Out of interest....how often?

[timeandchance]

Totally out of interest here.

How often do you ride? and
How fit is your horse?

I ride once a day every day (except every now and then when I can't and he has a day off). Charlie is a TBX and the more work he does the more stamina he builds. He was out of work for a long time because his previous rider had out-grown him and since I've taken him on I've ridden out almost everyday, just a hack for about an hour (sometimes longer on a Sunday). He loves to work and he's really happy with what we're doing and was just interested what everyone else does!

 

[pottamus]

I ride 5 days a week, 6 in summer and all my work is hacking. We have some really good hills round here which fitten horses quickly.
In the summer we did endurance/pleasure rides every week so I would do 3 hacks of 1 hour, 1/2 hacks of just over an hour and then a pleasure ride of 12 to 18 miles once a week. So I feel my horse is pretty fit, especially in trot work. We don't do much canter work because there is no off road riding here, so that woud get him fitter if we could do it.

 

[Salcey]

At the moment its 5 days a week with Tuesdays and Thursdays off.
Hacking only as we have no school.
Its been an uphill struggle improving my mares stamina but we're getting there *she crosses all fingers*

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

I can only ride 2 or 3 times a week in the winter. I work full time and we have no menage or lighting. I try and sneak off work early every other friday so I ride Fri, Sat & Sun but other weeks its just the weekend. During the summer I ride 5 times a week. My girl is quite fit, she just keeps going and going and never seems to get tired!

 

[eekmon]

My 29 y o gets hacked for btween 1-2 hours 5-6 times a week. He does more work and is fitter than some younger horses in the yard!! My vet reckons if I keep him in work he will last longer, which is my plan........

( Its worked so far)

 

[lizzie_liz]

during the summer she gets ridden once or twice a day 6 days a week.
then i go back to uni in september so mum rides her and keeps her ticking over and is ridden 4 days a week.

 

[MagicMelon]

I would love to ride daily but all I have is a scabby paddock to ride in so its very much weather dependent (its either muddy or frozen in the winter...!). I ride as often as possible but right now my Welshie is only being ridden maybe twice during the week then competed at weekend. I would love him to be fitter but simply find it impossible! My other main horse is on his holidays but will come back into work soon and luckily he doesnt have to be ridden every single day as he keeps himself fit! Other ned is ridden about as often as the Welshie, maybe a little more as he's a baby so needs it.

 

[TGM]

I usually ride 5 or 6 times a week, but don't do tons of fast work. So I would say she is reasonably fit for hacking and schooling purposes - but not by eventing or racing standards!

 

[ladylisa]

im only riding once a week at the moment as im recovering from a fractured wrist and dont want to push my luck with it.
but i will be riding more when it's better!

 

[Accy]

I selected every other day and coming back into work, as i have a youngster were taking it slowly and building up sticking with 20 mins riding 3 times a week and one or two sessions on the lunge.

 

[fairhill]

I've just started riding mine after 6 weeks off with an over-reach injury. I'm riding her nearly every day, but it's only short hacks, or 20-30 mins schooling sessions.

 

[TheresaW]

Both are ridden every day although have the odd days off. I have fantastic hacking all through Epping Forest which keeps them and me fit. Dolly I would say is fit as a fiddle. I don't compete, but did lots of pleasure rides all through the summer. Mac is fit, but suffers with arthritis in his fetlock so I have to watch what work he does.

 

[jacks_mum]

I've put every couple of days but in reality it depends on how I am feeling. I have M.E so I ride when I have the energy. Sometimes that means evey night for a week and othertimes I don't get on for two weeks. I'm lucky in that Jack is a laid back horse who doesn't need to be ridden x number of times a week and he is reasonably fit and seems to stay that way.

 

[riotgirl]

Usually about 5/6 days a week. Now it is winter though, I can only ride at the weekends.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

My lad is riden 6 days a week with one day off all year round. We're fortunate there ia an indoor arena at out stables so we can ride whatever the weather although sometimes you have to modify your riding times due to everyone wanting to use it at peak times i.e. between 4.30 & 6.30pm,(Maximum of three allowed in at any time). There's a menage also but planning was refused on floodlights, we'll try again next year. Consequently our boy keeps his fitness pretty well throughout the year.

We really do appreciate the facilities we have especially during the winter months.

 

[Baileysno1]

My lad is ridden six days a week, at the moment hacked on weekends if not competing and schooled in the week in the floodlit arena we also do one session of pole work or gridwork to keep it interesting. In the summer I do more hacking after work and school in fields. I actually didn't think he was really that fit but I took him autum hunting and he didn't break a sweat or even puff that much.

Because hes so young he has a the odd week off just to let him grow and stop him going sour but I do try to do something with him every day even if its just walking him like a dog!

 

[the watcher]

My horses get ridden 3-4 times a week, but not by me at the moment as my bad back is particularly bad. Usually during the winter I would plan to ride twice a week, until we get a floodlit school any more is impossible.

 

[4whitesocks]

I ride him 3 days a week but he's ridden 6 days (schooling livery) - and on Tuesday's he's schooled in the am and I ride him in lesson in the evening. He's been in 'proper work' now for almost 5 weeks so is starting to get there on the fitness front...I am hoping he'll be hunting or competing fit by Christmas

 

[sojeph]

I ride as and when. One of my cobs I haven't ridden for a year

and the other maybe 10/15 times this year

. They live out 24/7 365 days a year so so don't 'need' riding and keep a certain level of fitness just mooching round the field as its on a huge hill and the water is at the bottom

I only mooch when I ride anyway - no comps for me anymore!!

 

[Tempi]

Blossy is super fit, shes a competition horse and gets worked every evening in the school for an hour, competes every weekend (elementary BD doing two tests a time) and gets hacked for a good two hours on the weekend aswell. She also has lessons once a week with her sharer whos a junior rider. I take her for lessons with my trainer about once a month now as her sharer is the one competing her the most.

Archie is fit-ish. Hes nowhere near as fit as Bloss (who can quite happily do a whole day out hunting and then compete BD the following day). The people i brought him from (nearly a month ago) didnt work him much or very hard. Now hes with me he has 45mins solid in the school every night, a lesson with my trainer every saturday and will be (starting from this sunday) competing dressage (two tests) most sundays. He isnt hacking out yet as hes still a baby but im going to be starting hill work and hacking with him shortly.

 

[Tierra]

My horse is ridden 5/6 times a week and is just starting to come back to competition fitness after having a few injuries over summer that wrecked the outdoor season.

Im intending on keeping him at this level of work for another couple of weeks before letting him down slightly over the christmas period.

Luckily, he's out for 6 hours a day or so which is more than enough for him anyway.

 

[JessPickle]

I rode 2-3 times a week

and pickle is on working livery so gets 2 hours on saturday, 2 hours sunday. and 2-3 hours on weekdays so he is fairly fit

 

[SSM]

Now that I have moved yards the Donkey is ridden or lunged at least 6 days a week, she is (as most of you have heard me moan) so lazy that it is hard to judge her fitness as she is happiest going slow - yet the other weekend we did an 18 mile hack with no ill effects at all, so she is fitter than SHE makes out -

I have noticed that over the last two weeks she is sweating much less too at the end of a session (that will improve further when evil mother takes her fur off this weekend

)

 

[Lill]

I usually ride 5 days a week sometimes 6 and would say my two are fairly fit!

 

[SouthWestWhippet]

Up until the point where I had my accident I rode my horse everyday and she was pretty fit (too fit I used to say sometimes when she was cantering around and around the outdoor school refusing to trot without me hauling on the reins - which I hate doing)

I also rode other horses at least 3 days a week, often more so I would ride for up to 4 hours a day. Can't ride at all at the moment though which feels very odd and is frustrating in the extreme.

 

[Lozz1uk]

Not enough because I work full time, live 30 mins from the yard and have boyfriend who already thinks i spend too much time up there!

 

[Tia]

Isn't every other day the same as every couple of days??

Anyway I ride a few times a day in the summer and in winter a few times a week. The majority of my horses are fully fit right now but they are just about to go into semi-hibernation for winter. I keep them ticking over during the winter and try to get each one out for a ride at least once a fortnight. Once Spring comes along they go start to get fittened up again.

In Summer my guys are all super fit; enough to do a full day's worth of trailriding, not that they do of course LOL!!

 

[Vicki1986]

i ride or lunge between 5-6 times a week (never less than 4 and thats only if i am ill or some disaster has happened)
my pony is turned out for around 6-8 hours a day and she is at a reasonable fitness level. unfortunately it has dwindled now with the colder weather but she has to be kept reasonably fit as i do a spot of competing around once a month and i mock hunt once a month too x