While pointers are known as ‘horizon dogs’, Weimaraners are quite needy which has worked in our favour. In the early days if she was getting a bit free-roaming, I would hide and she’d want to know where I was.”

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

While there are no set guidelines about horse riding on the beach in the UK in terms of permits and approvals, you should understand that some beaches are privately owned and some are owned by the local authority. Due to this some require permits to allow riders to use them, while others request “courteous use”.

You may also come across conservation areas — certain areas may be Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and therefore out of bounds.

However, most authorities prefer that horses are not taken on the beach between 10am-6pm during the peak season, which is usually from April to September.

Are horses allowed on your local beach?

If you interested in riding on your local beach, the first step is to ask your local authority about its own guidelines. For example Gwynedd in Wales allows safe riding on the beaches between 1 October and 31 March, providing people do not gallop or “cause danger or annoyance to other users”.

While there are no laws about removing horse dung from beaches, given that dog owners are requested to pick up their dog faeces, many councils kindly request that horse owners either remove their dung, or at least move it away from the shore area, as a courtesy to other beach users.

Remember, creating a good impression gives members of the public more reason to welcome horse riders on to their local beach.

Safe riding on the beach

1. Always check if horse riding is permitted on the beach you have chosen — visit www.bhs.org.uk for a list of beaches

2. Riding might be limited to certain times, days or areas

3. Ensure you know the boundaries of where you can ride — they might not always be visible

4. Avoid disturbing wildlife and plants — on dunes, stick to designated paths

5. Check there is a car park near the beach before you go for safe unloading

6. Be courteous to other beach users — remove any dung. And you won’t be popular if your horse kicks sand into a sunbather’s face…

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

If you’re getting bored with riding around your local area, then it could be time to venture further afield – enter, equestrian orienteering. Most of us tend to stick to routes we know, but that means you could be missing out.

There may be bridleways in your area you’re not aware of, or if you have transport you can look for rides further afield. Check out the BHS Ride Maps website, your local County Council website or tourist websites for ideas.

The first thing you’ll need is an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, with a scale of 1:25,000. Ordnance Survey also have an app available, and there are other route planning apps as well – but there’s no substitute for a paper map in case you run out of phone battery or find yourself in an area with no signal.

Next, you need to learn how to read the map! This is simpler than you might think, but it’s helpful to have a friend to show you the basics. The resources section of the Ordnance Survey website has a beginners’ guide available for free download. You can’t ride on footpaths but you can use bridleways which can also be used by walkers and cyclists, restricted byways, and byways, which vehicles can use. You’ll quickly learn to spot good navigation points, such as churches, pubs, lakes and railways. Carrying a compass and knowing how to use it can also be helpful, especially in poor visibility.

If you’re planning to ride in open countryside, it’s a good idea to do some preparation beforehand in case you encounter any hazards. You’ll need to be able to open a gate, get on from the ground and possibly cross a ford or a field with cattle in it.

Laureen Roberts, founder of bridleways group North Cheshire Riders and creator of Laureen’s Ride, a 56km long-distance route in Cheshire, says: “Before you set out on your horse for the first time try walking on the paths you’d like to ride, as not all bridleways are good to ride. Does the bridleway come out on a busy main road? If you’re planning to box to the start of your ride, it’s best to scope out parking in advance to make sure there’s room for a horsebox. Laybys on quiet roads can be useful, or ask a pub if you can use the car park so long as you have a coffee or a snack before you go.

“If you meet an obstruction, please report it to the Council Rights of Way department via an online report form, which helps to keep the path open and safe for everyone.”

Julia McHugh, former chair of the BHS Cheshire committee and owner of Your Horse is Your Mirror, which offers equestrian orienteering on horseback training and bespoke experience days, says: “First and foremost safety always comes first when hacking, so before you try your hand at map reading, make sure you are confident riding out in general. Always let someone know where you are going and what time to expect you back, and who to contact if you don’t return within a certain time limit. I’d recommend you do the BHS Ride Safe Assessment as well, you can find details on the BHS website.

“Before you try exploring, get a map of a ride you know well, and a compass. Learn how your familiar ride looks on the map, then you will start to feel more confident about hacking somewhere you don’t know. To work out how far your ride is, every 4cm on the Explorer map is 1km. If you know what speed your horse walks and trots, then you can plan a ride and work out how long it will take you.

“You will need a map case for your map, and you and your horse need to get used to carrying it. I never wear a map case around my neck, it’s likely to twist around and strangle you! I wear mine like a bag across my shoulder and chest so it’s easy to read and doesn’t flap and scare my horse.”

Depending on how long you’re going to be out, it’s also a good idea to carry a drink, a fully-charged mobile phone and a hoofpick. Above all, have fun and enjoy some of the fantastic riding available across the UK.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Riding two abreast has its advantages and lots of people do it: it encourages cars to slow down more and you’re less likely to be pushed into a hedge or ditch. It’s also safer if you position a young horse or inexperienced rider on the kerbside away from the traffic.

At the same time, you’re a bigger obstacle for cars to avoid, and because two riders take up a lot of road space, some riders and vexed drivers wonder if it’s even legal.

We would like to assure you that it is legal to ride two abreast on the road.

The Highway Code states that riders should never ride more than two abreast and advises that riders should travel in single file on narrow or busy roads or when riding around bends.

What does the British Horse Society advise for riders?

According to the British Horse Society (BHS): “Riders should look to the Highway Code for guidance on riding safely and the rules of the road. It doesn’t state that riders should travel in single file and the BHS believes that it is ultimately the decision for the rider to make. It may be appropriate to ride two abreast if you are escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider, so they can be on the inside.

“If this is not the case, it is safer to ride in single file where road conditions and traffic requires you to. It is important that riders are aware of their surroundings and are considerate to other road users.

“The BHS recommends that all riders take the society’s Ride Safe Award. This provides them with the knowledge and skill to ride safely in all environments, including on the road.”

Road Safety Scotland’s manual offers detailed guidance on riding two abreast, specifying: “Horses should be compatible and riders should be capable of riding in pairs and returning to single file quickly without fuss.”

Continued below…

9 ways to train your horse out hacking for success on competition day

Wheelie bins eat horses — and other things you need to know before you go hacking

Sharing your hacking routes with other road users can be challenging. Here's six things you absolutely need to know before

And how should drivers deal with people riding two abreast?

According to Kitty Mithin from the Department of Transport: “Drivers should be particularly careful of horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles especially when overtaking.

“Always pass wide and slowly. Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider.

“Look out for horse riders’ and horse drivers’ signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Take great care and treat all horses as a potential hazard; they can be unpredictable, despite the efforts of their rider/driver.”

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Winter weather can be unpredictable, the light can diminish rapidly and horses can become overly-fresh due to lack of exercise. Solicitor Emma Melia, who specialises in serious personal injury litigation, explains how to be prepared if you're heading out hacking

The route

• Before you even get started make sure there is a good system in place for gritting and clearing the yard in places that slippery hooves are likely to contact.
• Don’t allow water to run across the yard or walkways.
• Plan your ride in advance — and don’t attempt an unfamiliar route for the first time which might take longer than expected, leaving you riding in the dark.
• If you go alone let someone else know where you are going and roughly when you plan to return.
• Factor in bad weather/light fading earlier than expected.
• Avoid going out on tarmac roads if it is icy or snowy as your horse is far more likely to slip.
• Avoid busier times on the roads during the typical school/commuter run.
• Check the weather forecast and useful websites for road updates are www.trafficengland.com or www.traffic-wales.com

The horse and rider

• Make sure your horse is warm by using a well-fitting and secure exercise blanket.
• Don’t take your horse straight onto the road if he is likely to be overly fresh — consider lunging in a field or arena first.
• Discuss winter studs with your blacksmith.
• Avoid hoof balling in snow by using Vaseline or other grease
• Keep your hands warm with good quality riding gloves with a good grip to ensure that your hands can maintain adequate grip of your reins in wet weather conditions.
• Use rubber grip reins in wet conditions.
• Wear reflective clothing even if not riding in reduced light as it will increase your visibility and alert drivers to slow down. Research has shown that a driver travelling at 30 mph has three valuable extra seconds of reaction time by noticing a rider in high-vis gear. You can’t be held responsible if you don’t wear one but you might prevent an accident if you do.
• Hat and head cams — use of a hat cam may provide indisputable evidence which may be very useful if you are involved in an accident either to defend an allegation that you caused it or proving that someone else did.

Road etiquette

• While riders are allowed to ride two abreast on the road, and many do so to make a larger obstacle for drivers to pass so they pay greater attention while doing so (as well as to protect inexperienced horses or riders), sometimes this can backfire by annoying a driver, who then accelerates past at speed. So consider whether riding two abreast is necessary and if it’s possible to drop to single file to make it easier for a driver to pass, then consider doing so.
• Treat drivers with respect — thank them if they slow down and pass responsibly.
• A lot of people aren’t sure how to safely pass a horse when driving. “Out of the 2,070 accidents reported to the BHS, 75% were caused by the vehicle not leaving enough room while passing the horse,” says Lee Hackett, British Horse Society (BHS) director of policy. It is worthwhile considering notifying the BHS of a “near miss” so they can gather statistics to help them with their continued efforts to campaign for greater road safety for horse and rider. Visit www.bhs.org.uk
• There is a duty on motorists to drive safely, slow down and pass riders with sufficient clearance but there is also a duty on a rider to act responsibly and only ride in public if it is safe to do so. Even the most minor collision between a vehicle and a horse could have life threatening consequences for rider and animal.

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If an accident occurs….

• Phone for help if you are injured or your horse needs assistance.
• Get the number plate and details of the driver.
• Get contact detail of any witnesses.
• If appropriate seek specialist legal advice to cover your losses, medical treatment and vet bills.
• Report the accident to the police and your insurance company.
• Accidents do happen and riding has risks associated with it like most physical activities — it is there to be enjoyed and not to instil a fear of being sued. However you do have a legal right of redress and other road users should be held to account if they act wrongly and negligently, actions which can unfortunately lead to serious life changing injury to you and your horse.

Insurance

• If you are involved in an accident whether it is your fault or not it is wise to check that you have adequate insurance in place. Vets bill can be huge and so insurance is wise. If your horse causes an accident a lot of damage could be caused to a car or others and you don’t want to find yourself without insurance and be personally liable.

Emma Melia is a solicitor and lead litigator within Spencers Solicitors catastrophic injury team. Emma has over 20 years’ extensive experience helping people who have suffered life changing injuries, including those involving traumatic brain and spinal cord damage.

Emma also writes about horse riding safety on her blog at www.SpencersSolicitors.com/blog

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Summer isn’t just about competing, competing, competing. Whatever your budget, there are loads of other things you can do with your horse to make the most of the long, balmy days…

1. Sign up for a camp

Many local riding clubs run residential camps where members can spend two or three days with their horses, having lessons and having fun, with none of the distractions of everyday life. Check out your local Riding Club website for more information.

2. Take your horse on holiday

If you can never quite relax on that week on a Spanish beach because you’re missing your beastie so much, then why not take him with you? Not to Spain, perhaps, but there are loads of places in the UK where you can holiday with your horse. The BHS website has a list of approved equine B&Bs — visit www.bhs.org.uk to find out more.

3. Ride on the beach

If you’re one of those people who’ll be ticking a point off the bucket list by riding on the beach, then why not make that dream come true this summer? Not all beaches are horse-friendly, so check the list on the BHS website, as well as their guide to safe beach riding, before you set out. www.bhs.org.uk.

4. Give TREC a try

Whether you’d like to compete in this discipline, or just enjoy exploring the countryside with your trusty steed, TREC (orienteering on horseback) sounds like an excellent way of whiling away the summer months. There are lots of TREC events taking place — just don’t forget your water bottle and map. Visit www.trecgb.com to find out what’s happening near you.

5. Do a sponsored ride

Summer is sponsored ride season, and what could be better than having a fabulous ride on your horse, possibly over a course of optional jumps, while also raising money for charity? Double win. You can find details of sponsored rides and fun rides taking place across the UK on www.ridingdiary.co.uk.

6. Box him somewhere new for a hack

Do you know your local hacking routes like the back of your hand — or hoof? Time to venture further afield. You can find details of great hacking routes on www.bridleways.co.uk. If you’re boxing any distance, it may well be worth teaming up with a friend to share costs and have a companion to ride with.

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7. Do a pub ride

Many country landlords are happy for riders to tie up outside their pub to enjoy a refreshing drink — it’s a good idea to ring first and check before you ride over, though. And take it easy — you need to remain in control when riding, so it’s not a good idea to drink and ride…

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Martha Terry finds out how to get the most out of your hacking, if you don't have access to an all-weather school, and if your fields are too wet to school in during the winter

If you don’t have access to an all-weather school and have to rely on hacking, perhaps you’re not as unfortunate as you think.

Six-time Badminton winner Lucinda Green bemoans the amount of schooling most riders do on artificial surfaces nowadays, because horses no longer learn the skills of self-preservation on all sorts of ground.

“You are the lucky one without an arena, provided you are away from bad roads and have friendly farmers,” says Lucinda. “It builds the skill of making instant decisions and becoming more aware.”

Mobile Freelance instructor Wiola Grabowska has been teaching on grass at one venue this autumn due to an unfinished arena. She says this has brought unexpected rewards.

“When [we] ride on artificial, non-slip, stable and beautifully raked surfaces, 99% of riding theory can be as artificial as the surface,” she says.

“[In a field] every stiff movement [from the rider] causes a plethora of issues that go unnoticed on an immaculate surface.

“A variety of surfaces teaches horses to look after themselves, pick up their feet, and be aware and watchful.”

Look on the bright side

Niamh Ward competes at showjumping and dressage without a school. She, too, looks on the bright side.

“Hill work is great for developing topline and muscle,” she says. “Some horses get bored going in circles in an arena, [and hacking] also desensitises horses to traffic.”

Niamh works her horse in an outline as if she were in an arena. She finds that horses often learn extension more easily out hacking, although “it puts too much pressure on their legs” on the road.

Hills, banks, fords and varied surfaces are great for training. They teach horses cross-country basics, while building up muscle and balance — for example by negotiating steep banks.

Darren Hegarty makes the most of Bramshill Forest to train his top horse, who competes at affiliated showjumping, dressage and eventing.

“I do lots of ‘off-roading’ — banks, puddles, mini ditches and changing light,” he says. “I take him for long hacks to develop that bond between us.”

Mary Gilbert events at BE100, without an arena. While she’d prefer to have one, as she believes it’s hard to teach horses without the repetition of consistent schooling sessions, she “works the horse” out hacking.

“I always school out hacking, unless I go for a gallop,” she says. “I do leg-yielding, shoulder-in and lots of bending on the roads. I do rein-back and move the trot forwards and back. If I find a field with a bridleway through it, I do canter work.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (27 November 2014)

Improve your hacking: setting up a toll ride

Find out how you and your fellow liveries could club together to set up some form of toll ride arrangement

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

If your horse is afraid of what is ahead, his first reaction as a flight animal will be to run away from it. It’s your job, through your riding, to convince him that there is nothing to be afraid of and it’s safe to walk past.

If you see a potential hazard ahead, you should therefore:

• Halt your horse a sufficient distance away
• Reassure your horse with your voice if necessary.
• If you have to ride past a drill, compressor or hedge cutters etc, try to catch the operator’s attention.
• If the operator then switches off any machinery in order to allow you past, always acknowledge them.
• Do not continue if traffic is approaching. When the way is clear, calmly walk forward, all the time reassuring your horse with your voice. Try to stay relaxed yourself, and keep your leg on – if you tense up, your horse will think that there is something to be worried about after all.
• If your horse won’tgo forward and you are in company, ask for a lead from another horse. If you are by yourself and your horse is really objecting to moving towards the hazard, it is probably safer to take an alternative route if possible.
• Treat roadworks as a stationary vehicle. Keep to the left, look behind in good time and check for oncoming traffic.
• Be prepared to hold back for approaching traffic.
• If safe, signal right and retake the reins before passing the hazard. Give a ‘life-saver’ look behind before moving out around the obstacle – allowing sufficient clearance.
• Check on the inside for sudden movement or noise from the hazard.
• If the road is not clear, wait behind the hazard at a sufficient distance, to avoid a sharp turn when able to proceed. However, be aware that if you halt too far away, you may encourage other vehicles to squeeze between you and the hazard, which may upset your horse further.