How much work is too much?

[littlen]

This is following on from a conversation I had with another livery today

Is working a horse everyday working too much (varied work of schooling and hacking)?

Have you ever ridden more than once a day?

If you were to ride everyday do you think the horse will become bored/badly behaved etc or is there a possibility it will become better behaved due to more riding/schooling etc?

If you had a fat/laminitic/good doer would you ride every day in an attempt to keep weight down?

Would riding every day/more than once a day cause a horse to have worse condition than a horse that was only ridden a few times a week?

 

[Bens_Mum]

I think it totally depends on the horse, age, fitness attitude..

I had a horse that thrived on work and would be much easier to handle if ridden everyday. Sometimes I would go for a quick hack in the morning and school in the evening and he coped with it fine. In fact he was much better as a 'person' doing this than ridden two or three times a week where he would become sharp to handle and bolshy. Ive had other horses though that would become stale if you were schooling alot. I would say totally depends on the horse...

 

[PeterNatt]

I have owned horses for 40 years now and mine are always taken for nice long hacks of up to 6 hours. Never done them any harm. Probably done them a lot of good. Present horses aged 29 and 25 happily hack up to 4 hours per day.

 

[celia]

IMO too much work is anything that the horse isn't fit enough for or too much of the same thing leading to staleness/boredom.

As long as your horse is fit there is nothing wrong with riding every day, although personally I like to give them a day off each week - for me as well as them!

I've ridden the same horse twice in one day and would do again - usually a hack and schooling session in same day. My sister has a welshie who is a very good doer and she will often work twice a day when we can during spring/summer to help keep her weight down.

Most horses only become bored when they are doing too much of the same thing. If you keep schooling sessions varied and include hacking/jumping etc you shouldn't have a bored horse.

A horse will only lose condition due to work if he's doing too much (e.g. lots of fast work, long hacks, hills) and not getting enough feed. Correct work will build muscle and topline so should keep your horse looking better!

As with everything some horses are better with plenty of work to keep them sensible and others work well when they have a break every so often. You need to find what suits your horse.

 

[lindsayH]

Providing a horse is fit, well and adequately fed I think almost the more work the better. For most of it's domesticated life, the horse has put in a long, steady days work just like it's owner. The fittest, happiest horses I've ever met belong to a hacking stable in herefordshire where they do 4-6 hours a day 6 days a week and generally live well into their 30's. I once asked the owner (now in his 60's) for advice about a behavioral problem I was having with my horse. He answered, 'There are 3 solutions to most problems, work, work and work'.
Mind you, we are talking steady work here. I wouldn't expect a horse to put in 6 hours SJ/XC a day obviously! I think nothing of riding mine in the morning and letting my sharer take him out in the afternoon.