How many times do you ride a week? Amateur rider, one horse...

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who, as per my thread a couple of days ago, wishes to progress :D

I know this has been done to death on the forum but I'm hoping you might humour me in my latest drive for improvement, I have a plan on what I want to achieve now which my trainer is being incredibly helpful with.

I can clearly see that what I have been doing over the past 6 months has not been consistent enough to see the improvement I want - I tend to focus on riding sporadically, then wander off and focus on something else! (dogs, running, sometimes even work gets in the way....)

So now I am thinking about increasing my focus, not 'settling for' but getting it right every time (within my limitations as a rider of course!), and making my riding a priority.

Which leads me to my question..... :) :) Obviously there will be unknown variables - injury, life getting in the way, that kind of thing but as a general rule?
 
5-6 times a week when I had one (I now have two..!), or if I couldn't ride I'd make sure he was lunged or hacked by the yard. I do like to cross-train and my horses are barefoot, so hacking is very important for them. I'd say 3 times a week in the school and 2-3 hacks a week, occasionally I will do groundwork instead of riding but probably not enough..!

As per the other thread, I think being focused is as important as the time spent. I have regular lessons, and find that they tend to be more regular when working on a particular issue (e.g. straightness of my chronically wonky horse, who is good at fooling me into thinking he's straighter than he is!) and less regular when I'm feeling more confident about progressing alone. I usually spend in between schooling sessions doing 'homework' from my lessons, then doing some schooling exercises I've seen or read about online, or working on specific movements from tests. I've ever been known to do most of a session without stirrups and run through a couple of upcoming tests! It's good to focus on me instead of the horse occasionally.

I also obsessively read and watch everything I can about riding and training horses....

I'm definitely not as structured or focused as some others on the forum, but I try and ultimately I do like to have a bit of fun as well as focusing on comps. In addition to dressage I've done some jumping comps, a long distance ride and hunting this year!
 
not really helpful to you but i hack out 4 to 6 times a week on my 19 year old loan horse......would love to ride properly again and do some schooling but i am afraid im a bit too old now even if i had a younger horse......while you are young enough i would say to try and be very focussed on your riding as old age can creep up on you and then its too late....the mind is willing but the body cant .....
 
As per the other thread, the focus and quality of your schooling session are more important than the quantity. As to how often you should school, it depends on the age/fitness of the horse, but assuming the horse is 6 or over and reasonably fit, I'd school three times a week, and hack three times a week as a guide. I'd also happily mix it up a bit with polework/jumping or groundwork etc a few times, but 3 schooling, 3 hacking is a good guide, but make those 3 schooling sessions count!
 
I ride anywhere between 3 and 6 times a week. If it's as low as 3 then I will do in hand and lunging on some of the other days as like to work my horse one way or another 5 days at least.

Every week I do a mix of schooling, jumping (or at least pole work), hacking, in hand and lunging. Some days I might lunge, in hand and then ride especially if I'm teaching something new.

I tend to make a loose plan at the start of the week with what I want to work on and then move on when I see a bit of Improvement.
 
I ride 6 days a week. 2 sessions with my trainer, 2-3 schooling and 1-2 hacking, although I usually hack more in summer.

I always try to have a plan when I'm schooling alone and will usually do at least one session with poles to keep things interesting.
 
5-6, schooled once, lunged once, hacked the rest (usually had a sharer do 1 or 2 of those hacks). But established and school work for suppleness rather than improvement.
 
I have 2 on the yard- one in full work who will be out competing in the new year if all goes to plan and one who does light hacking due to a breathing problem.

Horse in full work does 6 days a week- 1 long reining session over poles, 2 days schooling and the rest hacking. Occasionally if the weather is bad or if I'm not feeling great, she'll have 2 days off, but I usually try and make one an inhand pole session if I can.

I have a general plan, for instance today's session was about stretching and relaxation. I am quite driven, when I have a goal in mind, I work towards it.

The Diva was doing 4-5 hacks a week, but she's not been ridden since last Thursday as I've not felt very well and only had the energy for riding one. Ideally she does 3-4 hacks a week.
 
Cool thanks all - that is really useful! I have just analysed all my dressage results which started in June 2016 to assess the themes, I think 6 times riding a week seems to be the way ahead so I shall experiment to find the balance of schooling/hacking/pole work etc :)
 
Agree with others, when I was improving/competing Rosie, I used to ride be riding 6 times a week on average, though what I do in those 6 times will depend on what time I have available, what I'm working on with the horse, if I'm competing (and if so what kind of competition) and if I have time for arena/XC or to go to the beach/forest/gallops for fitness work. But I try to do a variety of things, incorporating the basic principles of what I'm trying to improve in all sessions, and also try and make at least one session a week a lesson/clinic (which I know is not possible for everyone). When I was doing that, I found that improvement was pretty rapid and marked.

With Henry, progress has been a little slower as I'm not able to ride him consistently. I'm at university full time at the other end of the country (and when I say full time, I mean I'm in 9am-5pm monday-friday every week) and during termtime am only able to come back about one weekend a month. And while yard were riding him to keep him fit whilst I'm away, they're much more limited in how much they can really school him as they mostly hack them for fitness. But when I'm around, I ride as above and I find that the improvement does still come quickly, it's just that it has to come in fits and starts so average rate is slower. Although now he has a full time sharer, I'm hoping improvement will be more consistent...

Sounds like you have a good plan going forwards, good luck :)
 
Horse is exercised around 6-7 times a week, mostly hacking, one lunge session, 2-3 schooling sessions. He gets 1-2 days off a week (some days he's exercised twice).

However I ride about 3-4 of those and it's not really enough. I could do with a more structured programme and regular riding although I have a lesson every 1-2 weeks at the moment and am finding that's helped a lot.

I'm not particularly fit or sporty so I suspect I need a bit more and will take a bit longer than some others. Am also getting creaky! Like others having a specific aim or training plan has helped, plus an overall goal to aim to, in my case the Wobbleberry Challenge.
 
In summer, my main pony is ridden probably 12 times a week and lunged once. I'm evil ;) Most of that is hacking though, and it does mean he's allowed an awful lot more access to grass than he would otherwise, so he doesn't mind too much. I don't spend more that 4 sessions in the school a week - that would include polework / jumping (or other non-schooling things) and a couple of really intense schooling sessions.

He's 11 and very established though, and he's not being pushed to "progress" and learn new moves, just to work on suppleness / correctness / gymnastics work and keep him really on form (because he's not competing dressage this year). In winter, light dictates more time in the school and he's only ridden once a day, but still ridden 5-6x a week.

With younger horses I generally do shorter, more frequent sessions. Certainly, my other pony never works more than 5/6x a week, nor have any of my other rides / borrows / whatever ponies.
 
Lol JFTD I don't think you are evil :) but I am hugely impressed that you create that much time :) how do you fit that round working? Presumably before & after work a lot of days? :)
 
I aim for 6 days but realistically pay someone to ground work for 3 days, do the weekend days and hope I get an evening or two I have time to go out. I have lights but can't use them before 6 or after 10 and work pretty long hours.
 
Lévrier;13644258 said:
Lol JFTD I don't think you are evil :) but I am hugely impressed that you create that much time :) how do you fit that round working? Presumably before & after work a lot of days? :)
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I think Fergs sometimes thinks I'm evil ;) I'm currently self employed so work odd hours / late nights and all sorts. But if I go back to 9 to 5, it will be early mornings and late evenings to keep them fit in summer, certainly. I also cheat by riding and leading as much as possible out hacking (fergs is the ride pony, so does most work!). I also take my dog out with the horses, and I don't have a husband / boyfriend / life really ;)
 
If I can't hack I will ride 5 times a week mixing it up in the school with poles and very varied sessions. No More than 2 days off in a row. Keep the sessions short and sweet. Hoping to get one hack a week in on the roads over winter. He doesn't go very well on his own so a bit dependent on having a friend!
 
When I was competing (affil dressage to medium), I rode 6 days a week. 4 days schooling or lessons, and 2 days hacking. Everything was focused on the horse's way of going, but it was still all good fun.

I'm something of a lazy b@rstard, and without the discipline of an upcoming competiton to focus on, I tend to bumble around rather aimlessly doing a bit of this, a bit of that...
 
I sometimes wonder how other people find the time. I work full time m-f office hours, and have a round trip of 1 1/2 hrs. I also have a husband and home. so I school about twice (occasionally three times) and hack once or twice a week - only about half an hour. So i reckon i ride 4 to 5 days a week. We do BD and I sometimes think this is no-where near enough for me to progress, but I have to strike some sort of balance with it all.
 
Fig anything from 3-5 times a week.

Usually one stretching/hack if daylight allows. 2/3 schooling sessions (1 of these is with poles).

I usually do max 2 schooling sessions is a row and don't work the same muscle groups in repetition. Day off after show or lesson ideally. If no competing I try and jump once a fortnight or every 3 weeks (hard with no one on the ground).

I've found Fig is fitter and happier for 45 min sessions, than 60 min sessions. Early mornings suit him.

Nova is easy peasy. Anything from 0-3 sessions a week. If daylight allows a little hack, but he's only doing 10 mins (15 max) in the school anyway.

I'm lucky to have the horses at home but I get up at 4.30am to have the yard of 4 done in time for me to ride 1 before work and am on one or the other by 6.30am. 30 minute commute both ways. I teach all hours god sends too, so am often found exercising the other or poo picking at a very unsociable hour.
 
Notimetoride said:
I sometimes wonder how other people find the time. I work full time m-f office hours, and have a round trip of 1 1/2 hrs. I also have a husband and home. so I school about twice (occasionally three times) and hack once or twice a week - only about half an hour. So i reckon i ride 4 to 5 days a week. We do BD and I sometimes think this is no-where near enough for me to progress, but I have to strike some sort of balance with it all.
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Similar here! Although I enjoy my riding, there are still days when I want to have the evening at home, or meet with friends or spend time with the other half. And there's usually 1-2 days when I'm working too late to ride. So the most I tend to do is 3-4 days, 2 in the week and 2 at the weekends. I'd progress quicker if i did more, but it's a compromise I'm happy with right now. I also have the luxury of full livery which is a must for me in terms of time saving.
 
It's a bit more than just how many times you ride.
It's the quality rather than the quantity,
It's the type of work and the schedule it's done (and this can vary a lot depending on the horse)

It's worth trying to work out the situations when your horse goes best.

So for instance when I was last competing, which was 3 years ago now (where does time go?) my horse went better on day 2 of schooling but would go off the boil on day 3. So I would work her schedule for 2 hard sessions in a row knowing what I wanted out of session 2, followed by a hack, a stretchy day, day off, 2 hard sessions.

Despite being a dressage horse she was one that mentally needed to blow off steam. Every 3-4 weeks she would have a full canter session on the allweather gallops. I'd also gallop her 5-7 days before an important competition (that probably doesn't feature much in a regular dressage training schedule!)
 
Notimetoride said:
I sometimes wonder how other people find the time.
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haha! Totally bl00dy minded about it, that's how! :D Plus have no house of my own, only a tiny rented place, and no kids, and OH has other hobbies and jobs that he gets stuck into after work so it's no problem for us to finally bump into each other at 7ish and collapse in front of the dinner :D

It was more difficult when I had to drive to work, now my only commute is to the yard and back which really helps, but of course I've filled up the time I gained with other horses, other peoples horses, etc etc... I don't know what to do with myself during free time so I just fill it up ;)

2 horses, dear old Millie does about 5 days a week at the moment, she is in rather light work so does 2 short sessions (20-25 mins of suppling work and fun with changes) in the school and hacks up to an hour 3 times a week. She is just ticking over.

Kira has a much more structured week which is helping her to progress. She does 4 days of schooling (one might be a lesson or show, I try to go somewhere every week) of 45-50 mins fairly hard work, and hacks the other days for fitness.
I find she is best if she does 2 school days in a row so the week is planned out (sometimes weeks) in advance to make sure I can fit it all in as I wish to ( I try to make sure that a lesson or show falls on 'day 2' of her schedule so she's in the best frame of mind! :o )
I usually give a day off after she has travelled but if it links up to Millie's schedule she will sometimes tag along for a hack instead. She is better the fitter she gets so we don't have many days off and occasionally she will school in the morning and go hacking in the afternoon.

I feel weird if I don't ride at least one horse a day ;) Mine have synchronised so both are hacking today so I had nothing to ride this morning as I will ride and lead later, I was all out of sorts when I sat down to work :D
 
I ride 4-5 days a week (work to 7pm 2 days so can't ride those) and that's enough for me.. That's enough for my pony as he's only a 5yo, but if necessary OH would ride & lead another day or two...

Its not all intensive schooling though, there would be at least two hacks on an average week...

Fiona
 
milliepops said:
and OH has other hobbies and jobs that he gets stuck into after work so it's no problem for us to finally bump into each other at 7ish and collapse in front of the dinner :D:D
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Your OH has it good. I don't expect to see my wife during the hours of daylight in the summer evenings. Winter generally around 8:30pm.
 
hehe I make an effort as I do feel slightly guilty, though only slightly...am always first up and out of the house, I've usually ridden one horse by the time he's got out of bed :D
 
milliepops said:
hehe I make an effort as I do feel slightly guilty, though only slightly...am always first up and out of the house, I've usually ridden one horse by the time he's got out of bed :D
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I've started doing that, and now I just get complaints that I keep waking him up. I can't win!
 
I do something with mine 5 times a week. Currently aim for my instructor to ride her once and a lesson once but we're fairly flexible so it doesn't always happen that way. Generally speaking I aim for 2 schooling sessions and 3 hacks. 1 long hack, 1 medium hack and 1 will just be a leg stretch round the block. I sometimes swap 1 hack for a lunging/polework session instead. She is getting fitter but isn't the fittest and is only just starting any proper schooling after 3 years of intermittent work due to her many many health problems! I also have a share horse who I generally ride once or twice a week, unless the owner is away in which case I try to ride him as much as I can for her.
 
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