The Courage of a Hackney Horse
If you have known me for long you know I preserve and promote the critically endangered Hackney Horse. Most people I run into haven’t even seen a Hackney Horse except in pictures and videos. Then they see one in real life and realize what a rare treasure they are.
I’ve shown 3 of my own purebred Hackney Horses since 2008: Chambord’s Miss Friday, Chambord’s Kodiak, and now Kodiak’s daughter Willow Grove Kaleidoscope. All of these Hackney Horses have been mind-blowing. All of them have taken a lot of thought and time to develop. All of them are athletic, flamboyant, generous and courageous.
Why do I even use the word courageous? I read it in a book about Hackneys but I didn’t really think about it that much after that. But this last weekend at the Idaho State Horse Show Association Spring Double Point show, I experienced it firsthand.
Allow me to set the stage. Willow Grove Kaleidoscope, or Lida Rose as she is called in the barn, is a LOT. And that’s being modest. A lot of energy, a lot of movement, a lot of opinions, a lot of reactions, a lot of brains. She was bred here, and I met her at just hours old, our first homebred Hackney Horse.
Lida has been both cooperative and defiant. Brave and timid. Easygoing and explosive. Because…well, just because. That’s her. She learns quickly, retains what she’s learned, and is athletically gifted…and yet her physical prowess sometimes overwhelms her current state of education or emotions. Little explosions pop out as she’s trying to coordinate her efforts. Relaxation is under constant review. I have to keep in mind she’s got 400 years of ancestry for trotting hard for MILES and MILES. It’s like asking a Border Collie to live in an apartment. If you have a Border Collie, you have a big responsibility to allow them access to what they have been bred to do!
I began showing Lida the fall of her 4-year-old year. Just a few classes under saddle. She did well and handled the environment just fine. A four-year-old Hackney is still immature in mind and body so this was for exposure.
Lida at her first show as a 4 year old.
Spring of her 5-year-old year, I took her to the Idaho Horse Expo in their Breed Showcase. I later started her in harness and driving, which she took to like a duck to water. I began showing her in driving, which was an inconsistent affair. Some shows she was fine, others she struggled emotionally. I was still learning how to support her. What does she need from me? More support or letting her trot it out? Lots of questions and trying various things.
Lida as a 5 year old representing Hackney Horses at the Idaho Horse Expo
Now, we are in the spring of her 6-year-old year. Again, she represented the Hackney Horse at the Idaho Horse Expo. Still a bit of a struggle being in the enclosed stalls, pretty good about the crowds and the noise. It’s all part of the process if I want to develop her with equity, thinking about HER well-being as an Ambassador for a critically endangered breed. She didn’t choose this path, I did. It’s, therefore MY responsibility to help her become comfortable in the role and all it entails.
Lida at the Idaho Horse Expo as a 6-year-old. Exhilerating!
The ISHSA Spring Double Point Show is the opportunity I chose to focus solely on her experience. I take only her and focus on developing our understanding of being out in public, showing, noise, baths, stalls, braiding, clipping, hooking, unhooking, being saddled, traffic…everything. And what a couple of days we had!
On Friday, we haul over, set up the stall and tack stall, check in at the office, lunge Lida to check out her mindset, hook her and drive. I chose this show at this facility because there are a lot of places to drive if I need them. And I needed them. I drove Lida around with intern Taylor aboard for about an hour and a half. Letting her walk (when she would) and allowing her to trot out over the grassy berms, outdoor arenas, gravel roadways, and walking on the asphalt. I had to take myself “off the clock” emotionally and mentally and focus on Lida. Does she want to stretch out and trot some more? Does she need some walk time? I had to keep in mind that whole 50 miles of trotting Hackneys are bred to be able to do. Fifty miles at a good 15 miles per hour is over 3 hours. So I’m not outside her natural abilities and fitness. At 1.5 hours walking and trotting I probably only covered 10 miles. That’s how I have to think with this breed and this mare.
We unhooked, washed, and braided. We put on her PJs and filled her haynet. Next day was the show. I arrived early to find her quietly and alertly looking out of her stall (a very welcome sight!) I only had 1 morning class: halter. It is a great way to get her into the show arena and all the other horses standing around waiting their turn.
The show photographer, Carrie Sigglin, had some time to take photos of Lida out and around the grounds after that, and I had a suspicion that Lida Rose could use some driving in the morning…I’m glad we did! She really needed to get out and TROT! I tried to leave her largely alone while guiding her to various tasks: up that hill, around that post, across that water, through those trees. We trotted until she wanted to walk, and even then, she had another round of trotting in her. I listened, kept her safe, kept everyone else safe, and gave her a job.
After she had a long stretch of walking, we put her in her stall and let her rest with hay, water, and quiet. We got lunch, watched some of the show, and returned to brush and prepare to drive in the afternoon driving classes. She warmed up very well, still fresh but not edgy. We even stood in one of the warmup arenas as she was content to look around at the happenings.
Lida standing hip shot checking out the happenings. Maybe more cookies?
They called the drivers to the warm-up. Lida walked in confidently and quietly while occasionally sidestepping something that surprised her. After the warm-up, while waiting for her classes, she stood and watched the minis and the ponies in their classes. I was delighted. When we entered her classes, I was already so proud of her! She was willing to walk (big yes!), give me a slow trot (another yes!), and still offer her thundering strong trot while still being willing to come back and walk! Couldn’t be better! Three carriage classes done, then the switch to roadster driving. Again, she was willing to offer the jog-trot and driving at speed while still being willing to walk. I was so happy with her! But her day wasn’t over quite yet. Four English Pleasure classes after about a 30 minute break to unhook and saddle.
She had bobbles and mistakes in her pleasure classes, no doubt. I don’t practice for “rail” classes often, I wanted her out there for the experience. Her fourth english pleasure class is when I was awash in the realization of what Hackney courage is.
When our class was called, we entered at the trot. She looked straight ahead and stepped out for the 8th time that afternoon into a thundering, rhythmic, breath-catching, goosebump-inducing trot. That was the moment I understood. This is the courage of a Hackney. The courage to keep going because they have plenty to spare. The courage to trust you with all they have if you have proven worthy. To allow you to guide all that power and energy when they really don’t have to. Putting that in your hands and waiting on your request is an honor for a rider or driver. A hard-earned honor.
This is so much to manage! But thrilling!
It is deeply humbling to feel the horse under you or in front of you say, “Okay. I’ll do it because you have been kind and fair,” and do it 100%. With gusto. With flair and panache. She didn’t have to. I would have scratched her from the class if she told me she was done. But she wasn’t.
There is nothing like it. No words to describe it. You have to experience it for yourself.
That’s my girl. I know I’m the lucky one.
Not to say she won’t insist that I earn the privilege tomorrow 😉
And you can’t manage a horse like this one by yourself! Ever thankful for Shelby and Taylor for helping hook, unhook, wash, calm, stop traffic so we don’t die, you know….