Thoughts on working horse more than once a day

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Worried1

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OH has new theory to try on Diva. He has suggested that we work her twice a day a couple of times a week over a given period of time and to see if there is a general improvement.

Diva tends to come out quite tight over the back and resistant in the contact (OH calls this her default setting and is possibly a result of previosuly being worked in draw reins) Once she is warmed up (usually takes about 10 minutes) she steps through and is soft and truly lovely.

Now some horse come out spooky and sharp but Diva is the opposite she is quite stuffy and tight over her back. So in terms of time, it is probably the same for those horse with sharp horses to settle them and begin working.

We worked her yesterday and she was a little 'meggy' probably more so than usual because she has had a holiday and is coming back into work. However I can honestly say that the last 20 minutes were the BEST trot work I have ever had out of her. Her lateral work was fab, particularly the shoulder-in and half-pass and she felt incredibly even on both reins.

After my lesson we were chatting and OH said I wonder if one day she will come out like she finishes in a stretch, loose and supple and challenging the contact. At which point he then said I wonder if it is worth a couple of times a week working her twice. First time warming up for about 15 minutes at 10am and then working her for longer in the afternoon at about 3pm.

The idea being that we get through all the crap much faster and get to a point where we can really work her instead of spending 15 minutes trying to put her through. Just wondered if anyone had any ideas or previous experience with doing this?

(In case anyone is wondering teeth, back and saddle all OK, she is being checked by the physio again on Thursday as saddle has been altered so want to get her checked again, but last visit 3 months ago she was fine and didn't need any work.)
 
I used to work my grey horse twice a day through the event season quite regularly, it worked well for him (sharp minded!!)
Certainly never did him any harm, he enjoyed his work so was quite content with it. Give it a go
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do you always ride from the stable? is it possible to ride after she's been in the field? or if you're lucky enough to have one, a horse walker? she might then be a bit looser/warmer when you start riding.
If you've got the time to ride twice, go for it!!
 
I have done it before with my old horse while we were at uni. During the winter we had no turnout and so I used to split riding between morning and evening to break up his day.

Just hoping to eradicate the mushy stuff so think we are going to trial it this weekend!
 
my mare comes out like this to and my gelding - i find tacking my gelding up 15 mins before riding helps - i know strange !!

also i know they are expensive but was thinking about getting a Equissage to warm her muscles up before hand x
 
Working her twice a day will do her no harm at all and may well help 'her mind' settle to her work. I don't see how it would help physically to warm up and then put her away for a couple of hours and it make any difference to how she came out second time
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Have you tried lunging her before riding to free her up and get her moving forwards and free - do you have a walker or solarium?
 
Working her from the field or the stable makes no difference and we don't have a walker
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Think we are going to give it a go and see what happens.
 
An Equissage would certainly help because it loosens the joints and relaxes the muscles and warms them up. I couldn't believe the difference in hannah when I first used it on her... How about hacking her out long and low for 20 mins before training, that is what a lot of the professionals do from what I have read/heard/watched.

I am thinking of starting to ride Hannah twice a day this coming week because she is being very full of herself and fresh when I ride her. This morning I took her out on a hack and for the first 20 mins she felt like she was a coiled spring
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It is very common for competition horses to be worked twice a day, usually consisting of a shorter period of stretching, hacking or relaxed schooling, and a more intense period of schooling work at a different time. I think it is a good idea, especially for stabled horses, and can't see it causing any problems at all.
 
Yes, I would say twice a day would a good idea, especially for a stabled horse.... as madmare said.

I found this worked when I had a devious/nappy and lazy minded horse, he had lots of feed and was inclined to spook then buck, but wasn't giving enough physically. Mind games!
 
I do lunge her but it doesn't make that much difference as she tends to bear down on the side reins which then means she stills tends to challenge the contact when ridden.

And without side reins she bucks and and has a sh*t fit!
 
Mmmmmm hacking is not Diva's strongest point.

She doesn't hack alone in traffic so unless I have someone with me it isn't always possible. When it is dry I do go for a plod round the fields for a change of routine and to warm-up or cool down.

I am seriously considering a massage type machine as we used one at the regionals and she LOVED it!
 
Or a chambon? Oh no, of course you have just said she's been on draw reins too much, so she may tense up....

I like the idea of taking her on a gentle hack then schooling, sounds good.

I hope you get it across to her that she can trust your hands, then she'll be more and more likely to go as she went last, more often. Good luck with her.
 
I have been using a special lunge cavesson with a crank noseband as she can be really strong when I lunge but having spent a caouple of weeks doing in-hand work and lunging think I might give it give it a go... Hope I don't end up waterskiing round the arena
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i used to ride my mare twice a day (with one day off in 14days/days after a comp off) all the time.
usually did 30-55mins schooling and an hours hack, two 40mins-1hr hacks or two schooling sessions of 30-45mins each day.
i always do loads of walking on a long rein and circles and halting (about 8mins)before i start schooling more intensively as my mare is quite tense and can get quite worried.
then i would work on getting her supple by doing a bit of shoulder in, walking squares, walk pirouttes etc and trot on a loose rein and a canter on each rein before asking her to really come up to the bit and work hard.
and did the same at the end of the session too.
 
I definitely think it makes a big difference, lazy horses can be sharpened up and the sharp ones are more chillied. I ride my big lad sometimes 3 times in a day, early am hack with friend, later on schooling session and somestimes in summer an evening hack with mum. He seems to thrive on it.
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Something OH said which made perfect sense was that very often horses go better in their second test (which usually means thay have had a break in between) so we are going to trial it... watch this space!
 
I've only ever ridden twice a day when something needed schooling quickly... worked wonders with my old mare and she was out dressaging a month later and she used to come out tight and sharp!
 
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Quite surprised at OPs post really....surely EVERY horse needs warm up time no matter what job they do. can anyone expect a horse to perform directly from a stable....??

To answer the original question....yes, personally I find working horses twice a day can be very beneficial. Shorter sessions in the arena plus a good marching hack.
 
Your warm-up sounds exactly like how we start, have to be quite careful though as she can get a bit stuck in pirouttes and turn on the forehands and can come up at you. Still have the megginess though and have been doing it for over a year
 
I am not expecting my horse to come out of the stable and immediately perform, what I am looking for is a way of avoiding some of the issues we are currently face with. That is challenging the contact and snatching at the rein, falling out or in and generally going like the handbrake has been left on.

The reason for the original post was not how to avoid warming-up, it was looking at ways to minimise the meggy work we are getting at the start and make our schooling session as productive and comfortable for both Diva and either me or OH.

What I am hoping to acheive is a way to channel Diva's warm-up in a way which is controlled and softer and reduces time when she is either doing an excellent impression of a horse forced to do Rolkur or a giraffe!
 
Just a thought, what Spencer has had me doing with Han has stopped her snatching at the reins completely! Basically she was tight through her mouth and a bit stroppy with the contact as a result. Spencer had me getting hold of the rein then as she gives I give, but to the point where there is a loop in the rein I have given the rein forwards that much. I did it initially in halt and now start every session with a quick reminder of it in halt then start warming her up in walk, trot and cantert in a low and soft outline
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Oops... forgot to add that if I feel her starting to snatch at any time in the session I bring her back to halt, remind her of the feeling I expect and then start back where I left off (whether that be canter work etc etc). I also make sure I do lots of changes in the frame when working her, so when I have done some more collected work I then let her lower for two circles, still in the trot, and then continue. This way she keeps that elastic feeling in her neck
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Will try that, we were also doing another exercise that everytime she challenged the contact we did a soft halt transition, and in trot did a soft walk transition. Using seat rather than hand.
 
Yes, I also tried this with Hannah, but it ended up that she would second guess it was coming, back off my leg aswell making it impossible to do a half halt without killing the whole movement
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That is why Spencer suggested this method, so that I already had the feeling before we even walked... and every time she snatched or started being a stressy mare I was to bring her back to halt, soften the mouth (she sets against the rein in the jaw) and then set off again. I cannot tell you how different she is to ride after just one week. Usually, on a hack she is snatching the bit, leaning on it etc etc because she is excited and wants to get going, but a small tweak and she came really really soft and was listening. This is a first!
 
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