DO THOROUGHBREDS NEED TO BE RIDDEN EVERY DAY & KEPT BUSY

ponieslovered

ponieslovered

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Just thought i would open a general post about thoroughbreds.

So many people tell me that they should be ridden every day and kept busy as they get bored,

Do any of you have a TB and what are your thoughts on this, I ride mine about 3-5 times per week which i think is ok. Through the winter once or twice depending on weather.
 
my tb gets ridden when ever in the winter, he is turned out all day everyday and in at night so he is occupied in the day. he copes fine with little exercise in the winter, he sometimes hoons around his sand paddock or escapes but thats about it =D
 
It's dependent on the individual - just like any other horse really. Some are lazy and quite happy to not do to much, others need working everyday.
We've had examples of both and as long as your horse is happy and not coming out too "fresh" then you're doing enough work.
 
i find with mine he is happier and more content in work, think they are quite clever and need work, having said that mine sometimes will only be ridden 3 times a week, but i do tend to notice him alot more as hes slightly more illuminated!! think tbh honest depends on the horse and what you want to do with him/her!!!!
 
I think it depends on the individual! My boy recently only got ridden now and again because of my job and he was fine, and now he gets ridden every day and is also fine (however I think he would be happier out in the field munching grass!!). But think it depends entirely upon the horse as an individual!
 
Are any of yours of the track, one of mine was happy to be munching all day and ridden once a week, my other one (which is a new one) i dont know yet, we are going through a "im scared of everything stage" but he's only been at this yard for 4 wks, i have a feeling he would like to be ridden 3 - 5 times per week, which is what i have been trying to do, and 1 - 2 times during bad weather if i can
 
Mine is exercised 5/6 days and is turned out every day normally 9-6. He tends to use any excess energy to try and hurt himself in as many ways as poss so he does quite alot of work.
 
i'm giving mine up because he needs to be ridden everyday and i just cant do that. thats just the type of horse he is! 6yr TBx. absoloutley gutted he is going in a week
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but he IS bored. when i only ride him 3 times a week, the times i do ride him are basicly me trying to sit on a bucking bronco, spooking at everything and generally being a loon. he is alot better when ridden daily!
 
Mine is ridden 2 - 3 times a week, mainly by his novice loaner so it tends to be just a plod round the farm and a bit in the school - and he's fine.

In the spring I do a bit more with him - just to make sure he doesn't get too silly on the grass!
 
Oh Kenilwood, thats really sad, i take it thats his picture on your signature, he's gorgeous, could you not have tried to change his food, he may have been calmer, I hope you manage to find something else you can ride :-)
 
For mine:
Not so much ridden, perhaps lunged/long reined if I'm unable to ride. Turnout is vital though - with a very warm rug, given her thin skin and the fact she feels the cold like no other horse I've ever known.
Non fizzy food is also important
 
my gelding gets ridden 2 times a week and my mare gets ridden or exercised as much as i can. neither have a problem if they don't get ridden everyday
 
Mine needs turnout every day or he goes really grumpy and horrid to ride. He's a TBx He gets ridden 7 days a week, he really can't have a day off because he's sharp so needs to do something every day.
 
My TB gets ridden 4/5 times per week although lately weve been a bit stop start - shes just had wolf teeth out so no riding for me untill next monday!
Not that she minds
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No, depends on the individual horse. I have worked with pointers and my own have been tb and they all differ so much in their personalities and their own little quirks. One thing I have noticed is how sensitive they are to the rider, and if the rider is tense and worried it can really upset the horse. I have had two of my own that I would describe as quiet rides and both horses have displayed uncharacteristic behaviour with a different rider, and shown me up!!
 
Ponieslovered i have changed his feed and he goes out all day and he is still fresh as ever! he needs to go out and compete and i dont have a trailer, so i think i made the right desicion
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going to find a loan or share of a less fizzy nature!
 
very true pink lilly, they certainly are very sensitive, and need a quiet rider, that is confident. I would say from the above posts, that my riding time is adequate for my Boy !!!!. I seem to be subject to nagging at the farm, that my boy needs riding every day, well my reply to that is that i know my horse better than anyone and how often he needs riding, and the posts on here prove that, all horses are different and need different riding times and patterns.
Thank you to everyone who has responded, I dont feel so bad now about the amount of riding i do. I spend around 4 hours with him every day, and he loves to be groomed and cuddled as well, he's real cute
 
Mine is off the track, and he is currently only ridden at weekends, he is ridden 5 or 6 times a week in the summer.

He has coped fine with this, he enjoys his work, however he doesn't seem to really mind not being worked much at the moment, and lives out anyway which probably helps a lot. What with all the bad weather and icy roads, i've not even been able to ride him as regulary as every weekend over the last couple of months, however he seems completly 'not bothered', and is absolutely fine to ride with no sillyness at all - a few weeks back I got on him and took him for a hack and he hadn't been ridden for 5 weeks....all I got was a few spooks in the usual places! I think as Pinklilly said though, a lot is down to the rider, and I just hop on and go and don't even think twice about any potential naughtiness.
 
mine is off the track but generally very laid back.

he's 5 and does 5 days work a week, but if he has 2 or 3 days off is fine,he does go out every day though.

he's had 2 days off and was a darling today
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My mare is mostly TB but her brain is all TB
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In the winter she's ridden about twice a week and lunged 1 - 2 times but it all depends on the school tbh. It's not well placed so when it's cold it can stay frozen for days at a time
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She's turned out for about an hour everyday on to 'grass' and spends most of the day in a concrete turnout pen. If I lunge her before I ride she's fine
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In the summer she's ridden about 5 days a week and out nearly 24/7 depending on the weather and flies. She's just as stroppy
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but perfectly happy so it must be ok for her
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If she's out more and ridden more then I don't need to lunge before I ride, she's fine from the start
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as everyone has said, yes & no, i've had plenty of both types over the years, some need lots of work all the time, others don't, i've turned one of mine away totally since having children as he is a 100% 6 days a week horse, and i just couldn't give it him, so now he's utterly relaxed babysitting yearlings, nut half & half never suited him, my current main horse is happy with whatever he gets, as long as no two days are the same, and my spare, gets ridden about once a month, generally behaves like a melon, but is happy with his lot, he's had alot of leg trouble, so couldn't stand everyday anyway.

they're all different,
 
The TB i have at the moment pretty much must have either constant turnout and exercise about 4-5 times a week, or when he's in, exercise (either ridden, loose schooled, or, if you feel brave, lunged
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) 6-7 times a week.
 
Mine is extemely lazy....he had about 4-5weeks off during dec/snow/ice etc and I got on him and went for a quick hack and he was just like I had ridden every day just more spooky but that was explainable.

He likes his semi-retirement (winter rest) but he also likes being ridden and getting out of the field. I'm so lucky that he is like this as I don't have the right facilities in the winter, we are a match made in heaven
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mine needs to be kept busy as otherwise she gets bored and becomes a total pain in the bum!

riding just at the weekends doesn't suit her- she is far better when worked minimum of 5 days a week.

however my appaloosa x tb is the same so i don't think it is all down to breed- more their personality!
 
mine is the same either being rode every day or once a week, he's out 24/7 though and does let off steam around the field every now and then!
 
I think it really depends on the horse not just the breed. I have a TB who at the moment I only ride at weekends. He is out 24/7 if the weather is ok if not he is out from 7am to 7pm and in at night. I am very lucky in that he is quite chilled.

I used to have welsh section who needed to be ridden minimum of 5 times a week and lunged for aboiut an hour before shows as she was very highly strung
 
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i find with mine he is happier and more content in work, think they are quite clever and need work, having said that mine sometimes will only be ridden 3 times a week, but i do tend to notice him alot more as hes slightly more illuminated!! think tbh honest depends on the horse and what you want to do with him/her!!!!

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agree with this.. my TB loves his work and seems to get into less field related trouble when he is in full work (eventing).. he is laid back for a TB in general tho. i have def noticed since he has been out 24/7 that he is more relaxed when not in work - e.g he had 3 months holiday Nov/Dec/Jan, and didn't get into any scrapes whereas if he was stabled at night i expect there would have been some lost shoes, cuts etc due to boredom!!

it really is down to the individual horse and how they cope with their lifestyle and management.
 
mine can have days off when ever really, shes mardy any way but a few days off doesnt really effect her, unless stabled 24/7. shes rising 4 and off the track she generally laid back
 
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i'm giving mine up because he needs to be ridden everyday and i just cant do that. thats just the type of horse he is! 6yr TBx. absoloutley gutted he is going in a week
frown.gif
but he IS bored. when i only ride him 3 times a week, the times i do ride him are basicly me trying to sit on a bucking bronco, spooking at everything and generally being a loon. he is alot better when ridden daily!

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sounds like mine at the moment.lol
 
Breeze - even at 29 was ridden 5/6 days a week and lived to work and was a very safe but very forward going ride. Few days off meant she was so pleased to be ridden she would jog along sideways to start off. She was turned out every day or lived out in summer and her diet had to be low sugar/low energy feeds.

Delia - couldn't give a damm - you could not ride for two weeks with her only going out for a roll in the school and leg stretch (she hated cold muddy fields) and get on with no difference. Feed did not need to be adjusted, she could eat anything with no difference to her temperament.

Fleur - TB x Hann (Delia's daughter) she was a difficult ride most days, but as long as she had turnout and a diet of only fibre, exercise really made no difference to her way of going. She was better left for a few days in the field to chill if I had a show/competition coming up.
 
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