Six ways hacking is like an extreme sport

Mountain biking? Jet skiing? Snowboarding? No, thank you! We equestrians know we can just as easily get our thrills by just stepping off the yard

The birds are singing, the sky has but a cloud in it, your horse is walking out with his ears pricked, and you’ve got the most beautiful views over the countryside. You take a hand off the reins to snap an Insta-worthy behind-the-ears shot, and bam.

You’re several metres to the left with what looks like a llama’s neck in front of you, and a case of mild whiplash. Or, if you’re more unlucky, you’ve got an enhanced view of the sky and can confirm the ground is absolutely soft enough for a canter.

Yep, your perfect Sunday morning hack was interrupted by a pheasant/dog walker/cyclist/slightly too-green leaf – and this isn’t a rare occurrence. Whether you’re going for a plod around the lanes or a blast through the woods, you’re prepared for everything. Because, when it comes down to it, hacking is undoubtedly an extreme sport.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest similarities…

Come rain or shine (or hail or high winds or sudden snowstorms…)

Fairweather riders? Pah, never heard of it! Every hardcore hacker knows there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothes. Which goes some way to explain why the back of your car is filled with more jumpers, coats, T-shirts and breeches than your wardrobe. You’ve ended up soaked on more than occasion (even when the forecast has promised sunshine), and now you’re never caught short without a wide range of jackets – and a spare outfit.

Predict the unpredictability

Local councils love to mix up bin days. Pheasants have an increasing appetite for death-by-horseshoe. Your relaxing Friday afternoon hack is peppered with life-threatening obstacles, and if you switch off for a second? Well, you can guarantee that’s the exact moment your safe-as-houses mount takes an aversion to daffodils. Which brings us onto the fact your horse loves to keep things interesting. By which you mean: he likes to regularly change up what he spooks at. Last week it was the white lines on the road. The week before, it was the angle of a parked car. Who knows what it’ll be this weekend.

High-octane interruptions

The roads are getting busier which means your rides are getting scarier. Even though you and your horse are decked out in enough high-vis to land a plane, you still end up in the slipstream when another driver has whizzed by with centimetres to spare. While you enjoy most of the hair-raising activities you encounter out hacking, this is one you’d happily say goodbye to.

The thrill of risk-taking

Can you get off the yard without being accosted by the nice-but-way-too-talkative livery? Can you sneak in a quick canter around the farm before work? Do you dare leave your stirrups at flatwork length? Everyone knows hacking is all about making decisions that get your blood pumping.

The natural high

When mountaineers get to Everest’s peak, when surfers catch that gnarly wave, when snowboarders pull off a new freestyle trick, you imagine it’s the same adrenaline rush you get from your first canter back out hacking in spring, or surviving a solo hack for the first time. Overcoming scary challenges and battling confidence issues is a feeling like no other.

Uncontrollable obstacles

You’ve tried everything. Hacking pre-dawn, hacking at lunchtime, hacking in the evening. But no matter when you go (or where you go), there’s always something new and (unfortunately) exciting to deal with. Sometimes you look back and wonder how you survived a hot-air balloon taking off as you cantered past…