Exercising your horse

[curiousclover]

I'm curious as to how many days people are exercising their horses and at what intensity each day?

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Lottie does 6 days a week with a mixture of easy/harder days. easy would be a 1 hour recovery hack. Harder would be something like a 45 minute dressage lesson mostly in trot or canter then a hack to cool down. Or a 2 hour faster hack. At least 2 hacks, normally 3. But she had to build up to that. Increase duration, frequency and intensity gradually - and not all 3 at the same time - vary the work and ride on a variety of surfaces.

 

[maya2008]

Depends on the time of year and age of horse, especially for good doers. Old/young horses do less, fatties in their prime in the summer do the most!

 

[Ali27]

In Winter I can only manage 4 days of exercise due to dark nights and no arena! I have one hour of flat work Lesson, use a neighbour’s arena for an hour of flatwork, then hack at weekends for between 45mins - 2 hours and usually manage some canter on most hacks. The last few weekends, I’ve had a jumping clinic so only hacked once.
Once clocks change, I will ride 5–6 times a week so more hacking and will tend to jump at least every fortnight. My mare is 19 now so I’m very careful with ground and not over jumping her!

 

[saddlesore]

Not much atm! The winter saps my energy in general tbh so he’s ridden maybe 3 days a week. Mostly hacking, but quite enthusiastically lol. He lives out so he’s fine with that, it’ll pick back up in a month or so ?

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Pepsi usually gets ridden 5-6 days a week. During the winter he probably only hacks once a week due to light but will do a lot more in the summer.

Week tends to look like 1-2x hack, 1x jump/competition, 2-3x flatwork/poles, 1-2x groundwork/lunge. Varies depending on lessons, competition plans, time of year/light, my work schedule etc. Flatwork sessions tend to be about 45mins, jumping a bit shorter about 30mins. Hacks 30mins-2hrs, shorter ones round the block from the yard mostly road work, longer if we box up for mostly off road/fast work.

 

[lme]

My rising 5yo ( the only one I have that’s in work) came back from a months holiday at the beginning of January and does 3 or 4 days a week for 30 min to an hour. Mostly hacking up and down hills at walk with the occasional foray into the school. She’s huge and growing. It’s nice seeing her slowly get stronger and fitter.

 

[Sossigpoker]

About 6 days a week as we have no grass turn out ,.light to medium work.

 

[spotty_pony]

Not that much at the moment tbh. The spotty one is as fit as a fiddle from hunting so I am just maintaining that. He lives out 24/7 except for when the weather is bad, and is ridden two sometimes three times per week at the moment which he is happy with. I’d ride him slightly more but busy with work and the weather at the moment isn’t helping. He is nearly 23 though so I am sure he isn’t too fussed although he does like to be ridden.

The Friesian is ridden 3/4 times per week (sometimes one of those times is a lunge) and also lives out 24/7.

I always feel guilty about not riding enough but I am sure they aren’t too bothered as long as they are out munching grass!

 

[J&S]

My veteran mare (25) does 2 - 3 50 minute walk/trot hacks per week at this time of year, hoping to up this when weather improves, so just ticking over really at the moment. Companion pony (15) does 2 x walk /trot/canter rides plus what ever the old mare does as I do lead and ride with the two of them. They live 12 hrs in/12 hrs out so as to try to keep the field as well maintained as possible and because of this I like to get them out and about for leg stretches and change of scenery.

 

[Winters100]

9 to 10 days on and 1 day off. Old school mistress is at whatever pace she chooses, usually she is full of beans but if she is not we do less or stop - she owes me nothing. Other 2, especially good doer, need to do more, enough to work up a good sweat. I like to fee ad-lib hay, so they need to move to avoid gaining weight. Usually I ride them in the morning and then in the afternoon either hack with 2 in hand, or loose school. The rest of the time they are turned out for daylight hours and inside at night. It can get a bit much, but the fact that they are all easy and well mannered helps a lot, as if I am short of time I have various people who are happy to have some free riding.

 

[Bluewaves]

Maybe for inspiration? I find it useful to read what other riders are doing.

 

[Greylegs]

Only 2-3 times per week at the mo - one hack and a couple sessions in the school. Combination of awful weather, soggy ground and an issue with my saddle have slowed me down a bit. Finally got the saddle fitter out this week to get things sorted, so (if it ever stops raining!!!) I'll be upping that to increase her work load. Not solo hacking at the moment too, which is a problem as I have to fit in the possible hacking buddies, but ....... summer in on its way at last .....

 

[bouncing_ball]

Roughly a day off every 8-9 days. A non ridden ground work day off once a week.

groundwork day -raised walk poles / in hand work / gymnastic pole work / lunging etc.

hack 2-3 times a week with faster work and hill work 1-2 hours

school 2-3 times a week

Do raised walk poles from ground 3 times a week (sometimes as a warm up)

tend to have a weekly lesson.

compete 1-2 times a month

group polework clinic approx fortnightly

 

[nikicb]

Generally 6 days out of 7, but one of those days will usually be a treadmill session, and another day will be in-hand work or a stretchy lunge, sometimes with poles as well. I personally don't really like being on their backs more than 4 days a week, but that's just me.