Winter Routine - how often do you ride?

H

HBII

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Having a ponder what with these dark nights and all
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What are your facilities and what is your typical Winter routine for your horse?
What level do you compete at?
Do you have transport?

I am aiming for Sat 30 mins hack, Sun 30 mins hack, 1 flatwork lesson a week 30 mins and 1 sj lesson a week 30 mins a week.

I am finding it a bit hard to adjust with having no arena to use!! So was wondering what everyone else does in the Winter??

Thanks

Hb
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I haven't ridden my horse since the clocks went back - although I have lights in my field so in theory I could ride but with all this crap weather my field is far too wet & boggy to even think about riding.

I am having weekly lessons on my dressage instructors horse but that's all I will get until Christmas at the earliest, maybe even March
 
I try and ride at least 3/4 times during the week normally for about 30/40 mins doing various activities in the school (he's only young so desperately trying to not let him get bored!) and then hacking both days of the weekend. This is the first winter I've had to do this and I'm finding it exhausting tbh but it'll be worth it!
 
We dont have an areana at our yard. My boy gets hacked twice during the week (early finish), competed and hacked at weekends and taken over to friends who have both indoor and outdoor schools. Does mean the lorry gets used 5 times a week so no issue with it seizing up during winter.
 
Nothing! Turned away- abit sooner than I wanted but mud pulled shoes off,just yesterday,
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so now having sabatical!
I find it really hard to ride, although I only work 3 or 4 days a week, due to amount of time taken doing muck, stables etc etc, and fighting with lack of light/husband who does NOTHING at home and me being a taxi service to daughter.My health is also an issue so I have to be careful to not overdo things or I am very ill.
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So, will start again, depending on weather, mid to end feb.
Horses still out, but will be coming in if weather contines to be wet- dry last couple of days and fields drying up nicely now though.
I don't have an arena, although I do have access to one but with soft footed horse and no shoes, he goes "footy" and then you can't ride anyway! Have only road hacking. Do have a box, but I have just found it seems to suit us to just have a couple of minths off(well, 3 months this year now).
 
I'm trying to keep Jess ticking over... we have a very small, deep school which TBH is rubbish. But aas it is all we have got we keep trying! Aim for 2xlunge 2xschool (all about 30mins) and 2xhacks (about 2hrs) hopefully start having a lesson here and there as well.

Maggie is another story... having fantastic facilities and two indoor schools she has no excuse for loosing condition!!
 
This is the first winter I have been at a yard with no school, well it does have a sand arena but laid on soil so with all this rain it is completely flooded and speaking to others who have been there past winters that is the way it will stay until spring.

I can grab a quick hack before work a couple of times a week and my sharer will ride him once, but still no substitute to being able to school him.

Sharer has him one day at the weekend too, so feeling really out at sea with things at the moment! Roll on spring
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We try to ride everyday but the school is really boggy and rubbish atm! He gets saturday off as me and my sister work and then on sunday he either gets jumped,hacked or goes to a show
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I ride 2-3 times during the week. Just half an hour trotting riding Monty and leading Zoomy. We have no school so it's a bit rubbish.

On the weekends I tend to school Zoom for an hour on saturday if the field is dry enough and then go out every sunday either jumping or for a long hack.

Monty is not getting ridden without Zoom in tow but with his old legs I don't school him unless the ground is totally perfect.
 
no arena just our field, do have transport

I normally hack out (first light on horse about 7am in dayglo and fairy lights- lucky as only short amount of road work before fields) 2 mornings a week for 45 minutes.

lunge or ride in the field in the dark one evening in the week, if wet I ride round the edge.

weekends, I make the most of the daylight, will have a lesson every other week. Rest of time one day will go for a long hack for a couple of hours either from home or box to a hill and poss compete the following day. Tend to take them out in the trailer once at the weekend (lesson/compete) and stay at home the other day.

Occasionally go indoor sj in the evening but I normally dont have the energy or the inclination
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on a total opposite scale to you guys at my yard we have 2 menages (20x40 & 20x60) & gallops (hopefully getting a walker & lunge pen soon). i manage to do:

i am quite a geek & have a strick ridden routine....
Monday lunge aprox 30-40mins
Tues Schooling aprox 1hr 15 - 1 hr & half
Wed day off
Thurs - jump aprox 45 mins
Fri - Schooling with polework aprox 45mins - 1 hour
Sat 2-3 hour hack
Sun day off (he needs his days off becuase he is only young!)

We are at a competition yard on Full livery. the horses go out every day (turned out in morning after brekkie) depending on weather which is great, becuase the YO will leave them out all day on those gorgeous sunny winter days but the horrible windy rainy days will keep an eye on them as long as they are out and notice when they all want to start coming in & will get them in! I will ride him in the even after work.

i compete at national level showing (HOYS, RIHS, Nat champs etc) but ready to affilate Elementary dressage & hoping to hunt next year & event when he is a bit older!
 
Ride Mon, hunt Tues, Weds off, ride Thurs & Fri, hunt Sat, Sun off.

Works well for me - leave the yard at 6.45 a.m and hack round farm in various different directions. Home, horse turned out and fed and leave home at 8.30 a.m for work at 9. Ideal!!
 
Bailey has monday off as my sharer makes such a mess of the stable over the weekend that it takes me hours to sort out on monday evenings!!!
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Then I will lunge once or twice and school the rest of the week as can only ride in the evenings after work. Sharer has him sat and sun so she hacks out one or both days and does a few jumps, unless i am competing. Bit rubbish in that i get the boring bits and he sees me as the person that makes him work and her as the fun aunt!!lol!! Ah well, no choice really, just cant wait for the spring to be able to mix it up a bit and hack and jump in the evenings!! Gutted as moved to a yard near windsor great park a month ago and not actually been there yet but sharer takes him every weekend!!! Compete at sj over the winter and eventing over the summer, transport allowing as have to get lifts everywhere
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oh forgot the other bits!! Facilities we have a horse walker which i would love to use more but YO doesnt really like horses going on it 1 at a time cos it costs her a fortune in electricity and unfortunately it tends to just be me down there!! other wise would use that most days while i muck out!! We have a lunge arena which is great and perfect circle so love lunging without a lunge line
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We also have a school about 20x 60 generally good but bit boggy down 1 side at the mo but i guess it has been really wet!!! Hacking is great if u have a permit for windsor park otherwise rubbish and you have to go down a horrible main road to get there!! But ah well!! I was competing affiliated when at college and had access to more transport and comps on site - now just do unaff about 1m showjumping and 3ft eventing
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Lunged once or twice a week, schooled once or twice a week, hacked once a week and occasionally competed, if not competed either jumped at home or hacked. She is only 4, so no too bothered on intensity, its all about quality of work. Competing at unaff Sjing at the mo, and will be doing BSJA later this year/next year and then eventing next season (BE).
 
I ride 6 days a week, hack once, jump once, rest of the time flatwork in school, and have a dressage lesson every other weekend and compete the weekends I'm not having a lesson.
I'm lucky this year that our meange at home was finished at the end of the summer so I can ride much more than last year and as my horse is a scatty hack I only have to go once a week and not every time I ride. Having the arena now I don't know how I ever survived without one!
She is also a mare who likes to work and is a complete nutter if left for more than 2 days without work!
 
First winter ever at a yard without a school and it's driving me mad !

I can't ride before work as yard doesn't open until 7am and that doesn't leave me enough time to get to work on time, am about to negotiate a late start 1 or 2 days a week with my boss.

Older horse has a sharer who hacks her out at least once a week in the day but apart from that it's just weekends.

At the weekends I ride in the fields at the yard or hack out - road work / bridleways and fields.

Youngster's turned away until it's lighter, older horse is loving her unexpected holiday.

It's also the first year they've been out 24/7, I gave up a stable earlier for YM as we were a bit oversubscribed.
 
I hack out on weekends....after work its too dark to hack out but I do have access to an arena with lights, so I can ride most evenings if I want to...mostly I can't be arsed
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after a full days work...different in summer though somehow.

I have a half day tomorrow so am planning on doing some fittening work with OH's mare....round the woods and through the ditches and up and down hills.
 
Horse just back into work, so winter is all about conditioning and getting ready for next season!
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horse will hopefully be ridden at least 5 times a week, Im at uni so I only ride him 3 times a week (wed/thur, sat and sun) but he gets hacked anyways for fitness.

Yard has outdoor school with lights so we can ride at night, although we dont usually jump because of shadows
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other than that it is ride in field or hack
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I try to ride 3-4 times a week, mostly hacking, I'll maybe school once a week
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and I usually try to lunge him once a week as well. I'm in uni 3 days a week and work on Saturdays.

We have an outdoor (floodlit) and an indoor (which Dylan dislikes because it has a noisy roof when it rains lol), and plenty of hacking.
 
We have an indoor school, so routine doesn't change. Also have a fair bit of free time in daytime at uni. So tend to ride Saturday/Sunday PM and a couple of times in the week.

He is just coming back into work after lameness so no competing at the moment and have no transport. He goes back on working livery this week just for a couple of hours a week to start off with.
 
Right I am going to invite myself around to some of your places
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Think I need a kick up the rear to get it into gear and hack before work
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!

Hb
 
When horses were at home I hired an arena twice a week to use during the week and then hacked at weekends.
Now we have access to indoor/outdoor arena so no real excuse not to ride.
Monday nights tend to be night off for neddies and I tend to lunge and school for Tue/Wed/Thur and possibly ride on a friday but sometimes not. Hack, school or show on Sat/Sun.
 
Tuesday - 20 - 30 minutes loose schooling and/or lunging

Thursday - can be the same if late from work or 20 mins schooling after 10 mins loose schooling

Saturday - up to 45 mins - 1 hour of schooling and jumping or a lesson. They may also be hacked out by one of the kids on the yard as well.

Sunday - providing not pouring down, out for a hack which can be 45 mins to 2 hour depending on time I have spare.

Summer routine is about the same as winter one as can only ride four days a week as school is used on the other evenings by the dog club.
 
I try to school in the lit arena twice after work during the week, and hack out for 1-2 hours at weekends. Doesn't always happen though! School gets really boggy and is deep so I prefer not to go in when it's bad. 3 nights a week I finish work late so don't have the time or motivation so I finish at 5 2 nights a week and either ride, or have an early night.

I tend not to jump when it's dark as she is spooky and scared of poles and the shadows are scary!
 
Well Luca isn't being ridden at the moment just long lined as part of his rehabilitation programme from the vet. We HAVE to do it at least 6 days a week building up to 1.5hrs in walk - at the mo we're doing about 30 - 35 min in the dark before work (start at 6am ish once I've mucked out). Luckily we have hacking on the yard so is safe to go round in the dark.

Once signed off to ride (ecerything crossed) he will be schooled/hacked in the dark before work in the week, and hacked out properly at weekends. He's only a baby and recovering from injury so will be taking it easy.

I used to work River after work summer and winter and I have to say I am totally converted to doing it before work - means they get the best of me, not the grumpy work was rubbish I'm so tired me!!! Also sets me up for the day ahead!

T x
 
I've only got one in work at the moment, I'm struggling to find time to do anything apart from muck out the other two
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so my routine is something like this... 1 x lunge in muddy field (no school so we can only trot) for 20mins, 1 hrs schooling at local livery yard, 1 x 30min schooling at instructors yard but as this is 30mins hack away we end up riding for 1 1/2 - 2 hrs, 1 x hr lesson at instructors (so around 2 1/2hrs in saddle), 1 x 1hr hack and either another hack at the weekend or a competition and one day off. It works for us
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Its pretty tough here. I get home from school at about 3:45, and muck out etc, or might have a quick hack providing not too dark. At weekend, usually competing on Sunday, and on Sat either long hack with schooling on the way or might hack over to a school for a jump. However this school is looking horrible ATM and is really deep and stony, so isnt really worth the £10.
HOPEFULLY, we are buying two more fields above ours, so will probs buy some jumps and pop in there once a week (:
 
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