Why do we give average riding club horses a day off?

[MuddyMonster]

Mine sometimes does, sometimes doesn't. I try not to give more than one (but sometimes it's two) days off a week and certainly wouldn't worry if like TFF says, on a bank holiday or if I time off that he works through.

He'll always get a day off if he's done a particularly long or strenuous day and a block of days off if he's done something like a camp or multi day ride but otherwise we keep rolling on.

We have varied hacking which is our main thing but we do some schooling, jump and lunge/longline/do inhand stuff too. Our hacking ranges from quiet 30/45 minute rides to all day hacks with and in between. He's always cheerful to catch, tack up and ride (something he hasn't always been in the past) so he's quite happy I think and vets are pleased his workload is maintaining a slim waistline as he is a good doer with metabolic stuff going on..

 

[Lotsoflemons]

Just like humans a horse needs time to rest. i give my horses minimum 2 days a week rest if not 3 they deserve to have time to themselves and there not toys or machines!

 

[oldie48]

TBH I've never had any hard and fast rules, just managed them according to their age, level of fitness, type of work they are doing and if they are competing, working around competition dates. We would always go for a quiet hack the day after a competition, just to check for soundness and any stiffness etc. Taking a young inexperienced horse for a hack in walk round the lanes can be more taxing than taking an established horse IMO but generally I wouldn't consider a 40 minute hack in walk as work so if I had a fat horse I'd happily do that every day of the week, at least it would keep it off the grass for part of the day and keep it moving (yes I do know about track systems!). I think many people completely over estimate the amount of work their horse is doing and many leisure horses never even break a sweat. Of course I'd give a horse a break from work but often the choice of the day is more for the rider's convenience than for the horse's benefit but when we had competition horses that were working hard we planned well ahead so they got breaks when it suited them best eg one horse we'd never jump the day before a competition, another we would because it seemed to help him to be more settled in the dressage phase. You just get to know your horses!
edit to chane under estimate to over estimate.

 

[Winters100]

TBH I've never had any hard and fast rules, just managed them according to their age, level of fitness, type of work they are doing and if they are competing, working around competition dates. We would always go for a quiet hack the day after a competition, just to check for soundness and any stiffness etc. Taking a young inexperienced horse for a hack in walk round the lanes can be more taxing than taking an established horse IMO but generally I wouldn't consider a 40 minute hack in walk as work so if I had a fat horse I'd happily do that every day of the week, at least it would keep it off the grass for part of the day and keep it moving (yes I do know about track systems!). I think many people completely over estimate the amount of work their horse is doing and many leisure horses never even break a sweat. Of course I'd give a horse a break from work but often the choice of the day is more for the rider's convenience than for the horse's benefit but when we had competition horses that were working hard we planned well ahead so they got breaks when it suited them best eg one horse we'd never jump the day before a competition, another we would because it seemed to help him to be more settled in the dressage phase. You just get to know your horses!
edit to chane under estimate to over estimate.

To me this is exactly the right approach, base the schedule on the individual horse. My 3 all have completely different needs in terms of exercise and feeding, and I would far rather move my good-doer more often than muzzle him or restrict the size of the field, especially as a smaller paddock would mean that he would be alone all day. Sometimes he moves 3 times a day, usually this would be a proper morning session, lunging or hacking in the afternoon, then taken out again in hand alongside one of the others, but I do not consider this 3rd session to be proper work, it is simply giving him some movement, and I would imagine that this is better for him than being shut alone in a bare paddock or empty box.

Purely from my personal experience I can say that looking at the horses on our yard it seems to be the ones who do very little proper work that have the most health problems and are overweight. Mine to much more work than the majority, they are regularly seen by the physio and they do not have problems with sore backs and muscles. Someone ,mentioned going to the gym every day causing problems for people, but I am sure that on a day off from the gym most people would be doing some form of exercise, even if it is in the form of cycling to work, walking the dog or doing housework.

Of course horses need varied types of work, but I certainly do not feel that I am being cruel in not giving mine very many days just standing eating all day, which is basically what good-doer would do given half a chance.

 

[lme]

When mine are in work, I like to work them 3 or 4 days a week. Maybe 2 hacks, one walk out in hand and once in the school. And they have a couple of month long breaks each year. They do have a lot of field time though.