How many days a week do you work your competition horses?

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blood_magik

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My big lad has been extremely fresh the last few weeks to the point where he's tried to take off with me a few times and I'm wondering if his workload needs to be increased.
He'll be out jumping bigger tracks (1.20+) next year with my instructor so increasing his fitness wouldn't be a bad thing.

He's currently worked for 40 minutes to an hour 5 days a week - mostly flatwork at the moment with some jumping and hacking - and he goes on the walker every day for 20-30 minutes.

On the other hand, I'm wondering if he really needs to be worked everyday or if it would be more beneficial for him to have a day where he just goes out in the field with my other two.


Any thoughts?
 
I think if they get daily or regular turnout they require less work to keep them fit and sane, mine work 5- 6 times most weeks but are out most days as well so missing a few days exercise does no harm, if he is getting too fresh I would either work daily or turnout at least 2 or 3 times a week.
Walkers are not really getting them to use any energy they are more of a useful tool to give a leg stretch on top of the proper work, I would rather lunge so they really get moving properly if no time to ride or too bad to turnout.
 
Jae is worked 5-6 days a week mix of schooling, jumping, hacking and lunging for an hr. He is turned out in the paddock every day. The turnout really helps him stay chilled. If he gets too fresh its normally too much food, despite being a TB his natural temp is quiet and a bit lazy! Turnout, regular work and lots of hay with only a small amount of hard feed keeps him easy to handle and ride. I do give him time off every now and again of the odd week here and there with no work. This unwinds his brain and he always comesback calm and ready to work.
 
My boy is worked 5/6 days a week, and turned out for longer on his days off. He's currently competing at 1.05 and moving up to 1.10 in spring.

I hack a lot more though, about 2 sometimes 3 times a week. I find it burns his energy off and is more interesting mentally for him, he absolutely storms around though so an hour walk out often leaves him quite sweaty!

I definitely think a day off is needed if you have the turnout. Refreshes him mentally and will let his muscles recover
 
Reading the other replies if lack or turnout I would also say lunge or loose school. He might need a mad 5 mins to stretch his legs and get it out of his system.
 
Should have added that he's out with my other two every day, weather permitting. If he doesn't go in the field then he gets out in the school.

I'm hoping it's just a phase and that he's just trying it on.
 
I've always used a variety of work - flat schooling, fitness work (in the school if necessary), longeing, loose schooling (flat and jumping), hacking, "walk days" and found that the best system, even though it's not always one everyone can access. Mind you, I've never had horses I rode only for my own pleasure so perhaps I've not had the same pressure to ride because "I" wanted to.

I had one that didn't get turned out other than in the school while we mucked or in the field for a bit when someone could watch him (I can hear MrsD123 grinding her teeth. :D) and he did something every day, even if it was just walk for 40 min, even in the winter when he had his shoes off. In the summer, eventing at a decent level, he often did something 2x a day, with a walk or a hack as one session and a school/jump/gallop/loose school/longe for the other. I have to say, he was the soundest horse I've ever had, although that was partly just "him".

I ran a school with a bunch of ex-show horses on staff and they did at least 1/day, most did 2. Not fast work but almost always a mix of flat and jumping. That crew went for years.

With young horses I don't work them every day as I think it can be too much mentally BUT I would still have no problem with them doing "something" every day.
 
Kal works (on average) 5 days a week, competes or goes to a clinic approx twice a month (sometimes three times).

A typical week might look like this:

Monday - half an hour on the walker, half an hour jumping in the school
Tuesday - an hour hack
Wednesday - off
Thursday - half an hour on the walker, half an hour schooling on the flat
Friday - lunge
Saturday - lesson (SJ or flat). . . sometimes at ours, sometimes at trainers (which means a good 40 mins in the lorry) . . . you could substitute this for a competition . . . in the eventing season that'd be an ODE, in the off-season it might mean combined training, just jumping, dressage, indoor hunter trials - you get my drift
Sunday off

We also try and chuck in some XC or SJ schooling away from home and every once in a while a trip to the gallops (racehorse gallops).

He goes out for approximately five or six hours in the winter (longer on his days off), and a good eight hours in the summer.

He doesn't find hacking - even in company - particularly relaxing - his chill out is popping some easy jumps at home, but hacking gets him out and about and helps boost his confidence.

The workload keeps him fit, the variety keeps him fresh . . . as TXF will attest, he is looking fab at the minute so we think it's working for him :).

Hope that helps :).

P
 
Majority of our competition ones are too fit, they tend to go on the walker whilst been mucked out, then ridden (schooled, jumped or hacked).

They get ridden 5-6 days a week normally, some get ridden twice a day as it suits them more, they compete maybe once every 2 weeks, or if they're going abroad once a month but then it's a longer show of course. We tend to hack a lot as we have a lot of hills etc great for them, and then maybe once every other week they will have a dressage lesson either at our yard or instructors!

Don't know if that will be of any help :)
 
thanks, guys.
Currently our week is something like this:
Monday - flatwork
Tuesday - lesson (flat and pole work)
Wednesday - off
Thursday - lesson (jump)
Friday - flatwork
Saturday - hack/flatwork if not competing
Sunday - off if not competing.

He's out competing every 2 weeks or so and we've figured out that he doesn't do as well if he's had the day off before a show. I'm hoping to get down to the beach at least once a month once we get the new lorry.

I think I'll give him a bit and see if he settles back down. Hopefully he's just trying to push his luck - it's scary enough when they're not 17.3hh and built like a brick you-know-what. :o
 
If its any help Carl Hester advocates 4 days work. One to learn, one to reinforce and a day off repeated. I guess that works for dressage horses and the day off can mean just going for a hack or doing something else relaxing.
I cant remember how old R is but working has a big impact on a young horses brain and as with children shorter can sometimes be more effective
 
I have always found with the endurance horses, that the fitter they get, the saner they get. Mine have always done 4 days a week, and live out 24/7. Always at least a week off after a competitive ride.

Am now doing dressage on one of the ex-endurance horses, and am finding I can push him a bit harder schooling wise than I thought I could. Because of time constraints of still have a distance horse and having to work full time, he gets ridden five days a week, four schooling and one hack, but I find he is better with a hack the day before a comp. He also lives out 24/7.
 
If you're not able to up the work, how about cutting the feed? If ours start getting silly that's what they get; more work, less feed.
 
Vanilla has fairly recently come in from 3 months holiday in the field and is now fully in work and we have just started jumping again (we compete at Foxhunter level). She lives in, no turnout when in work, worked hard 5 days a week, one day hacking, and one rest day a week (total rest for whole yard to make sure the horses really have a chance to switch off)

Sometimes more hacking, and she does get let loose in the school, but we don't lunge her as it doesn't benefit her - all other horses on yard are lunged in a German way working hard once a week.
 
Upping his work isn't an issue. I can work him every day or work him for longer - I was just wondering what other people do with theirs. :smile3:
He's not a good doer (taken 18 months to get him looking how he does now) so would rather up his exercise than cut his feed to start with.
It's back to work tomorrow so we'll see if he settles down again.

Thanks for the replies. Happy New Year. :smile3:
 
Buzz works 3/4/5/6 days a week, goes out for three hours a day. Does a mixture of hacking, flat, jumping or poles, and at the moment one to two trips out to combined training or the like a month. Doesn't make any difference to him if he's worked or not, or turned out or not, he doesn't hot or fizz up. He needs a break after 4 days work in a row though, he makes it clear that he needs a day off.

He hasn't been out or worked since Sunday when he had some surgery, so took him out for a hack in hand (in howling gales!) yesterday and he was typically dope on a rope.
 
My horse gets ridden 3/4 times a week (weather permitting!!) One lesson a week (45mins) Plus two other schooling sessions in the week/Hacked out for 1 1/2 hrs at weekdends if I can. He is out 12 hours a day every day
 
mine is turned out 24/7 (well...was....Socks came in today and will stay in for January and February due to decent - aka not a mud bath - turnout being unavailable) and worked everyday in some way; usually ridden 5 times a week for 40mins-1hour usually fast hacking with one or two schooling or lunging sessions...and then walker on the other two days for 30-40mins :)
 
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