Do you ever worry that you can't exercise your horse as much as you should?

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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Over the winter really, he's out 24/7 but I worry that I can only really ride him once or twice a week. It's a endless source of guilt! Do you worry about this aswell xx
 
If he's out 24/7 then TBH I wouldn't worry about it. My horse is stabled in winter (at night) so I like him to be exercised most days, but he's usually turned out every day so I don't really stress about it. As he's got a touch of arthritis and is 15 now, this winter I have convinced myself that as an older horse, he won't mind leading a slower pace of life if I can't ride that often! :)
 
I don't stress about it as all ours are out 24/7 and okay they are not mega fit but they keep themselves pretty active in the field. Bizarrely though I tend to end up riding more in winter than in summer as like to get up and out early while we've got the light mornings. In summer I always think oh I'll go later on and often don't!
 
Yes I do. Mine live out but have no grazing so I worry that they get bored. I usually ride 3 times a week on my days off, but just recently have been so busy that I've only been getting out once (which, as my boy showed me this weekend, is clearly not enough lol). I do worry though, especially as my mare is meant to be on a fitness/diet plan. One day I would love to be able to work part-time or have a flood-lit arena and ride every day.
 
My 6yr old came to us in a sorry state. I am trying to get more condition on him but with the dark nights its almost impossible!!

I have decided to leave him unclipped, this may hopefully help me keep his weight on.

As for exercising... I can really only do him on a weekend now, so I am relying on the boys in his herd to keep him fit :)
 
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Yes but I do what I can.

This morning I was up at 5:30, down on the yard for 6:15, tacked up for 6:30 and rode lado, bit in the school and then sneaked onto our own grazing fields (as the horses were still in) and did a bit around the field, back to yard, untacked and turned both him and the mare out, gave them the morning feeds and hayed them up in the field, mucked out one stable and was on my way to work at 8:20.

So I'll do another stable this evening and lunge the mare.

Yes I do smell of oss poo and yes I will be knackered by the time I get home:D
 
Kenzo said:
Yes but I do what I can.

This morning I was up at 5:30, down on the yard for 6:15, tacked up for 6:30 and rode lado, bit in the school and then sneaked onto our own grazing fields (as the horses were still in) and did a bit around the field, back to yard, untacked and turned both him and the mare out, gave them the morning feeds and hayed them up in the field, mucked out one stable and was on my way to work at 8:20.

So I'll do another stable this evening and lunge the mare.

Yes I do smell of oss poo and yes I will be knackered by the time I get home:D
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Your a legend!!
 
I do really worry. Mine are out for 4-5hours am, so I have to ride him every evening with one night off. I have to go in the school for the 4night as its to dark. If I really cant ride/lunge then I have to walk him in hand for at least 10mins and I do this on his day off. it doesnt help atm my little sister has injured leg and can not ride so I exercise her pony as feel bad she doesnt get out her stable in the evening.
 
I put my horse onto full livery as I can only ride up to 3 times a week, so my horse is now worked a solid 6 days a week all year round. Back home, I didnt have the luxury of somebody riding my horse and all my competition horses were only ridden twice (at the most 3 times week) and they were all fine. I guess it is whatever your horse is used to.
 
I am constantly worrying. My horse needs regular excercise to keep him manageable and I'm caught between doing him and doing the dogs lol so to speak, of course! But we'll muddle through!!
 
I did when I first bought him, but I dont any more. Che is out from 7am til 6pm and once the weather turns really wet or cold will be in at night. I can only ride at weekends and although we have a spare paddock to school or lunge in tbh when it starts to cut up its just not worth it. I can honestly say he is not bothered, admittedly I am not trying to keep him fit for competing and he and his mates have enough room to keep themselves moving and a change of scene, I am also lucky as although he is a full TB as long as he gets turnout he doesnt get overly silly and is Ok with such limited ridden work. The most important things to him are plenty of hay, knowing his mates are close by and not getting too wet (he hates rain), as long as these all remain constant he is pretty chilled and seems content.
 
Supertrooper said:
Over the winter really, he's out 24/7 but I worry that I can only really ride him once or twice a week. It's a endless source of guilt! Do you worry about this aswell xx
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A couple of winters ago I did - like you I was constantly feeling guilty, and sometimes the only time I could ride the weather would then be so bad that it meant even less riding. I ended up giving my horse a couple of months off over the darkest/ worst part of the winter and because it was a decision I had made I didn't feel guilty about it.
 
Always.
Now the nights are much shorter it's totally dark when I finish work let alone by the time I get to the stables. Takes me almost an hour to get there, luckily loan horse is on full livery. We have an indoor (which is great) but it gets booked up so quickly. You have to book about a week in advance! Which I've only just found out, so I cannot ride all this week. Then if clinics are on we're not allowed to book.
We have a lovely outdoor, but has no lights! So I can't ride out there.
I've booked 2 nights next week and might do one of the clinics. So I get to ride 2/3 times next week (I can ride weekends no problem, so I do not count those) :)
We'll see how the winter goes, hopefully I can keep him going well enough to do some dressage this winter, but he can get rather hot headed and grumpy if not doing lots of work :rolleyes:
 
OH thinks I am a complete nightmare when it comes to exercising my horse. Ok so I do hunt every weekend so do need a fit horse but will ride every day unless its the day after hunting in which case horse can have a day off. I get up ridiculously early every day to exercise for at least an hour and then turn out all day.

I seem to get quite stressed if horse has to have an extra day off. God knows why!! He's not going to die from having an extra day off. Quite strange.
 
No.
Out 24/7.
I love broodmares and babies, I don't have to do anything at all.

The mini either goes out with me on the quad or I put him in the round pen and he gallops around in there by himself.
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No, i'm one of these mad folk who get up and ride before work, otherwise i go CRAZY cooped up in an office! I do it for me, not for my horse!
 
I dont feel guilty as such as there is nothing I can do to change the situation but I worry about ensuring he is exercised enough given that he has had laminitis. I cannot ride in the winter at all in the week as I have no school facilities and am straight out on roads for hacking - not possible in the dark.
My lad is out from 5.30am to 7pm on a bare paddock so he does exercise well as he is moving about looking for grass to nibble. I am using my last holidays at work as half days so that he can be hacked in daylight once in the week and both days at the weekend...so better than nothing. Ideally I would ride every day like in the summer but so long as he does not start putting weight on I do not worry overly.
 
I dont worry about them as they are out 24/7 and would be quite happy if they never saw a saddle again I am sure, but I do like to ride for my sanity and maintain confidence as the more regular I ride the more adventurous and relaxed I am and the opposite if out of practise
 
Yes! He's out 24/7 but he's starting to get a bit of a grass belly. But i'm now riding at 7am 3times a week before work so he's getting more exercise than twice at weekend.
 
Yep definitely, I've got an ex polo who's used to lots of work but because of sixth form etc i can only ride 2/3 times a week and at times he's a bugger because of it!
 
I try not to let it bother me too much, otherwise I'd always be stressed about it. I summer I work away alot so don't get to ride, and in winter its too dark - how I wish for an arena :(

But then, I take every friday afternoon off from now til christmas so thats one more day a week - and I am going to try and make the effort this year to box up to a local indoor every couple of weeks during the week.

He is still out 24/7 and will get turnout every day in the winter whatever the weather - luckily he's not too silly if he has some time off :)
 
give horse a choice - out with your friends or being ridden - what would their answer be. I have barely ridden my 2 since my back going in feb (shaking a slice of clean straw out - 8 weeks on back on morphine and cocktail of painkillers ) and are they miserable no are they thump lol luckily daughter moved back to uni so shes starting to ride them more . Dont feel guilty hun - i love just being with my 2 on ground grooming and caring for
 
I wouldn't worry if he is out 24/7. I would only worry if you are planning on competing/hunting him over the winter in which case he won't be fit enough to do it but if you're not then riding occasionally won't do him any harm.

I ride mine 5-6 times per week but I am lucky in the fact that I have the use of an Indoor school which means I can still ride in the evenings after work.
 
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