As a new #Hack1000Miles year gets underway, let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the stand-out stories of 2024.
From the terminal cancer patient ticking off her ‘equine living list’ to the rider who cancelled her horse’s euthanasia appointment when he spoke to her in a dream, plus the Haflinger mare who is ridden without a bridle on and the Shetland pony with dwarfism trekking two miles a day.
This annual challenge celebrates the joy that hacking a horse can give any rider — and every single mile deserves a cheer. The following challengers win a prize from long-term #Hack1000Miles sponsor Wintec — there’s one prize up for grabs every month between April and October.
Here are the incredible tales that caught our attention…
Cob with a fear of mounting blocks
October 2024
Patience and consistency are helping Wilma Wallace to deal with traditional cob Bow’s fear of mounting blocks.
Bow, now 14, was anxious about mounting when Wilma bought him six years ago, and it took a while before she was able to use a block.
Then, when Wilma was forced to take 10 months out of the saddle following cardiac surgery, he regressed to his former self.
“I experienced supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)… and it happened one day when I was riding Bow. I had to negotiate my way back to the yard and keep really calm, but he obviously could feel how anxious I was and I think this created a problem for him,” says Wilma.
“When he came back into work after my recovery, he refused to stand at the mounting block and kept shooting off.”
Wilma says that she has tried a variety of different mounting blocks to see if any are acceptable to Bow, and he’s finally starting to get used to a plastic three-step block again.
“We go and hang out there, with me sitting on it and him standing there and he’s starting to improve,” she says.
“He’ll now allow me to get off at the block, so I’m hoping it won’t be too long before I can get on from there too.
“Initially we did in-hand work, as I wasn’t nimble enough to get on from the ground, but thankfully I can now.”
Destined to die until his rider had a dream
September 2024
Kate Duffield, from Guernsey, is counting her blessings with her Irish Sport Horse, Indy, whose return to work and good health are nothing short of a miracle.
Nine years ago, at the age of nine, Indy developed traumatic arthritis and bone spurs in his right knee. While recuperating after surgery he caught his heel in a haynet and tore a hole in his shoulder, which led to tendonitis.
“All of this meant about 18 months of in-hand work before he was sound again,” says Kate. “But then, just a few months later, he couldn’t weight-bear on that leg. X-rays showed nothing.”
Kate took the sad decision to have Indy euthanised.
“It sounds a bit weird, but the night before the vet was coming to put him to sleep I had a dream. Indy turned to me and said: ‘Don’t give up on me, Mum.’
“The vet was great when I told her that I was going to give Indy another chance. He had 12 months of field rest, followed by six months walking in the field with his saddle on.”
Today, the 18-year-old Indy’s body has adjusted to his knee injury. He isn’t lame and he’s hacked out regularly.
“He’s quite stoic, but I don’t think his knee bothers him at all,” says Kate.
This Haflinger doesn’t need a bridle
August 2024
When Ali Shiels bought Ella seven years ago, the Haflinger mare was seven years old but unbroken. Ali knew that she wanted to ride her in as natural a way as possible — and ended up bridleless.
“I hardly need to use the bridle as Ella really listens and engages with me,” says Ali. “I was out in the forest where we ride a lot just plodding along and I reached over and pulled off the bridle. I gently squeezed and she walked on and I thought, ‘OK, she’s really listening here’, and so I asked her for a trot and then a canter that turned into a gallop.
“But when I softened and said ‘whoa’, she immediately came back to me and I realised that we could do this.”
Now, whenever they go to the forest, Ali rides Ella without a bridle, but she never goes bridleless on a road and she always keeps the bridle with her just in case.
Cancer patient’s equine living list
July 2024
A trip of a lifetime to ride Icelandic ponies at the tolt is one of the experiences ticked off Kathryn Hulland’s ‘equine living list’.
Over a six-day visit to Iceland, Kathryn and her brother, Matt (who doesn’t usually ride) enjoyed three excursions — in a lupinfield, on a glacier and on a volcanic lava beach.
Since she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer 18 months ago, Kathryn has ticked off a number of horsey wishes, including riding with Matt in Lanzarote and Salamanca (where he lives) and in the New Forest.
She also learned to carriage drive, thanks to the Willberry’s Wishes charity, and she rode on the beach on the Isle of Lewis with her daughter, Grace.
Kathryn has also brought her pony, Tigger, back into work after a 10-year hiatus.
“I have chemo every week and my energy levels are a bit lacking, but horses have always been my thing and I decided that I wanted to get out and do as much as I can while I can,” she says.
Also on the list is riding a Suffolk Punch at the Cumbrian Heavy Horse centre, trying horse combat, plus a trip to swim with horses in Cornwall.
“My list keeps expanding,” says Kathryn. “Every time one of my friends mentions something it goes on the list. I have this idea that I’m not allowed to die until the list is complete and if the list is never complete…”
‘She’s just under 26in of pure sass’
June 2024
“Arya may be the smallest of my three ponies, but she causes more trouble than the others put together,” says Karen Musilová with a smile about her tiny skewbald pony — who is potentially the smallest of our equine challengers.
Named after a character in Game of Thrones, little Arya the Shetland isn’t letting dwarfism stand in the way of her taking part in #Hack1000Miles.
At “just under 26in of pure sass” — or 6.2hh in horsey measurements — Arya is given an in-hand walk of up to two miles each day by owner Karen Musilová.
“Arya is eight and I’ve had her since she was two,” says Karen. “The lady who bred her wanted her to go to someone who would care for her and so she gave her to me. Initially she was stiff and her left hind would dislocate and pop out at the hip joint. However, the daily walks seem to have built up her muscle and that doesn’t happen any more.”
Arya has achondroplasia, the mildest form of dwarfism, which means that she has very short legs but a long body.
“She may be the smallest of my three ponies, but she causes more trouble than the others put together,” adds Karen. “She’s very clever and has enough attitude for a 16 hander.”
Tent in the back of a trailer
May 2024
Liz Roskell took full advantage of her trip to the Rawfoot Farm Ride in Penrith on 26 May by arriving with Barney the day before and camping in her trailer.
“What a fabulous weekend,” she says. “We went the night before and rode the bridleways and then took part in the farm ride the following day. I rode in the dry, but ‘slept’ in heavy rain.
“Thank goodness for my tent in a trailer — it’s a game-changer!
“In all, we added 13.8 stunning miles over that weekend and Barney still had gas left in his tank for a canter back to the trailer. The memories will last forever.”
Back in the saddle after hip surgery
April 2024
At the start of the #Hack1000Miles year (1st April), Amanda Farley and her horse Buddy clocked up their first miles and final hack before the rider underwent a second hip replacement.
Twelve weeks later and Amanda was back in the saddle and raring to go.
“I had my left hip replaced this time, so once I’d built up my muscles to be able to stand on one leg — which happened during the 12 weeks — I didn’t have any problems getting on and off,” she says.
“However, when I had my right hip replaced two years ago I found it harder. It was fine to mount, but I needed someone to push my leg back over when it came to dismounting.”
Now the pair is contesting their first year of the challenge despite a brief unscheduled break for Covid.
“It’s fantastic to be back in the saddle. I don’t think a hip replacement should hold me back,” adds Amanda, who credits her recovery to Pilates and painkillers.
Winners of 2023
The following #Hack1000Miles challengers received prizes from Wintec after their inspiring stories were picked as our winners of the month between April and October 2023. Mel Beale reports
Helping each other through grief
October 2023
Three months into Sadie Earle Seymour owning Kite, the gelding got peritonitis from impaction colic, which resulted in further complications of colitis and prolapse.
“The vets didn’t think he’d survive, but he did. It took a lot of work,” says Sadie.
Once he had recovered, she decided to re-start the challenge, alongside Tessa Lewis, who had just moved her horse Peaches to the same livery yard.
“We really went for it, and spent lots of hours riding together. We became really good friends,” says Sadie.
Tessa completed the 1,000 miles first, with Sadie finishing it the following month. They decided to give it another go when Tessa found out that her cancer, which had been in remission, had come back. The doctors gave her a year.
“There was nothing anyone could do. She’d asked me before if I’d have Peaches if she left him to me in her will, and I said yes. She passed away in August.”
The livery yard banded together to support Sadie with both Kite and Peaches. Three months later, on New Year’s Eve, Kite came down with colic again.
“The vets had told me he wouldn’t pull through it because of the scarring, so I had to have him put down. It was like we switched. Tessa has Kite and I have Peaches now.”
The pair helped each other through their grief, and in April when the #Hack1000Miles challenge was re-launched, Sadie signed up.
“The universe knew Tessa and Kite were going to go, and put me and Peaches together. I was so grateful to have Peaches, as I’m sure Tessa’s grateful for me taking him rather than her family having to put him up for sale.”
‘Our rides are never boring’
September 2023
Life has dealt one-eyed cob Blue a difficult hand. But that hasn’t held his owner Becky back in realising his passion for hacking, and they’ve overcome all his difficulties together, including broken vertebrae and a polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) diagnosis. In fact, Blue takes great joy in whizzing around the countryside, and despite his exuberant bucking unseating her at times, Becky says it hasn’t dented her confidence.
“Sometimes I’ll ask for trot but get a buck and gallop. I can usually sit it if I see it coming. He’s had me off when it’s come out of nowhere; he broke my nose once!” says Becky, who lives in Staffordshire. “It might sound strange, but I love that he’s like that. He’s been through a lot, so feeling like he wants to go and he loves life is great.”
Knowing that his bucks come from excitement rather than spookiness or fear helps Becky stay confident.
“He’s the most unflappable pony I’ve ever sat on, even though he only has one eye,” she says. “He’s only little, so I know he’s never going to go that far! I’m happy he’s whizzy – our rides are never boring.”
Read Becky and Blue’s story here
‘I was advised to put Kobi down’
August 2023
Hannah Leslie took part in the Man v Horse race for the second time this year with her 15-year-old Knabbstrupper cross Kobi, and reflects that he might not have been here because of his previous behaviour.
“He was labelled dangerous and I was told to put him down when I bought him. His previous owner was scared of him because he napped a lot,” says Northamptonshire-based Hannah. “I thought that if I could just hack him, that would be brilliant.”
It took her a year to get him hacking out confidently, as Hannah broke her ankle and was restricted to taking him out in hand for the first six months.
Fast forward seven years, and the pair have completed one of the trickiest long-distance competitions in the UK. The Man v Horse race, held in Powys, saw 52 horses and over 1,000 runners start. Runners and riders take slightly different routes that converge at various points with separate finish lines.
“It was a really exciting, electric atmosphere. We trotted through the town centre to a heroes welcome – everyone was clapping and cheering for us,” recalls the 31-year-old senior care home assistant. “We were the 17th horse to cross the line. I took it steady – I wanted to bring a sound horse home.”
‘Freedom from my ill health’
July 2023
Rebecca Coy has been doing Hack 1,000 Miles for the last few years, and is currently undertaking the challenge with her nine-year-old Connemara Harper. The pair have recently given Endurance GB pleasure rides a try this year with the thought of trying some graded events next year.
“It’s been a massive learning curve, but I’ve loved every minute of it,” says Rebecca, who lives in Essex. “Harper loves it too. It’s a good community as well, which makes it easier.”
Training for long distance rides is something that Rebecca struggles with, as she has a condition called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also know as chronic fatigue syndrome.
“When I ride I’m in pain from the moment my foot is in the stirrup until the moment I dismount. It’s hard to explain because my symptoms aren’t the same everyday, but it’ll take me a couple of days to recover before I’m able to ride again.”
Rebecca’s symptoms range from muscle aches, numbness and lack of balance to migraines and brain fog. It impacts her daily life, but having horses keeps her going.
“I probably shouldn’t ride or have horses, but it’s my freedom from my ill health,” explains Rebecca, 26. “Just getting out of bed in the morning is really difficult, but knowing I’m going to the horses and they need me is my motivation.
“I don’t have horses to ride and compete, although it is amazing and I feel privileged at the moment with my health that I’m able to, but just having them and carrying for them makes me happy.”
‘I’ve got past the mental block’
June 2023
Mandi Ackerman has owned now nine-year-old Merlin since he was just nine months old, and says he’s always had an anxious personality.
“He’s always been a nervous horse, but he never worried me until he reared and I fell off. I ended up in an ambulance as it caused me to have a seizure,” recalls Mandi. “I stopped riding him and my daughter Hannah took him out – she’s more confident and rode him through it.”
However when Mandi had to retire her other ridden horse Mavis, she knew she’d have to find a way to regain her confidence with Merlin if she wanted to continue to ride. The cob takes confidence from a handler on the ground, so Mandi used this to her advantage.
“We started with short one-mile rides, and now are up to 4.5 miles. When he gets unsure about something now, rather than turn back like I used to, I get off, walk past and get back on. We’re doing that less and less now,” says Mandi, 51. “He still stops and spooks, but he doesn’t rear anymore.
“My confidence is improving. I’m happier when I’m riding with a friend; on my own I won’t go as far, but I’ve gotten past the the mental block I once had,” she adds.
‘She makes me believe in my own ability’
May 2023
Paula Robinson first signed up for the Hack 1,000 Miles challenge three years ago with 16.2hh Irish sports horse mare Cheyenne in hope that it would get her back in the saddle after losing her confidence.
“Rather than build on rides where nothing happened, I let my worst fears and doubts get bigger and bigger until I was worried just getting on her,” says Durham-based Paula. “It was something I created, not the horse.”
Paula noticed that on the days when her confidence is lower, Cheyenne picked up on this.
“I suffer with anxiety and sometimes I think she also feeds off me if I’m having a bad day. When I give her the opinion that I’m good enough, she agrees and there’s no silliness. But when I’m het up, she won’t do things – she’s a good leveller. She’s shown me it’s all about confidence,” says Paula. “She’s teaching me to shake that off at the door, so I can handle her without being on edge.
“She makes me step up and believe in my own ability. I can’t allow my fears to win.”
‘I didn’t think I’d ride again’
April 2023
When Jess Mylroie took on 13.3hh traditional cob Blue, she admits he was quite the project.
“I’d had him on loan and he wasn’t in good condition – he was five years old, still a stallion and I don’t think he’d ever had his teeth or feet done. I invested a lot of time and money into him, and then managed to persuade his owner to let me buy him,” recalls Jess, who lives in Blackpool. “I’ve owned him for seven years now, and we’ve come on leaps and bounds – we rescued each other.”
Since birth, Jess has suffered from a rare condition called Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, which has caused numerous tumours and left her with severe arthritis aged just 45. She’s had over 300 surgeries in her life to tackle it, including a mastectomy, hysterectomy, and gall bladder removal.
Most recently, she nearly lost her arm.
“I had my wrist fused because I had such severe arthritis. I developed compartment syndrome, and came very close to losing my arm. When I realised how close it came, it was a huge shock.”
Jess had to stay in hospital for three weeks with two 18-inch incisions open in her forearm to let them heal naturally.
Four months after the surgery, she was back in the saddle.
“I was desperate to get back on Blue,” says the retired special needs teacher. “It was the best feeling ever, and I just sobbed. I didn’t think I’d ride again.
“I’m more cautious now, because I’m terrified of falling off and knocking my arm but I’m trying not to let it hold me back. I don’t want to give up riding – it’s not in me to do that.”
This content is brought to you in partnership with #Hack1000Miles supporter Wintec Saddles, durable, comfortable, easy-care, weather-proof saddles for everyone.
