20 mins - worth it or not?

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MochaDun

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Can 20 minutes ridden exercise for your horse, whether hacking or schooling be worth it or of any use? I see quite a few people doing bite-size 20 min riding sessions with their horses but having a horse myself that can take a good 10-15 mins to warm up and get shifting forward I'd be back out the arena gate before I'd barely get going! I try and do a minimum of 30-40 mins of schooling which includes warming up and cooling down. And hacking depending on where I go would be a minimum of 1 hr 15 mins or longer if I go further afield and all routes I would do some trotting and some hill work. To me 20 mins is not much more than a leg stretch? Or can it add to fittening?
 
I only do about 20 mins with my horse schooling, hacking takes as long as it takes. If i do more than 20 mins schooling it blows his brain, he starts misbehaving and then forgets everything. That then puts us back and we have to start all over again. I'd rather do a short but sweet schooling session where we have acomplished something (possibly up to 2 or 3 times a day), than go on forever once a day and get no where.
 
Depends what you are trying to achieve really. I have done 20 min schooling sessions with my horse in the past - sometimes after a hard day at work, that is all I am capable of! I'd rather have a short session and come in happy than try to battle on when I'm not in the right frame of mind.

Hacking wise - I have a nice 30min 'round the block' type ride available if I'm short of time but want to have a quick sit on my horse, otherwise most other routes take over an hour. If I'm working on fitness, obviously we will go for longer, but if she/I just need a quick hack, then it helps to keep them ticking over.
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If 20 mins is all I have I would go straight in the school - better to do 20 mins of something in the school than nothing. Would probably stick to walk and trot and do some stretching/circles - 20 mins of soild constructive work is better than tootling around for an hour.
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BUT I wouldn't do 20 mins on a regular basis - its more an 'OMG I have run out of time but I really need to do something' moment.
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Depends.....20mins schooling on the young one is enough- anymore and he gets bored/tired.

20 mins on the old lad and he's just got going properly
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hacking takes as long as I fancy- from 20mins 'around the block' to a proper 'back when I feel like it'.
 
20 mins of something is surely better than nothing at all?

Regrettably , there have been some days this winter when my girl has not been exercised at all during the day, and she has been in 24/7 all winter. Recently I have been able to take advantage of the lighter evenings and am managing to ride almost every day; however, sometimes this is literally only for 20 minutes, simply because of the poor light (we have a school but no floodlights). On Monday, rather than not exercise her at all I lunged her for 15 mins. Obviously I would have liked to have spent longer, but surely it was better than nothing?
 
I can see I'm going to have to condense down my warm up and get the lump shifting in the first 5 mins then so I can halve my schooling time! (not being a fan of schooling, any excuse to shorten it!). I do a full hour in my lessons but without an instructor it's not the same. And the pony is well aware when it's just me and not someone telling us what to do. If I go out there with a plan of what exercises I'm going to do it helps and while my lesson seems to fly by the time out there on my own just drags and hard to keep the pony's momentum.
 
Well I suppose anything is better than nothing even if its just a warm up and leg stretch or purely mental stimulation but all horses are different in themsevles as well as taking into account their current fitness and how much warming up they require to prevent injurey, get some good work or just getting them to break into a sweat.

I would say there is not much you can do in 20 mins but I wouldnt say it was a waste of time, even if you just warming up and doing some lateral work, its still plays a vital part in keeping a horse supple.
 
In the week I only school my horse for 20-30 mins. This is what I have been advised by my instructor and time constraints mean any longer would be a hard anyway. I definitely feel this is beneficial, my horse is fairly green and weak and any longer is a struggle for him.

When hacking the average is an hour and a half but does vary and when lunging I try to keep within 20mins.
 
My god! IT TAKES LONGER TO TACK UP!

I would not even bother getting the poor animal ready for 20 minutes and thats a fact.
I suppose some people prefer a quick schooling session and thats fine, but for me........no way, i make a day of it.
I get out in the country side twice or three times a week for at least 3 or 4 hours at a time.
I am not saying we should all do that!

But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride.
 
When the school has been frozen recently but i have still wanted to ride we have just been doing about 20min of walk and a little bit of trot, focussing on listening to me and sharpening transitions and moving off the slightest aids possible. This has kept his brain working and actually improved how sensitive to the aids he is for when we've been able to work properly again.

We have also just been up the lane for a quick 20min leg stretch, just to get him a change of view and a relaxing pootle. Obviously if it's not frozen and i have time, a nice long hack or propper schooling is preferable, but i don't think that means there's no point to shorter work.
 
20 minutes schooling is really all you should be doing in the case of a young, green horse so I would say yes there is a point to it as often doing more than 20 mins of work is too much for a youngster to cope with physically or mentally.

Of course when they're older and have learnt more and built up more stamina etc then I'd school for longer. Sometimes my sister and i would also pop the horses out for a quick 20 min to 30 min 'hack' up the round and round the block as it is. That is generalyl due to light issues during the winter so it may be a case of all we can squeeze in after work. i think it does them good, a bit of trotting and asking them to do some schooling type work when out aswell.

It certainly doesn't take me long to tack up for that - wouldn't bother brushing anything other than areas the tack sits and that'd be it, away we'd go!!
 
Cleanboots2 - I dont think anyone is suggesting that you should only have a horse to school for 20 mins. I certainly dont; I like to 'get out there and have a good old ride', but unfortunately at 5.30pm after a full day at work, it just isnt feasible to go out for three hours. So in that situation, 20 mins schooling/walk round the fields is surely better than nothing!

Weekends are a different matter
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I would love to be a lady of leisure and go out for hours every day of the week, but unfortunately, some of us have to work!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
My god! IT TAKES LONGER TO TACK UP!

I would not even bother getting the poor animal ready for 20 minutes and thats a fact.
I suppose some people prefer a quick schooling session and thats fine, but for me........no way, i make a day of it.
I get out in the country side twice or three times a week for at least 3 or 4 hours at a time.
I am not saying we should all do that!

But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride.

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Well because I work, I commute, its been god awful weather, its dark by the time I get to him........the list is endless.

Surely a shortened version of something is better than nothing at all?

You must be very lucky to have the time to do it all throught the week.
 
During the week I often school for 20 - 25 mins. We have a quick warm up routine then work solidly for 15 - 20 mins. If I'm jumping that is all the time I need to do what I want anyway.
Like Mizeltoe has said its sometimes all you have time for, and it is better to ride than not. Plus both of us have the attention span of a gnat so short intensive sessions work better for us anyway.

Our shortest hack at my current yard is about 40 mins at my old yard we had a quick route which took just over 20 mins (with foot on the accelarator) and was perfect for a quick blast before or after work when daylight was short.

ETA I mean Boo and I have the attention span of a gnat not Mizeltoe who I'm sure can concentrate really well for hours
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[ QUOTE ]
My god! IT TAKES LONGER TO TACK UP!

I would not even bother getting the poor animal ready for 20 minutes and thats a fact.
I suppose some people prefer a quick schooling session and thats fine, but for me........no way, i make a day of it.
I get out in the country side twice or three times a week for at least 3 or 4 hours at a time.
I am not saying we should all do that!

But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride.

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Its all right you say whats the point of having a horse if your not going to have a good old ride, as i mentioned at the top of the page, if i do more than 20 mins with my horse, it just blows his brain. I'd love to do more, but frankly sending my horse back to the begining every time i ride him just isnt fun. My horse learns and holds on to more in 20 mins than an hour schooling session, and the last horse i had in wales was them same. Each horse, like each human is different. They all cope with workloads, type of work etc differently and we have to respect them for that. They, at the end of the day, are allowing us to sit on their backs and ride, so its down to use to treat them in the correct manner and if they say 20 mins is enough then so be it. Oh and yes it does actually take me longer to tack up my horse than i ride because he has issues being girthed up, but you know what...??? Really doesnt bother me!
 
Well said 4legged!
Do what you want, and what your horse gets the most from. We, and they, are all unique!
 
Yep I work mine for 20mins quite regularly, especially before work and SHOCK HORROR I get them fit enough to event and compete
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I do 5 mins doing lots of walking/trotting/stretching, bending and transitions, then 10-15mins of "proper" work, sharpening up transitions, lateral work, etc. By the time I have then walked them back to the yard, they have cooled down, and then they go straight out in the field, so cool themselves off properly by mooching about.

If I ride in the evening, I make sure they have stretched off and cooled off for longer as obviously they will be stood in over night, but short sessions are very beneficial as long as you are purposeful and discipline with the time.

CleanBoots, if it takes you 20mins to tack up, i'm not surprised you make a day out of riding
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15mins lunging is also more than enough if you get them working right from the word go
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But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride.

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Because some people enjoy other aspects of riding - personally I enjoy getting out for a hack, but the amount of hacking you do would bore me. I enjoy the technical aspects of flatwork and the adrenalin rush of jumping too. Some people don't enjoy hacking at all. As long as its fun for the rider what does it matter.

Plus of course as others have already pointed out we don't all have time (or energy) to go out for long rides on work days.
 
[ QUOTE ]
My god! IT TAKES LONGER TO TACK UP!

I would not even bother getting the poor animal ready for 20 minutes and thats a fact.
I suppose some people prefer a quick schooling session and thats fine, but for me........no way, i make a day of it.
I get out in the country side twice or three times a week for at least 3 or 4 hours at a time.
I am not saying we should all do that!

But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride.

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Cleanboots, hacking out hardly enables a horse to be "free" if he is under your control and the mere fact that you are riding him is unnatural, so hardly constitutes being "at one with nature". I'm curious as to what tack you must be using that takes 20 minutes to put on but still leaves him free?!!
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20 mins correct schooling is worth it .I have a newly broken youngster and 20 mins is just fine for hmi he concentrates and goes really well for 20 mins He is new to riding and I certainly wouldn't want to be riding him for 3 to 4 hours!!!
I also have an elderly mare who can only do light work and she really enjoys the 20/30 minutes of walk and trot we do in the sand school .I put in lots of rein changes and walking over poles and for me it is wonderful just to be able to sit on her!!!
if I contemplated any more with her then I would certainly cause much damaged and she would be permenantly lame so I do what she can do and love still having her with me .
 
Yes, regular 20 mins is much better than nothing at all! It's great to do daily or regular short sessions in the week and then you can go and do a lot more at the weekend.

There's nothing worse than people who do nothing all week with their horses and then go for a 2 hour (or longer) hack at the weekend.
 
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Depends.....20mins schooling on the young one is enough- anymore and he gets bored/tired.



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So agree, many babies have enough with 20min
 
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My god! IT TAKES LONGER TO TACK UP!

I would not even bother getting the poor animal ready for 20 minutes and thats a fact.
I suppose some people prefer a quick schooling session and thats fine, but for me........no way, i make a day of it.
I get out in the country side twice or three times a week for at least 3 or 4 hours at a time.
I am not saying we should all do that!

But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride. [/quote



I must be doing something wrong then as it certainly does not take me 20mins to tack up as i usually only have 1 hour in the morning to do my horse and an hour in the eve to finish off. I work full time from 8.30am to 5.30pm 5 days a week and love doing my mare even though i can only do her for a short time each day. I work her for 20-30miuns either in the morning or evening or lung her for the same time. She has muscled up well and is working very nicely at the moment. Her stamina may not be up to doing much but she certainly works well at the moment from the limited time we have. I would love to have plently of time and often sit at my desk wishing i could spend hour up the yard with her. I think your comment is very unfair! I do my best with my horse, have a great bond and relationship with her and know that if i took that approach with her i would never be able to ride and she would be a very unhappy horse. As it is she is worked 5 or 6 times a week, looks great for it and is a happy and content horsey!
 
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But, i had a horse to be free and at one with nature, not to have a schooling session etc etc, sorry if my reply is not much help, but i often wonder why people have horses if they are not going to get out there and have a good old ride.

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Because some people enjoy other aspects of riding - personally I enjoy getting out for a hack, but the amount of hacking you do would bore me. I enjoy the technical aspects of flatwork and the adrenalin rush of jumping too. Some people don't enjoy hacking at all. As long as its fun for the rider what does it matter.

Plus of course as others have already pointed out we don't all have time (or energy) to go out for long rides on work days.

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same here- and as for the 'it takes longer to tack up' ...I can be tacked up and sat on the horse in less than 10 minutes if I wanted!
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I agree totally with you wizzlewoo.
"20 mins to tack up"
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(I am tempted to make some smart comments, but I wont
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)

I too have a full time job, but I get up early and do something with the boy every day before work. I sometimes oversleep but I always make him do some work, even if my time is really limited, and I've got a nicely fit, and well mannered horsey, and he likes his routine.
 
I believe any horse would prefer 20 minutes with their owner, doing whatever, than not! They all love to do something, thats their nature. So, i would spend 5 minutes riding, or working them, than not at all.
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10 mins to warm up and 10 mins to cool down ...nope don't see the point in it! If I only had 20mins to spare, I would either hack round the block to strech their legs and get them off the yard or do 20mins of lungeing. I always allow an hour to school properly (on a fit horse) although will usually only be on board for 45mins if schooling by myself.
 
TBH, 20-30 mins is enough for my horse in the school. Its different if I'm having a lesson, as invariably we stop to discuss things etc. But after about 30 mins he starts to get very bored, and not listening tbh, unless the jumps come out.
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Hacks can be 20 mins, or 2-3 hours, but at my horses current level of 'coming out of winter fitness' any longer than 1.5 hours is jiust not fair on either of us!
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And lunging, well anymore than 30mins of going round in circles is boring enough for me, never mind the poor horse!!
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i think its definitely worth it. Ted in his training and way of going due to spending quite a while just hacking (nothing wrong with that but not what I bought him to do) is still rather green, and babyish. he lacks muscle and condition being the long ISH he is he does struggle in winter a little. now 20mins with a warm up appropriate for him taking into account what i need him to be and the area's i need slightly more supple for him to then go on for a CORRECT and well thought out schooling session of perhaps 15 mins with a cooling down period is more than enough for him. he can start to get very resistant after considerably more than that and gets tired. so we have usually about 4/5 20-30 min schooling sessions a week with one 1hr lesson which does him well.
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i like others on here am at college full time and after a full day at college including yard work some weeks on the college yard by the time im done its 6pm and i still need to muck out as well and i dont have time to do much more

as for it taking someone 20mins to tack up im sorry but how many gadgets does your horse have???
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