Working full time 9-5..... how many times a week do you ride?

[{97702}]

Bother, it won't let me fit it all into the title

I work a standard 9-5 job.......I compete at riding club level but would like to do BD next year (horse is just 6 years old and green, so plenty of work to be done and lots of lessons coming up this winter!)........I have been bimbling around for years riding but have realised this year that I am not improving because I am not really THINKING about my riding but have been simply blindly following what my instructor has been saying - so I've been getting good results during lessons but cannot necessarily replicate that in competitions and schooling on my own. This realisation has resulted in a change in focus, where I am trying to think/reflect about the feel/results I am getting while schooling etc. I would really like to improve myself and my horse, so I have weekly lessons booked in with a good instructor who I have gelled really well with.

My actual question, after all this waffle and context is..... how many of you are in this position, and how many times do you ride each week?

I have a floodlit school so can ride during the week but cannot hack - I try and hack at the weekends, and I have cut my competing down to once a month or so over the winter to spend as much as possible on lessons.

 

[Under-the-radar]

I don't have a school so once the clocks change I only ride at weekends unless I can wangle an early leave / late start. This winter I have arranged a fortnightly lesson - but this is more to get my youngster out in the lorry regularly.

I've found I can still progress even with this winter routine - I work on my fitness over winter, -"and do as much watching of videos, reading books and magazines as I can. Although videos etc won't replace actual riding, I find that it just keeps my focus on what I'm aiming for. For me the mental preparation is more key than the ridden work now - 'mental focus is what I have to work on most

 

[{97702}]

Thanks U_t_R Clearly I have lost my touch since no-one else has replied..... **sobs**.....

 

[Mavis007]

Hi, I work full time and am often sat on my horse (luckily in a flood lit arena) at 8pm. I ride 5 days a week and pay someone else to hack him once a week. I hack once and school, have a lesson or compete on the other 4 days. I have a lesson once or twice a month and compete at BD every 2-4 weeks. We are competing at Advanced Medium and just starting Advanced, schooling PSG so it certainly is possible!

 

[JennBags]

I don't work 9-5 at the moment but probably will be from next month. I often hack out early mornings with a girl who does work 9-5, can't really do it December/January but it's light enough again by Feb. We also have floodlights, so can ride in the school either early morning or after work.

 

[{97702}]

Big thanks to those who have replied I can see I need to step my game up a bit

 

[nikkimariet]

I work a 9-5. I also teach, run a webshop, swim twice a week and manage to have a social life too

I'm up at 5am and rarely in bed before 11pm.

I ride 4/5 times a week and compete all year. I have a lesson once a month.

It's easing off over winter and I'm divulging some time into jumping and side saddle

I watch lessons, shows and clinics online and try to read one new article per day to keep my eye in. It's a great way to pick up ideas for schooling too.

 

[naza]

I work a 9-5. I also teach, run a webshop, swim twice a week and manage to have a social life too

I'm up at 5am and rarely in bed before 11pm.

I ride 4/5 times a week and compete all year. I have a lesson once a month.

It's easing off over winter and I'm divulging some time into jumping and side saddle

I watch lessons, shows and clinics online and try to read one new article per day to keep my eye in. It's a great way to pick up ideas for schooling too.

Where do you find these articles??

 

[Vodkagirly]

I work 8-4 plus a family business. Normally I ride 6 days a week but since the clocks changed I have to ride in the arena in the week so I am planning to reduce to twice, 1 lesson and a practice as I don't want to sicken him. I will also lunge 1 night. At the weekend I compete 1 day and a decent hack on the other.
I'm swimming twice a week to try and sitting on a fit ball when I work from home to improve core strength.
I've been reading any articles I can find, especially on core strength as I feel that is my weakness. If anyone has other ideas I would happily take them on.

 

[nikkimariet]

Where do you find these articles??

Anywhere and everywhere Euro dressage, COTH, Dressage today... Equally, keep an eye on Horse Hero and similar for snippets of training videos

 

[dressage_diva]

I'm not riding at the moment as heavily pregnant and both horses have been injured. But before I was pregnant I was working FT and riding each horse 3 days a week (I keep them both on full livery to help save me other time). My old boy I would just hack 3 times a week (or ride indoors in the winter but not 'school' as such). With my younger gelding who I compete BD on, I'd school him once during the week (most weeks a lesson) and then school twice at the weekend (he would be hacked out during the week by the yard staff). We were competing about once a month, but sometimes fortnightly.

ETS: I'm lucky that I can work relatively flexible hours at work so I start work early, just before 8am (leave home in the mornings about 6:45am as long commute) and then I would usually get to the yard about 5:15-5:30pm in the evenings.

 

[star]

I work 9 till 7pm. Luckily have an arena with floodlights. I also get Wed afternoons off which at least means he gets one hack during the week. Have to work 2 out of 5 Saturdays in exchange for that though. Used to do day off Monday, flatwork tue, hack Wed, flatwork or pole work on Thursday and Friday and compete at weekends. These days I'm a bit less intense with him as he's 17 now and he knows his job having just done his first PSG and we've pretty much retired from eventing. He gets mon and tue off now as I go to pilates tue evening. Wed hack or lesson, Thursday flatwork or day off depending on Wed activities, Fri flatwork or day off. Competing or hunting at the weekend.

 

[Hannahgb]

I work 8-4 plus on call most evenings and with 2 horses I ride them both about 5 days a week but with them having separate days off. Thankfully I am straight out onto a bridle path so with a head torch and Hi-Vis I can still hack in the dark.

 

[{97702}]

Thanks again to all who have replied, you have given me some really good ideas 😊

 

[Jenna1406]

Following with interest. My 4 year is having a wee week off as she has done so well over the last couple of months but I will be starting riding again on Saturday when she gets new shoes on. We are putting new flood lights up this weekend, so hoping I will be able to school or do pole work in the evenings when its dark - maybe try lunging again.
I could hack as we are off road and I have put lights on my stirrups (lights for bikes) that help lead the way home, white to the front and red to the back.

 

[milliepops]

Usually work 8-4 or sometimes 9-5 but I can work flexi hours a bit, so some days I can nip out early and finish up in the evening.

No lights on the school so this time of year is a struggle and I need to be really organised to make the most of daylight.
Hacking is straight onto lanes where we are now, so that's a morning or weekend job, can't get round any of the routes safely after work really.

2 horses in work - one working medium/playing with AM elements and one on light duties to keep her supple. I try to do Kira every day, she's not the sort that does well with days off. So she does 2 days in the school followed by one day doing something else. I try to get the 'something else' days to coincide with Millie's hacking days so I can ride & lead and get them both done at once.

Bit more relaxed about Millie's routine but I'm trying to make sure she does something every day to keep her up together, so she does hacking/schooling/ground poles mixed up to suit the daylight & work around when the school is booked.

Also riding YOs horse at the moment as she's away and he needs schooling on a bit for her, bit of teaching during the week to squeeze in too.

It's very very busy but I wouldn't have it any other way. If I can find a way to get some lights on the school that will take the pressure off considerably.

 

[madlady]

I work full time, horses are on our own private yard and I don't have an arena to ride in at all so it's hacking or nothing - so we hack - in the dark.

Weekdays are short hacks - around the woods in the pitch black with loads of flashing lights or I leave it until a bit later when the traffic has died down and it's safer to ride on the lanes - again lit up like a christmas tree. The good part about riding on unlit lanes is that we can see cars coming from miles away.

Weekend is for longer hacks.

I ride 3 nights a week and both days at weekend.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

Don't compete but do hunt. Ride every day before work (leave yard at 6.30 a.m), back for 8 in time to take daughter to school and then on to work. I have a lesson once a week either before or after work. Hunt on a Sat and day off on a Sun.

 

[chestnut cob]

I work full time, sometimes with an hour's commute (each way) if I'm in the office and with a good proportion of travel within UK and Europe. Some weeks I can manage to ride on 3 week nights and in others, I don't manage at all if I'm away.
If it's a week when I'm around a lot he has Monday off, YO rides another day during the week and I ride 2-3 days (I have an early finish on a Friday which helps enormously, if I'm not on a plane somewhere!). When I'm away I try to fit his day off around when I'm at home, so that his day off is one of the days I'm away.

In summer with light nights I would be disappointed not to manage 3 days during the week (plus YO 1 day and me both weekend days). Now it's dark earlier, he'll probably mostly get 3 days during week including YO riding, and weekends, so one extra day off. Last winter when I wasn't shattered from being pregnant, I'd happily get up at 5.30am to lunge or quick school before work if working at home, but I really struggle with that now.

We have arena lights so he's now schooling 2 night's a week, YO hacks or jumps him on another, then the Friday afternoon and weekend work depends on what else I have on. This weekend I'm competing DR on Sunday so I will probably hack this afternoon and maybe do 10 mins in school after just to ride through my test. Tomorrow I will then do a proper schooling session, end with riding through my second test then take him around the 30 min block to cool down. Last weekend he went SJ on sat then for a DR lesson on Sunday. Next weekend I have nothing on as he needs a break from travelling/ shows, so we will probably do a nice long hack on both days to chill out.

MP - I find the same thing with my native type, he does best when schooled two days in a row followed by the third day being something totally different. Schooling two night's followed by a jump or hack on the third seems to suit him.

 

[vam]

I work full time but luckily as long as I work the core hours I can do what I like. I tend to do 6.30 until 4 but this means I get every other Friday off and I can leave a bit earlier once a week. Now the nights have come in I tend to school twice a week and on the Friday I can leave at 3 I wizz round the roads. The Friday I have off I can hack and then hack or go for a lesson at the weekend. So really she will only get ridden 5 times a week.
Oddly I find winter makes you get in the school and improve, I seem to favor hacking out and schooling then but sometime you really do need to knuckle down and winter make me do that. Mind you if its peeing down I don't tend to ride!
As she is young she will get a very easy Jan and Feb, possibly only being ridden at the weekends or even having a few weeks here or there. I don't mind but as she gets older I will try and keep her in more work. I was really lucky with my other horse to be on a yard with really quiet road work so I could do that during the week as well as schooling, kept him fit and interested rather than being in the school all week.

 

[conniegirl]

I work 8.30am to around 6pm. sometimes on a friday I can leave at 3 pm (today I get to leave at 4pm).
I exercise my horse every day, He gets hacked both days at the weekend and I ride 3 times a week during the week (normaly Tue, wed and fri). He is lunged 3 times a week (monday, Tuesday and thursday) in a passoa as it seems to realy help his SI issues (on a tuesday a friend lunges him in the morning for me and I ride in the evening in return I do her horse on a saturday evening).
I dont compete over winter and I try to have at least a lesson every other week (normaly friday evening)

 

[mini-eventer]

I Work 9-5, My horse is also a fairly green 6 year old so we sound in a similar situation.

I aim to ride at least 5 times per week, but often manage 6. I was on at 6:30am this morning to fit a 45min hack in before work.

I cant see how I can keep them fit enough just hacking at weekends. I aim to do the odd day hunting over winter.

I will have a longer hack over the weekend. We have a very well lit school so will jump and school a couple times a week also either early morning or after work

When I had no school, I had a flat part of field I would lightly school or lunge with rechargeable flood lights

My partner starts to feel neglected if I am home late every night. So although the early mornings can be hard work, I actually quite like getting ridden in the morning a couple of times a week as it leaves me more free time on an evening.

Although when I ride on an evening I really enjoy the extra hour I get in bed!

 

[TheHairyOne]

I work about 8.30 to 4.30 ish and I work one horse 6 times a week and work one of the others 2-3 times unless the weather is really awful, all after work, leave the yard about 8pm.

Very dark evenings I stick to the school (not lit) with rechargeable portable lights which are fine to do all schooling with, but I wouldn't jump using them. If it's not overcast and there's some moon then once the eyes adjust riding around the fields breaks up the time in the school, and a lunge for each horse at least once a week. Weekends is a long fun hack one day, then comp/lesson/jump/something else the other day.

I'd love to go ride in the morning, but the traffic heading to work from the yard at the time I would be leaving is always AWFUL, so not really worth it.

 

[Joyous70]

I work full time 7.30am - 4pm Mon-Thurs and 7.30am -3.30pm Fri.

We have flood lights and I try to do 3 nights a week in the arena, and hack at weekends with possibly a little pole work or jumping to keep her work varied.

This week however I have only managed one night, but will ride tonight as well, im doing battle with the loading issues we have, so I have been loading every night of the week but hopefully once this is sorted I will be back to riding 3 nights a week, with probably Monday and Friday nights off.

Again once the loading issues are sorted, we will hopefully travel to a venue once a fortnight for somewhere different to play.

 

[MadisonBelle]

I work 9-5:30 with an 1 1/2 commute. I used to ride 6x a week but horse is now 14 miles away so I only ride 5 x a week purely as the petrol costs are killing me but hoping to move within a few miles of the yard. We do BE.

 

[j1ffy]

I'm self employed so my hours can go up and down. When I'm working full time it's usually 8.30-5.30ish plus a 1hr45 commute each way to London. I usually ride one horse on four nights of the week in the school plus ride both on weekend days, I have two horses (well one is supposed to be my OH's but the most he manages is a weekend hack!) so it tends to be two schooling sessions each during the week, 1x school/comp and 1x longer hack at the weekend per horse. I pay my yard to do a couple of ride and leads or lunge during the week so each horse gets exercised 5 or 6 times a week.

It's a lot easier when I'm working part time!

 

[spookypony]

I don't ride nearly enough at the moment. Just now, I have to trailer to ride properly, am working long days (often at the uni until 8pm), and the weather sucks. Am trying to get moving from twice a week on the Ballerina Mare, to bringing the Spooky Pony back into work as well, which will mean trying to exercise each of them at least 3 times a week. No idea how I will manage that yet. Today might have been a riding day, except that there were field management chores to be done and then I had to go to some gigs (perils of being a musician)...


...feeling a bit down about it right now.

 

[SO1]

I ride 5 times a week - 3 times after work in the floodlit arena and then try and hack out at the weekend.

I work in London and don't get to the yard till about 6.45pm. I don't have a partner or kids though so I don't need to please anyone but myself and I am on part livery so all I need to do when I get to the yard is groom, tack up and ride.

It is hard in the winter though to keep motivated especially when it is cold and wet.

 

[{97702}]

I've got to say I have given myself a severe talking to and have a provisional plan now I have read everyone's responses - I intend to ride 6 times a week, hacking at the weekend then schooling Mon/Tues, day off Wednesday, schooling Thurs/Fri. So many others can do it, why on earth can't I I've got to prove to myself that I am serious about wanting to improve....

 

[conniegirl]

TBH the day I find the hardest is Monday which is why I lunge him on a Monday. If I had to face riding on a Monday I think I would cry.
Be prepared to move your days around. Find what day you struggle on and make sure that you take it easier on those days! Other wise you will burn out