How often do you compete?

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nato

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Up until recently (due to lack of transport), I only competed once every 1-2 months. Now with my own trailer I'm managing to get out almost every weekend. While I do plan to give my horse a break every now and again, is competing every weekend too much?

We do a bit of everything, for example last Sunday we did a ODE (unaff), the week before we did Jump Cross, and the week before DR. I plan to do DR this weekend and next weekend again. We jump at 90cm and DR at Prelim level so she's not under any major pressure and is fit as a fiddle. She gets two days off a week and is turned out every day for approx 12 hours, and has plenty variety to her week (jump once a week, hack at least once a week, and mixture of schooling and polework on non-competing days).
 
The freedom having your own transport gives you is fabulous.

I do things most weekends - whether it's competition, a riding club rally or a lesson, or just out hacking with friends. I find that I naturally end up with breaks due to weather, life, the universe and everything. Mine seem to enjoy the variety and so do I!
 
I go out most weekends and during the week as well. He is a good loader and traveller and most stuff is quite local. He seems to enjoy the variety.
 
I've got three horses, but even so, I find things clump together, so over a bsnk holiday I can have one out every day, then don't go out for 2-3 weeks!
 
With 2 days off midweek you can probably compete every week if you want to. Allowing for natural breaks when there isn't anything you really want to do - or you run out of money for entry fees! But if for some reason there isn't a natural break for a bit just turn away for a week or so a couple of times a year, or if they start looking a bit stale.
 
Im out pretty much every weekend, and some days in the week he has the day off after a ODE followed by an quiet easy hack, then back to normal whether that would be a schooling session or a jump lesson etc. He his very fit atm so anything more than 2 days off and he's a complete horror!!! He will have some down time when i go on holiday and then again when the event season is over. I have to send my lorry in for some work anyway!!!
 
Yes, she usually gets holidays twice a year - we did an intense few weeks where we were out showjumping every weekend and I turned her away for 2 weeks after that (I was on my hols too!). I also am going on holidays for a week in September and she'll have that week off, as we'll have done a lot leading up to it, and our Riding Club dressage and showjumping Autumn leagues kick back in around then too, so want to make sure she has plenty of rest.

I suppose it's down to how much work she's doing and the variety she has really - our DR competitions usually consist of a 30 min warm up and just one test, and she loves her jumping so throwing that in the mix helps keep it different. She'd make sure to tell me if she wasn't happy :)
 
Roughly twice a month, but also go for a lesson off the yard once a month, but I rely on a good friend taking me so I think I'm very lucky! Not sure I could compete every weekend as house would a tip and the fridge would be empty lol :D
 
Id like to do more (I'm a chronic jack of all trades master of none so never feel like Im progressing in any one area, funnily enough :p ) But over the year probably once every three weeks, with some intensive periods of every weekend when the weather is good and I have time, and then only once a month when it's freezing. At that level unless you're travelling 3 hours to each event I don't think weekly is too much IMO :)
 
Hoping to get out again soon, but I'd say generally twice a month max really, mainly due to finances and time constraints
 
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