# What do you do if you get lost while hacking?



## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

What are you meant to do if you get seperated from your instructor and the rest of your group on a hack in an area you have never been in before and theat you either don't have a mobile or it's not working/don't have instructors number.

What are you meant to do?


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

I'd let my horse have his head and tell him to go home.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

^^^ ditto. I've never had a horse that wouldn't find its own way home.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

but if you were both in a new area?


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## drafteventer (Jul 6, 2009)

If you're both in a new area, I would suggest not moving and hope that the people you're out hacking with will notice you're gone and try to find you.
But just don't move too much unless you have too, that's what's usually told if you're lost anywhere in the wilderness is to not move too much so rescuers can find you.

But I would just suggest trying not to get seperated in the first place..

I am not the expert on this, because the only places I trail ride I know like the back of my hand lol, and I also get great cell reception in the wilderness surprisingly.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Okay but what if you HAVE to move say you were in danger if you stayed still or it was becoming to dark?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Lots of times, even in a new area, a horse will remember which direction to go to either get back to the trailer or the stall/barn that they stayed in the night before. It is a part of their survival instinct. However, that isn't always reliable. I would make sure to carry a cell phone if you have one and if you don't, a whistle that you can blow to get the attention of anyone in earshot (much better than yelling yourself hoarse). If you are in danger and absolutely have to move, then try to pick a direction and stay going that way. It is easiest to do this in the morning hours and the evening, that way you can use the sun to keep your general direction. And if you know how to read the stars and can pick out the North Star, you can also travel after dark. The hardest thing about trying to get somewhere when you have no idea where you are is that horses, like people, usually have one stride that is longer than the other and without some kind of direction, will generally walk in a gigantic circle even though it appears they are going straight. But, if you pick a direction and continue to travel in that direction, you will eventually come to either a road or a fence or a creek that you can follow back to civilization.


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

You could always carry a GPS.

But really, how far can you go in Britain without crossing a road or path?


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I agree with Smrobs and the others who say - let your horse take you home. 

I've gotten lost before, and it's not fun - well, I get lost alot but that's while I am driving, I don't know my North from my South. I LOVE MY TOMTOM!!!

....but anyways.......when I moved out to the Fox Hunting/Eventing Facility a few years ago, I got lost out on their trails. When I say trails, I mean trails.......hours apon hours of trails going this way, that way and everywhere else. These trails are what the Fox Hunters use, so there is plenty of space to wander on, and easy to get lost if you don't know your way around.

I'd say about a day after being there, I got lost. I went out alone and couldn't figure out where I was after about 1 hour into the ride......I let my horse go, and he took us back to the barn.

I dropped the reins to the buckle and said "lets go home" and he did it. Of course stopping here and there grabbing mouthfull's of leaves and branches and whatnot he could wrap his lips around - but we made it home nonetheless 

At that particular barn, there is this large White Board hanging up in the middle where everyone tacks up - and on there you write your name and where you're going and what time you left and how long you think you'd be gone. 

If you aren't back by the given time, they are out looking for you anyways - because of how massive the area is - so even if we didn't get home, they'd of found me eventually....


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

^^^^ Totally agree. I have never owned a horse who could not find his way, whether at home or away. Mine always seem to know where the food is....lol. You are also on a rather unusual horse, I think, if they allow you to become SO seperated. Most will at least protest a bit.

I have officially been at my current barn 3 years and STILL don't know which way to go to get home.....the trails are very intertwined. THe horses always know tho!

The white board idea is a great one.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

I must admit, I wish I had a trail system big enough to get lost in. Biggest area here is a hundred acre woodlot. Might have been massive for winnie-the-pooh, but my horse can cross it in 10 minutes at a slow walk, lol.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

ROFL!!!!! I choked on my Dr Pepper!!

Deep in the hundred acre wood, where Christopher Robin played....


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

**** =P


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

My current trail horse can find the trailer no matter what. He has very good radar. We go riding in a 4,000 acre wildlife refuge and when I've ridden for 1/2 the time I want to stay out, I just give him his head and let him find the trailer.


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## Skutterbotch (Dec 1, 2009)

So I have never really gone on a long trail ride, lack of space, and I find it amazing that you can let the horse find its own way back. Makes sense, but still amazing.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Ok but what if the horse doesn't know its way back


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Brithorse1996 said:


> Ok but what if the horse doesn't know its way back


I think what everyone is trying to tell you is, that horse does not exist. Horses are homeing pigeons. I don't know how they do it, but you can get miles off course in the middle of nowhere, and they still know where that darn trailer is parked. 

It happened to me last summer. We trailered to somewhere we had never been. A few miles into the woods we met up with a seemingly nice rider who took us on a detour and got us all lost. She left us to find out way back and disappeared. (insert bad word here, rhymes with witch). We started off in the direction we thought was correct on a marked trail, but my horse kept looking off to the left and trying to walk into the woods. After almost an hour of fighting him and realizing we were still very lost, I gave him his head, he bulldozed a path through the woods and found the trail home in about 30 minutes. 

Bottom line is, if you ever get lost, don't worry because your horse won't be.


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## thehorseguy (Jun 27, 2010)

MyBoyPuck said:


> Bottom line is, if you ever get lost, don't worry because your horse won't be.


 Ditto


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

lol i give up


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Don't give up, just tell us what else you want. I think almost every game plan has been covered; cell phone, GPS, let the horse lead the way home, going in one direction to find some sign of civilization, etc. What else would you like to know?


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Ok Ok 

Just imagine you were on a horse that DIDN'T want to go back so when you let it have it's head it would just stand there, but you couldn't just wait for someone to find you because you would be at risk of getting into danger and that your mobile had just died and you didn't have a GPS and that all the closest civilisation was off watching the world cup

what would you do then =P


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I would ride in a direction until I came to either a fence or a road and then follow that into whatever town or homestead it was attached to and make myself at home. If I had to depend on myself and survive in the wilderness, then it would depend on my location and what season it was. I almost always carry a gun with me so finding game would be fairly easy and I would also be able to butcher it because I always have my knife too. I can build a fire with no matches (hard but it can be done) and if England is anything like they show in the movies, it shouldn't be too hard to find a creek or some other source of fresh water to drink from. If you are interested in learning how to take care of yourself out in the country, I suggest looking for someone who teaches a wilderness survival class or something similar.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Umm how about i add that i'm 14 lol and where I live i would get arrested if I carried a knife or gun around with me lol 

Oh and trust me there aren't that many creeks. Just motorways you want to avoid


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Brithorse1996 said:


> Oh and trust me there aren't that many creeks. Just motorways you want to avoid...


Yes, and the motorways all have signs, don't they? Not to mention that if you have a map (which you should), or just a general idea of the lay of the land where you are, once you find the motorway (or even get within hearing distance), you should have pretty good idea of where you are. Then you just go along the motorway until you come to an intersecting road, follow that until you get to someplace with a sign, etc.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

You crack me up. I'm starting to wonder if you train with a scatter brained instructor. You seem very concerned about getting left behind. I would like to think that if you were separated from your instructor, he or she would have the presence of mind to realize you were gone and go to look for you. 

As for the way to find home, if you really do have the only horse on the planet that will just stand there waiting for something to eat it, try using the sun. If it was over your left shoulder on your way out, keep it over your right for the trip back. If it was in front of you, keep it behind you. Way back in the olden days before cell phones and GPS, that's the way we did it.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^And the way those of us still do it that don't have GPS and most times don't have a cell phone signal out here in the boonies.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

LOL MyPonyBuck no the thing is my instructor and all the other people in my group seem to have horses that bolt at the sligtest thing and my pony is genrally the calmest.

And also as i just moved to a new riding school in the middle of the countryside and because she has started taking me on more hacks, for now im always behind her with someoone checking on me from behind (no where to run) i have no chance of getting lost, but i know i'll be taking up the rear one day and knowing me and my pony probably get lost =P


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I've been lost more than once when out hacking, and my horse has always known which way to go to find the trailer.

If you don't panic, your horse won't either.

Besides, unless you're in Yellowstone's outback, I don't see how you wouldn't come across some signs of civilization if you follow the trail far enough.

Really, I think you're having a tempest in a teacup. It's unlikely that your group would get far enough ahead of you to 'lose' you.

If your instructor's so dense that she doesn't realize she's missing a horse and rider, maybe you need to switch trainers!


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

In response to Jamesqf pretty much all the land around the motorways is private anyway so i wouldn't be allowed on it anyway and there is always some smarta** who thinks it's funny to beep a horn whenever they see a horse, even if you're no where near the road


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I trail ride on my own. I have no one else to go with. So I go out, and when I'm coming up on a new trail, I ALWAYS turn right at any crossing, because I know I'll find my way back if I have to turn around. Once I've figured out what's to the right, I start turning to the left. My system works for me. =]

I only skimmed this thread, but what I'm getting is you are worried your instructor and group will get away from you. My best suggestion is to not go with them, or at least with a smaller group. My next suggestion is, if the other horses take off, go with them!


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

RiccilOve I use that same system for exploring new trails. Also, if you're behind a few horses like the OP is, you can always find tracks even if they are not shod. Just have to be observant. Have had that happen before and found our way back no problem just by looking for those tracks and "apples" along the way!

I did discover a new trail once that got me turned around for some reason. T knew exactly where to go as soon as I turned her and gave her more rein. We were back at the main trail in a blink of an eye. I think she was a bit annoyed with my lapse of bearing at the time!


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

lol i can just imagine your horse shouting at you to pay attention


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Like everyone else, I'd just give my horse his head and let him find the way home. Soda has a built in homing beacon, even when we go to the park he ALWAYS knows when we're headed towards the trailer.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I own another one of those horses that knows how to find his way back to home/the trailer/the camp site. More than once I have been out and not been which trail to take to get back, the horse has never picked wrong.






Brithorse1996 said:


> In response to Jamesqf pretty much all the land around the motorways is private anyway so i wouldn't be allowed on it anyway and there is always some smarta** who thinks it's funny to beep a horn whenever they see a horse, even if you're no where near the road


If there is private land all around then you are all set. Find a house and ask for help.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

No i mean like land which is just land the owner lives no where near by


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Brit, you keep coming up with more and more outlandish 'what ifs'.

'What if' the sun asploded tomorrow?! 'What if' all the seas suddenly dried up?! ZOMG! :shock:

Seriously, what makes you think your instructor is such a goombah that she'd leave a horse and rider in the dust and not realize it? Or that the other students with her wouldn't be aware that one of their number is missing?

You're getting yourself worked up for nothing, because there's nowhere in the UK that you can get lost where civilization isn't within a 10 mile radius.

It's an _island_ fer cryin' out loud, not a humongous continent like North America. Try getting lost in 10,000 acres of forest, then we'll talk. :wink:


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

****


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Brit-what if something happened to ur horse? THEN you might have a problem since he wouldn't be able to lead your sorry butt home! lol Siding with Speedracer here! 
;-P


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

If the thought of getting lost is so terribly scary to you, if your instructor is poor enough to leave you behind and not realize it, and your pony is a complete idiot that cannot find his way home, if every single house surrounding the area you ride is likely to slam the door in your face or chase you away, and every nearby road is a major freeway where they will honk and zoom by and spook your horse - the solution is simple.

Stick to the arena and don't go on the trails.


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

Perhaps you should get a map of the area and study it very hard before you go out on any trails.


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