getting motivated to ride after work

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impresario08

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A bit of a "woe is me" thread, sorry!

By the time I get home from work and get the horses in etc. I am rather pooped out and can't face riding. But the weather is getting so lovely and my boy would do well being ridden to help keep his injuries strong and keep him pain free. How do you get a second wind to actually ride/exercise your horses?
 
get changed, get tacked up and get on before you even give yourself a moment to think about how tired you are feeling. By then you are in the saddle, and you'll soon be enjoying yourself!
When this becomes routine it's easier and easier to trick yourself into just doing it.

I find I never regret cracking on and riding, but I *always* feel bad if I slink off home without doing anything.

Get mega organised too, get all your jobs done ahead of time (fill haynets at weekends etc) so you don't have masses of chores to get through as well.

I ride one before work and one after work daily, and this works for me :)
 
I'm the same as MP. I don't stop till I am done with the horses - if I do before I get on then it turns into a bare minimum night. So I don't go home after work, get changed in the car/tack room and get on with it!

My/my sisters herd live out most of the time so less chores to do, but I exercise 2/3 an evening 6 nights a week, normally ride, lunge, ride. If I am late or having a rubbish day its lunge, lunge. If it's vile weather its rugs, check and feed! This time of year it's even nicer as I can now hack, lunge, school. :)

When they were in at night (not for long in a previous yard - it was hard work with that many) I'd only do 2, whoever I was riding in the evening would get mucked out in the morning, then those 1/2 would get brought in and exercised, then the others mucked out and collected from the field.

I do have to add that we do have sharers to help (who are normally great), but my sister and I can manage all of them between us even with her 3 year old (where's time gone!) or we'd not have them all.
 
Agree with MilliePops and TheHairyOne. I always have my riding stuff in the car/at the yard and just go straight from the office to the yard, otherwise I find myself procrastinating and losing motivation.

Tbh though, after forcing myself to ride a minimum of 5 days a week over winter it'll be a breeze riding after work now the weather is improving and the evenings are lighter.
 
Agree with others! Just don't stop I find making a list and planning helps ticking things off as I go. It also gives me a guide to what is be doing that night whether it be schooling hacking what is be working on i thrive on goals!

All I need at the minute is this glorious weather - motivation in itself!!
Unfortunately my boy is lame atm so I've just been taking the wee shetland walks in hand!
 
Work clothes in car and get on with it. I work 12 hour days plus most evenings at the moment, but still managing to keep baby horse in consistent work.

I would give anything for one more ride on my best boy that I lost and regret every evening I didn't make the effort with him (albeit there were few). Our time with these animals is so precious, make the most of it :) xx
 
I think everyone struggles over Winter but we plough on! Get changed straight away, buy yourself some new jods etc! Also organise home jobs before and muck out in the morning, so there is nothing there you need to worry about! I am currently working on my youngest pup to be a good little stable dog (kill 2 birds with one stone!).
 
Make sure you leave work on time! If I fritter away at work until six, I lose all motivation to ride. Much easier if you get straight out the door.
 
Plan a competition. This is how i normally do things lol! I have the wee coloured job entered for us first ridden show on May 21st so I'd best crack on getting him broken in and then teach his intended rider how to ride him!
 
I'm sitting here with fractured fingers after coming off my horse. I can not ride him until I find out what is wrong with him and until my hand is better I'm grounded. Get on your horse and blinking ride, you never know when it's all going to be taken away from you, in a flash. Enjoy it while you have it.
 
I've managed to ride around 5/6 times each week this winter by not stopping to think about it. After work I go straight to the yard and get on with it. Although I'm tired beforehand, riding does seems to give me a bit of an energy pick up.
 
You just have to get on and do it once you get into the swing of it you will be fine, I am gutted I only have 1 to ride at the moment my other is lame I miss doing 2 now it's light and warmer, don't miss out make the most of it:)
 
Agree with the others - you do just have to get on and do it! Once you start it becomes normal to ride after work and you don't think about it anymore. If i'm having a 'i can't be bothered day', i very rarely don't ride more often than not, i make myself take him for a plod round the fields or i long rein or clicker train so he still has to engage his brain :)

I also half muck out in the mornings before work, so i take all the dirty stuff out and pile the clean stuff up. I go straight from work to the yard and then all I have to do is pull the bed down and give him hay and ride, cuts down tons of time and I find i want to ride more as i don't have to muck out too!
 
Just to echo what everyone else has said, i try and take my stuff to work and go straight to the yard, but sometimes i'll go home get changed and pick the dog up - if i go home i dont sit down, get a drink or eat anything just change and go!

I think it helps one of my good friends is in the stable next to me and we both tend to ride at the same time each night, it's much nicer than riding on your own in the wet and cold!
 
I go straight from work to the yard which helps. However having lost and retired my horse of a life time plus others over the last few years, I've realised you never know when the last ride could be. Enjoy every moment, you wont regret it
 
If you don't want to ride, and it's not a welfare issue for the horse, then don't!

But if you do, get changed at work, get to the yard and get on with it. Plan in advance which nights you are going to ride and, if it helps, what you plan to focus on and why, so you're riding with a goal in mind and not just bimbling about. On the nights you're intending to ride, make a point of getting away from work at the time you've decided so running late and running out of time doesn't become an excuse.

Do you have regular lessons? Even if your trainer doesn't comment, they can tell whether or not you have been doing your homework!
 
thanks everyone :) i don't have lessons yet as my horse is just coming back into work. I managed to ride him last night and he was lively, so I think he liked having something to do!!
 
also, I know what you all mean about not knowing what time you have left. I lost my old boy a few years ago and there was some stuff I never got to do with him that I really regret.
 
It's definitely all about just getting on and doing it. I can't be at the yard any earlier than 7.30pm, so will normally muck-out, have everything ready and be on by 8.30pm latest and then ride for 45min-1hr. If I'm feeling unmotivated I'll make myself get on and ride first.

To be honest I have struggled in the past, so my poor horse is quite green for her age where she's had months off at a time. I got a sharer at the end of last year, and it has really made me value the time I do spend with her. I still do her 4/5 days a week, but when I get there I'm ready to crack on and go. Even one night off and I'm chomping at the bit to get back down!
 
I'm another who goes straight to the yard from work. I know I wouldn't go out again if I went home first!!

Horse is on full livery so no chores for me but I have a set routine Mon-Fri, which helps me stay motivated. Mon is his day off so easy peasy. Tues I will school. Weds is dressage lesson. Thurs I will school or lunge (depends if I am competing at weekend). Fridays I get the yard to hack him out.

So whenever I'm feeling demotivated and lazy, I think to myself - it's only 3 days per week where I've GOT to go and ride/do something with him. The evenings are lighter now so the routine may change slightly as they continue to get lighter so may hack more.

Then weekends are spent competing or trips out, or hacking, easy schooling etc.
 
Can you ride before work op? I always find I'm much more motivated to get out early in the morning as by the time I've done a days work I can't always be ar*ed to ride after work.

It does mean I have to get up at 5.45am and I like to be on board by 6.30am at the latest as I have to leave for work by 8.15am.
 
indie1282 said:
Can you ride before work op? I always find I'm much more motivated to get out early in the morning as by the time I've done a days work I can't always be ar*ed to ride after work.

It does mean I have to get up at 5.45am and I like to be on board by 6.30am at the latest as I have to leave for work by 8.15am.
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sadly not, on a normal day if I'm going up before work I'm up at 5am :)
 
I either get up early & ride before work or ride after work. Just don't think too much about it & it soon so become routine ... although getting up at 5am to hack before work hasn't become easier per se, it is definitely worth it!

I feel so much better for riding, mentally & physically as I love it and reminding yourself of that definitely helps!
 
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