Do you feel "guilty" if you do not ride?

[moneypit1]

Well, thats it really, I feel guilty if I do not take Fly out every day (bar perhaps one). I start work at 5am and get home at 1pm, straight in, ride, muck out etc etc............BUT I get sooo tired, sometimes I just want to watch Jemery Kyle (and cringe) and RELAX!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Blizzard]

I havent ridden fo over a week because Im ill, I dont feel bad at all, they dont mind! (They live out).

 

[moneypit1]

Thats cool !!!!! xxxxxxxx

 

[irishdraught]

Sometimes - my mare has been ridden once in the last fortnight. I don't suppose she minds though as she hates being out in the rain. She tries to walk sideways so that the rain misses her head!
Normally I would be starting to slowly fitten her up for the season but as I am intending putting her in foal this year, I don't have the same enthusiasm.

 

[mickey]

Yes, but only because my horse loves and needs his work. If I had a horse that was happy without, I wouldn't feel guilty!

 

[dotty1]

Yes I do feel guilty but its all such an effort in this dreadful weather and I am sure they don't want to go out and as they don't have to be kept fit for anything at the moment I suppose it doesn't really matter. Just makes me think about all the money I spend on them and how often I actually do ride, especially in winter.

 

[catembi]

Yes I do. Having invested so much £££ on house with field, lorry, manege, horse, equipt etc & having invested so much effort passing prof exams & trying to claw my way up the career ladder in order to 'afford' (in the loosest sense of the word...) all the horse things, I think that the least I can do is jolly well ride him!!

I work in the City & am often tired when I get in & disinclined to go out schooling in the wind & rain, but underneath the tiredness/laziness I do really want to do it so I just get on with it. I'm okay once I get started - it's just the thought of all that unrugging, muddy feet, getting cold etc.

 

[Chex]

I'm feeling guilty just now because I haven't ridden for a month, I just can't find the motivation to get up and go. I don't know why I feel guilty - I'm sure he's very happy doing nothing!

 

[moodymare1987]

Ben dont mind if he dont get rode every day I tend not to leave him for too long though I dont mind a day off but when its longer i feel awful as ours are kept in over winter and I just feel really guilty lol. I am soft but when he does go out he does enjoy it.

 

[Seahorse]

No, my horse gets ridden every day as it is, so i think it's nice for him to have a day off!

 

[Marquire]

I used to but I've come to realise that my boy could care less if he is ridden or not. He enjoys it when he is ridden but if he just spends his day out in the field, then comes in for dinner and his cosy stable overnight he's just as happy.

Luckily he's the type who is exactly the same if you ride him every day or once a week.

 

[TGM]

Not at all! Mine live out so are not short of exercise, and I am really not inclined to ride out in the disgusting weather at the moment!

 

[Donkeymad]

Absolutely not! Ours are perfectly happy pootling round the field all day and night and day and night and day....

 

[clawson]

I did until I read some of these replies now I don't feel so bad!!

Cazirena

 

[ajones]

not ridden since may as i'm pregnant and its driving me mad ! to begin with i think jack enjoyed the rest but now he seems so bored and looked so happy when i pulled his mane and tail the other day something he hates. he know its not long now .

 

[ann-jen]

Yes I feel guilty if I give myself the night off! I sometimes work from 8.30am til 8pm and I just don't feel like it but Jen isn't a horse that does well without exercise even though she has turn out every day. I usually feel much better after I've ridden as it helps me destress after a hectic day. If I do give her the odd day off she's a bit of a handful the next time I ride her so I do try to ride her every day if possible - some of my friends think I'm nuts.

 

[parsley]

I don't think my horse minds at all but I am trying to learn to ride better and it seems silly to have lessons and get lots of good ideas then only practise a couple of times a week so if I ride less than 3 extra schooling sessions, then yes, so this means I aim for riding 5 times a week as there is a lesson and a hack. Quite frankly though, when I really work late some weeks and have to be up at 5.30 in the morn I forgive myself if I ride a bit less - it is supposed to be for my entertainment rather than another chore to be done.

 

[Honeypots]

[ QUOTE ]
Not at all! Mine live out so are not short of exercise, and I am really not inclined to ride out in the disgusting weather at the moment!

[/ QUOTE ]

agree...whats the fun in riding if you don't want to

 

[Amazingchloe]

I'm the same, riding in the winter just isn' any fun! My horse gets lots of attention, but is happy not to bare the awful English weather! Sometimes it does them gud to have some time off over the winter in preparation for the summer season x x

 

[Vicki1986]

yes!! only skive off in the winter and most i don't ride is 2-3 days usually unless she has a week off because theres something wrong with me/her

 

[RachelB]

I am just now deciding whether to go out today. I'm supposed to be riding my friend's Anglo Arab who is a spooky prat in the wind, and my mum is supposed to be coming out with me on our other friend's pony, and we all hate the rain. I have an assignment to finish for uni for tomorrow and I'm thinkng I won't ride as it's really windy and threatening outsid but I feel SO bad that I've said I'd ride and now I won't! But they live out most of the time, and Berlin is usually only ridden once or twice a week in winter so anything I do is a bonus realyly. And it's not like I'm paying or being paid to ride... can you tell I really don't want to but just feel I "should"?! I'll see what Mum says...!
If I had my horse to ride, we'd be out there unless is really was awful weather. Then again I trust my horse a lot more in bad weather than I trust Berlin!

 

[Lill]

No, Blue never gets ridden on a Mon or Tues as i have other commitements which mean i cannot get to the yard those days. Am sure he doesn't mind 2 days off each week!

Holly doesn't get ridden much, usually 2 or 3 times a week, doesn't bother her - more time to scoff all the hay in the field!