How many days off schooling does your horse get a week?

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Grace had two days off consecutively this week and she was an absolute monster last night. She was completely full of herself when I took her in the school(went out on a 15 mins hack on the sunday and in the field on Monday)!

I know she is getting fitter which is some of the reason she was so full of herself, but being schooled regularly seems to suit her. However, quite a few people on my yard like to give their horses a few days off work, and I feel that perhaps I am working her too often sometimes and not giving her a break. But if she has more than one day off she is very silly!
 
The ones i used to share had quite a bit off as they were rather old, one 36year old i rode once a week and he was turned out all day and in during night-time, 21yr old TB ridden a few times a week, the rest of the days (he had i think 3 days off a week) turned out and in during night. Current horsey back home is ridden a lot and does compete so she gets a day or two off every week and spends it quite happily munching grass! I can't comment on whether her temperament changes as she is quite forward on regular excersise anyway - jumping around and doing all sorts!
 
Louis is usually schooled 3/4 times a week, jumped once, competes/hacks one day and is lunged once a week in a passoa/de gogue. He normally has a day off after a competition but I still like to lunge him or walk him out in hand so he doesn't get stiff. I think you should do what suits your horse. Louis needs to be mentally stimulated and enjoys working so I don't like to give him too many days off, also he doesn't have all day turnout so he needs regular work.

My friends regularly gives her horse consecutive days off and he is as happy as pie with that but it wouldn't suit Louis, he's get bored and restless.
 
Shadow is usually ridden by me on mondays and tuesday in the school and hacked out on a wednesday. He is then schooled again on a thursday as i have a lesson. He has friday off, them instructor rides him for me on saturday (i am away at weekends if not competing him) and then he has sunday off. Sometimes he is silly if he has more time off, and sometimes he is better. With him you cant tell lol.
 
Pickle isnt ridden mondays, tuesday

He usually has a 1/2 hour lunge lesson or a 1 hour group on wednesday

A 1 hour lesson on thursday

A 1.5 hour hack Friday

half an hour private lesson and a 1 hour group lesson and a 1 hour jumping lesson on saturday

Then 1-2 hours on sunday (sometimes 1 hour of this is hacking)
 
I think Grace is a bit like Louis... now she is being worked she seems to enjoy it and needs something to think about even when she is having a day off (that is why I like to coincide her day off in the week with a day the mares are out).

She is probably ridden 6 days a week and has one day off in the field (she goes out for an hour or so through the week every other day now she can go out on her own).
 
Never any more than one day off at a time - sometimes will get 2 days off a week, but not consecutive - maybe Mondays and Fridays. My boy seems to enjoy being out - won't school every time. Compete/hack or jump at weekends in winter and in week a couple of schooling sessions and maybe an "arena hack" - just walk around the arena on a loose rein for 20-30mins, or maybe do some work without stirrups i.e. focus on me rather than the horse.
 
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I think Grace is a bit like Louis... now she is being worked she seems to enjoy it and needs something to think about even when she is having a day off

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Some horses just need to by mentally and physically entertained all the time (maybe it's a sign of intelligence!). My first horse could sleep all day and night and munch grass all day and happily only be ridden every now and then but Louis tends to create interesting habits if I don't keep him working regularly
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Also he works much better in the school if he works consistently and routinely. Although I do try and make each schooling session a little different to and focuss on different things every time so he's kept thinking all the time
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Mine gets 1 day a wek off (usually a monday) and at the mo hacking work is schooling for him. he also does 2 days Pessoa and the rest schooling. he'll get a month off in may to relax and recover
 
Sorry forgot to mention what the horsey at home does! She gets schooled when i'm home as I do lessons at college so i continue them at home to improve, then when i'm at college she is hacked out and competed and hopefully hunts soon i think.
 
I think you may be mistaking an interest in working every day, with an excess of energy from not getting enough turnout!

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She is probably ridden 6 days a week and has one day off in the field (she goes out for an hour or so through the week every other day now she can go out on her own).

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No wonder the mare is silly after having a day off schooling!

Not a criticism, just an observation. I would imagine the "sillyness" is much more likely to be due to the lack of turnout than not being schooled every day.
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TBH, i do agree with this. My WB gets very very silly if she has a lack of turnout. Shes fine if shes ridden everyday, well, if a little lively, but with not been ridden and no turnout, well shes not fun to ride.

Not having a go but i thnk you'll find she'll be a lot better with more turnout.
 
I forgot to mention

Pickles is on working livery so a lot of that riding isnt me!

Also he is turned out for at least 5 hours almost every day on his days off he has 8 hours field time
 
Mine have had the winter off apart from the occasional amble out.

I did haul the pony out of the field on the spur of the moment and jump on him (headcollar, no saddle, tut) and bimble around the woods with the dogs this morning as I just felt like it.
 
Chloe is ridden 5 times a week - would ride her 6/7 days a week if I lived closer, but I can only get up there twice a week!

Wish me luck though....she has only been ridden twice this week due to Nicci having a chest infection!
 
my mare needs working every other day if shes not turned out otherwise she gets very opinionated!!

however - if i overdo the schooling ie more than 2 days in a row, she gets even more opinionated!!
in the winter we do more lunging and schooling so i can keep her working without boring her.

IMO 2 days off in a row isnt a bad thing - the sillyness prob came from not going out much rather than the time off, if that makes any sense?

but than with mares you never know!!
 
helga has a day of a week and is schooled everyother day and the other days she is lunged. Wish i could hack her out on the field but she goes mad and rears and bronks when ever she goins into mud i know is not scared of the mud because she doesn`t bother if she goes throw it then walking up to the padock.
 
My horse is usually only schooled twice a week (as in flatwork session) one of which is usually a lesson. if i do much more then she gets school sour, she is very good with this amount of schooling. she hacks most other days, and jumps once a week with a jumping lesson every two weeks.
 
Do whatever works for you. One of mine would be happy schooling ever day and would benefit from it. Due to lack of facilities they usually school twice and week, the rest of the time is hacking. They both do ok on it.
 
Could you liken schooling to fast work? If so, then mine get this:
Sun - day off
Mon - easy day: hack, play around, once up gallop.
Tues - lots of slow steady work
Wed - fast work
Thur - same as Mon
Fri - same as Tues
Sat - same as Wed.
I think its important to give their brain and bodies time to recover to enable to get them fitter/better (if you get what I mean).
 
we don't have any T/O
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so mine is ridden every day. I try to hack at the weekends though when it is light just so she gets some variety. If she has been competing on Sunday I will just have her put on the walker on Monday so she at least gets the day off being ridden.

So usually she is schooled Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri and hacked on Sat and either hacked or competed on Sun.

TBH she is doing really well on this routine and going great. I thought I would have a lunatic on my hands but the intensive schooling has really made her much easier to ride and better behaved. Can't wait to be able to T/O though. Roll on spring
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Im the same as you Weezy, i like to hack quite alot. Beast pony can only concentrate her little brain on schooling twice a week! but i vary my hacking and use schooling techniques whilst hacking (if that makes sence?!)
 
No offence taken at all...

I would love to have more turnout, but as our winter field is quite muddy and Grace gets horrendous mud rash and it took 10 weeks to clear up last time so I limit her turnout to about an hour and a half every other days (mares out one day, geldings the next). She is also only just starting to go out on her own, which is something I never thought she would do because of her temperment. But after an hour or so on her own she is ready to come in and stands staring and standing at the fence in line with me and her stable
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Because of working and the fact the yard is totally DIY, I can only get her out at certain times which is why she has started going out on her own as I was struggling to get her out at the times other mare owners turned out.

Like Louis, she seems to work more consistently if schooled regularly, and if she has a few days off schooling she takes much longer to get working therefore our session ends up longer.

I would also love to hack out more, but again because of work and the dark nights it is proving quite difficult, especially when I am either competing or having a lesson at the weekends.

Thanks for everyone's imput. I think when the summer comes things will be much better.
 
Ahhhh of course, i compeletely forgot about her mud rash
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also i can completely understand about the muddiness and lack of turnout available, its horrendous at the moment here.

And yes its what works for the individual horse, some love being schooled lots, others hate it even if its once a week.
 
She seems happier when she is in work... not just when being worked but also in her stable (she snoozes when she is worked every day) whereas she can be a bit jittery in there when she has had a few days off.

I am just hoping I can keep getting her out every other day now I have been brave and tried her on her own. I am so proud of her, she was so good this morning being out on her own! It truly is something I never thought Grace would do because of how attached she is to others.
 
I tend to school 4 times (try and include a jump with this once) , hack once, then compete once at weekends..then usually a day off after show. I have a very nappy mare, and to be honest since doing this new routine with her...ie more schooling, she is far safer to ride. If i hack her out too much, then she seems to become worse.

My gelding probably does 2/3 schooling session, couple of hacks, jump and competes at weekends. If i dont ride him i tend to find that he gets up to all sorts at night....ie, finds ways to escape out the stable and eat everyone's breakfasts!!!

Think both my horses need a lot of stimulation...so end up riding 12-14 times a week in total, and do a full time job - would be far easier to have horses that enjoy time off!!!
 
Flash usually gets one or 2 days off a week, we tend to do about half hours schooling most week nights, an hours lesson saturday then show or a hack sunday. He is turned out either in the field or in the sandschool (if it's particularly muddy) every day for about 8 hours
 
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