Eventers - How often do you run your horses?

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Stormy123456

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I'm really interested in how much other people run their horses? BE and unaff.

Especially which level you ride at, your horses age, how many times you run a month say, and how many times does that add up to in a year?

Half heartedly planning my event season, and just interested really. I know this is very dependant on a variety of things, but generally...

If I were to be asked:
Level: BE Novice
Horses Age: 17
Runs a month: Usually 1
Runs a year: Probs 6 if that. Not enough.
 
BE90/100. Just started last season. Horse was 12 then and he had 13 runs, 11 at BE90 and 2 at BE100. Normally runs twice a month.

This year same level, hopefully a few more BE100's. Initially planning on running fairly frequently to try and get some Regional qualifications. If we get them then will back off a bit and work on training so as to do best possible at the Regionals. Will often run 2 weeks in a row then have 3wks off or just run once a fortnight, depending on what events are on.
 
10 year old... planning to do 1 BE a month and 1 Unaff a month but have been going out most weekends over the last 12 months. Its only money that holds us back from more BE as, TBH, at Intro or PN, I dont think an event is as hard on a horse as say, an hours XC schooling would be.
 
Generally once a month but then a big gap in the middle when we go on holiday as a family, two little people & a non horsey husband mean I need to consider what they want to do at the weekend, so might run mud week to try & get an extra run! Horse is 15 & at BE100,
 
Horse is 11 and running at 90 and 100 will run once every 2-3 weeks but won't do anymore
than 12/13 events in the season. There is a bit of a gap where there is no events really near us to as well as me liking going on holiday a bit too much!!
 
Horse is 8yo, 3rd season BE

1st season we did 2 events (BE80/90)
2nd season we did around 8-10 (some unaffiliated) (BE90/100)

this year aiming for once every 2-3 weeks (BE100), depending on how they fall in the calendar. Max 12 in a year.
 
I did 2 intros (2 weeks apart) at the end of 2009 as our first events to get a taste of it (and bitten by the bug!), then a season with 3 intros and 7 PNs in 2010 when horse was 19. There were 2 occasions where I ran 2 weekends in a row but mostly at least 2 weeks if not more between them- it really depended on the event calendar and what events I really wanted to do.

She was off 2011 with an injury but we are hoping this year (at the grand old age of 21!) to get back out doing a few intros. I will just be doing these on tickets, so max 4 BEs for me, although if I get far enough to use those up and there's a suitable event at the end of the season, I may well get a friend to ride her for fun at something! ;) There are a couple unaff events I have found, will hopefully average out at 1 run a month. :)

Basically a combination of her age and injury history are making me do less, hopefully to keep her fit and well and enjoying what she can do. :)
 
It depends. When she bought the horse in 2008 Mini TX did abouit 3 unaffs, plus PC area eventing and 2 BE Intros on a ticket. The following year she did 2 Be90s and about 11 BE100s, plus PC area eventing. For the 2010/2011 seasons she stepped up to Novice and ran about 9 times each season.

This season she hasnt run due to a tendon injury, but if she was fit and well it would be about 9 runs at most, plus PC area eventing.
 
William is 11 this year, he has run every season since he was 4, when he did 3 4yo events in the UK, and since then has run between 5 and 10 times a year. He is 4* now. He does a handful of show-jumping competitions too, but we stay local for them.
 
Just as a comparison I'd think it perfectly normal to hunt once a week/ 3 times a fortnight on the same horse for a reasonably busy full day (assuming I actually had the time to hunt 3 times a fortnight every fortnight!) friends hunt twice a week on the same horse all season with no problems
 
I did 10 at BE90 last year, his first year, horse is 14 and coped fine with it. I will be doing similar this year. TBH thats all thats available to me within a reasonable travelling distance. Don't do much else during the season but hunt and SJ through winter.
 
Thank you, really interesting to read all the replies. :)

Racingdemon, hadn't thought of looking at it that way, but your right, we used to regularly hunt full days on our ponies week in week out for a season.
 
Horse Ran BE100 until end of May last year then Novice. Aimed for about 2 a month and no more than 2 on consecutive weekends. Had 13 runs in total and this was about perfect- my boy is pretty much a guaranteed clear showjumper and started to have the odd 4 faults at end of season so guess he was getting bored. Don't jump at all in between events.

Aiming for around the same number of runs this year at novice but does no jumping at all in between events until the winter again. Saying that he is a good jumper so don't feel the need to put extra wear on the legs.
 
Bertie is going to do Gt Witch OI on Friday 23/3 and then a 2* at Somerley during the following week - dressage on Tuesday 27/3 and XC/SJ the next day. I'm sure they don't think this is too much or they wouldn't be asking him to do it. He'll then have a month(ish) off until his next event. He's 12.
The others at a lower level do 10 to 12 per season - not much in July/Aug but some do PC stuff in August. They generally have 2 months off at the end of the season.
 
Mine is 13yrs old, does BE novice most of the time with one CIC* (at least this is what we've done last 4 years or so). Normally it works out at about 1 a month or less, because BE up here is very spaced out and far away. I dont like travelling far so it makes the events even more sparce. Last year I couldnt afford to do much BE anyway so I only did 2 BE events (a CIC* and a Novice)! I chose to do more BSJA and unaffiliated ODE's instead as much cheaper and more selection in my area. My average is usually 6 BE events a year, most I've done (on one horse) is 7 in a year. My horse is turned away from the last BE of the season (October) to have a break, normally bring him back into work come end of Jan / Feb depending on the weather.

No BE at the moment as I'm 6 months pregnant (so doing dull dressage instead) but my due date is June 7th and planning to do Burgie CIC* which is the end of July... a challenge?? Yep probably, my horse will be fine. I can not do any XC on him since October and then take him straight in at CIC* and I know he'll likely jump clear - I'm very lucky to have such an honest horse! Just hope I'm in a fit state by then...
 
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