# How often do you ride your horse?



## Wagtail (22 May 2011)

Just wondering. I used to be very strict about riding my horses 6 days a week. Now I don't think it matters so much and they seem happy to be ridden only twice or three times without any down turn in performance or behaviour. So now if it's heaving with rain or howling a gale, I don't bother as I get no sense out of them any way. Much better to have fewer, quality schooling sessions than lots of sessions where the horse is being a jackoffasaur.


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## monkeybum13 (22 May 2011)

Normally 6 times a week but I'm revising for exams atm so she's being ridden less. Shes turned out 24/7 on a slope so she keeps fairly fit walking about. She's not the type to loose fitness quickly.

When I do ride most is hacking. I school very rarely, when the weather is nice and sunny who want to be stuck in a school when you have beautiful countryside to explore?


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## pillion (22 May 2011)

For me its more of a case of 'how much time to get off' my 3 neds never seem to get much time off, one day a week at the least, bearing in mind its low level hacking and schooling, but I just cant keep the 3 kids away 

However I have noticed improved behaviour with two of mine when they are in consistent work, and thats with breaking out!! they do not 'bust' out as much when in solid/consistent work


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## Nailed (22 May 2011)

I ride when I can. usually 5 days or more. I have to do this or else cate starts to become a pain in the neck!

Lou x


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## BlizzardBudd (22 May 2011)

i ride my part loaned pony twice a week at the moment, but in the hols i ride atleast 4 times a week


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## Wagtail (22 May 2011)

That's an interesting point about horses becoming difficult if not ridden enough. I have not found this with mine, although I must admit that my retired mare is becoming naughtier and naughtier to handle and generally being a pain. She used to love being ridden and I think she misses it a lot. I had to retire her though as she broke her shoulder and will never be sound. Her latest trick i barging out of the field every time you take another horse out. No one can stop her unless two people go down and put a head collar on her whilst the other horse is taken out. It's a real pain!


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## maletto (22 May 2011)

I put 1-2 times per week, as that's how frequently *I* ride him, but he's ridden 4 times per week by my sharer, so he does stay quite fit.


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## Geraldine (22 May 2011)

I would love to ride most of the week but work and children dictate otherwise!!


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## CambridgeParamour (22 May 2011)

Rio is ridden 6 days a week usually. If he has more than one day off at a time he goes a bit bananas! Sometimes he will only be ridden  4 times a week, but will be lunged twice so still only has one day off.


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## Kat (22 May 2011)

Either dh or I will ride our mare six days a week, mainly hacking.


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## tabithakat64 (22 May 2011)

Personally, I ride 2 or 3 times a week but my horse also has a sharer who rides 2 or 3 times a week.

The two semi-retired ones are worked 2 or 3 times a week.


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## quirky (22 May 2011)

I followed a fittening program from the vet last October, which meant riding 7 days a week for an hour (towards the end). 
Having worked so hard to gain that fitness, I still ride 6 days a week, sometimes more than an hour, sometimes less to maintain her fitness.


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## NicoleS_007 (22 May 2011)

Atm ride 4 times and lunge once. Shes only a baby so thats enough for her, if she gets out any less than this she gets very excitable and i get no decent work out of her. When shes older she'll be worked 6 days a week with longer schooling sessions as well.


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## Holly Hocks (22 May 2011)

I ride my semi-retired gelding about twice a week, or my OH rides him when I take the mare out.  
I ride/lunge the 9 year old mare 5-6 days per week, although we have soundness issues at the moment.  I did 12 weeks roadwork with her when I was bringing her back into work and she is now so fit, she looks like she's ready to go eventing!  I never realised how fit she would get just doing roadwork - and we have some pretty wicked hills where I am too!


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## Boxers (22 May 2011)

Well I put 3-4 times a week - that's between me and my daughter and he is out 24/7 at the moment.

However in the winter he is stabled just about full time (only 2 hours turnout) and is hunted by daughter every saturday, and therefore I ride him about 3 times in the week and daughter rides him once in the week to keep him fit for hunting on a saturday.  She only has the one horse for hunting and so he has to be fit enough to stay out all day.


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## 3Beasties (22 May 2011)

On average probably about 5 times a week, but on 2 or 3 of those days he may be exercised twice.


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## I See Clover (22 May 2011)

I usually ride 6 days a week if I can. Because I've just sat my exams though, she has been off for about a week and has turned into a fruit loop so won't be doing that again


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## sleepykitten (22 May 2011)

Work dictates only 1-2 times a week, but as am total happy hacker, horse doesn't seem to mind! I used to own a horse that went bananas if not ridden every day, but I'm far too old and too scared to cope with that anymore so I try to find horses that suit my lifestyle and are the same whether ridden once a day or once a month!


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## Elf On A Shelf (22 May 2011)

I can't really tick any of those boxes as I ride 7 days a week and ride at least 6 horses 6 days a week. I ride 3 at work a day and then ride 3 of my own a day. I have 5 in total in to ride of my own at the moment so they all get worked 4 days a week but it gets done in shifts. None of mine are any different for not being ridden every day. They have to get used to it so it doesn't bother them. Kyle is the only one who kicks up a fuss - he likes to have a bronc for a few days when he is first back in work after his holidays but then he settles down and is perfectly normal, well as normal as he can be!


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## 4faults (22 May 2011)

I just tend to go off what my mare needs, she lets me know when she needs a day off. Last week I had ridden her everyday and she had been a saint, the next day she was not so good so I ended it on a good note and then gave her the next day off, she was an angel again the day after


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## Eventer96 (22 May 2011)

I ride 6 days a week, currently trying to juggle this with exam revision (joy!). Schooling whilst having riding instructions and sciency facts thrown at you can be rather interesting! I do it because I've got 17.2hh's worth of beast to control. Any less than that and he is complete and utter trouble!


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## JadeWisc (22 May 2011)

I put less than once a week but I did this an an average through the year.  I am quite snow/ice bound all winter so ride very litte.  In the summer I can ride everyday some weeks and a couple days other weeks.   We do not need to be on any schedule because I have a quiet 17 year old who does not 'need' to be kept riding to stay sane and she had a quiet workload so does not need to be kept super fit.   We just ride her when we feel like it for trail rides or just wander down the roads...through the field.  

She deserves this life now as she worked hard and foaled a lot in her youth.  She was an Amish buggy/plow horse and I am pleased to give her the life she has now.


My kids ride the Shetland about as much as I ride Betty so same goes for him.


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## Trish C (22 May 2011)

I tend to ride 5 or 6 days a week and lunge once, with the odd day off thrown in. However, during the week schooling sessions are kept quite short, and hacks are mixed up between short and long, so he's not worked to the bone by any stretch of the imagination 

I want to build up his fitness, balance and concentration so that I can do more intense (though not neccessarily longer) schooling sessions, and when that happens he might get a more regular day off. We're only into our seventh or eighth week of ridden work and we've had a couple of interruptions with me going away and him having time off through loose shoe and an allergic reaction. So still trying to get the 'routine' going.

Don't like giving him too much time off because as he gets fitter he gets more arsey in the stable (he's day turnout atm) when he's not worked. He seems to begrudgingly enjoy his work and definitely likes to have his brain kept occupied!


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## blood_magik (22 May 2011)

I try to ride 5 days a week but it depends on work so sometimes he only gets ridden 3 or 4 times.
If i can only ride 3 times a week, I try to loose school him so he can let off a bit of steam and not be a total numpty the next time I ride him


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## Supertrooper (22 May 2011)

I try and ride fri, sat, sun and wed's. Also do mondays if possible. Mainly hacking, odd schooling session and a lesson fortnightly xx


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## Shysmum (22 May 2011)

erm, you missed off "5 times a week cos we love it" !!


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## Kokopelli (22 May 2011)

I aim for 5/6 times a week but sometimes only fit 4 in. Also I tend to give him an extra day off he goes to a 'party' more than once a week.


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## Dizzydancer (22 May 2011)

i put 2 times as at present he is being re schooled from racing. But he is lunged twice a week, generally the day before i plan to ride. He will eventually be ridden 3-4 times/wk with 1 session of lunge, and a quick 5mins lunge before i ride to take the edge off.


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## andraste (22 May 2011)

I've gone for 5 times a week or more and, right now, that's absolutely true - he often gets ridden 7 times a week.  In winter though I struggle to do more than 3 times a week.


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## Wagtail (22 May 2011)

EKW said:



			I can't really tick any of those boxes as I ride 7 days a week and ride at least 6 horses 6 days a week. I ride 3 at work a day and then ride 3 of my own a day. I have 5 in total in to ride of my own at the moment so they all get worked 4 days a week but it gets done in shifts. None of mine are any different for not being ridden every day. They have to get used to it so it doesn't bother them. Kyle is the only one who kicks up a fuss - he likes to have a bronc for a few days when he is first back in work after his holidays but then he settles down and is perfectly normal, well as normal as he can be!
		
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Blimey! I feel tired even reading your post. You must be so fit. Do you have to do all the tacking up and grooming yourself or does someone else help you with that? I'm knackered if I have to ride three! Though I muck out look after seven horses so riding can really take it out of me. I think I must be getting old!


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