# How often do you ride?



## EXC (Aug 22, 2012)

I was wondering how often everyone rides? 

Thanks


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Usually 5-7 days a week.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## clippityclop (Jul 12, 2012)

It depends on what is going on in life at the moment...for me, spring and fall are busy times because I do a HUGE garden and can enough stuff to last me a year. My horses are lucky if they get to carry me to go check the mailbox (half mile away) once in a great while if hubby forgets to get it on the way in from work. So during those times, maybe 2-3 times a month, this year anyway...

summer time finds it in the triple digits here and my horses go on vacation in August. No riding, period. The humidity and air temp are both in the triple digits. That's just plain dangerous.

In the late fall and beginning of the year, I can usually find time to ride and I will trailer out to meet some friends an hour away and such and we ride quite often, at the very least, once a week for several hours.

Now when I'm conditioning for endurance (and getting gray hair b/c I'm still gardening at the same time) I ride several times a week at different speeds for different lengths of time and try to average about 25-30 miles a week and usually, I try to do this with two horses so that I have a back up if one gets a bug or a boo boo or something right before I trailer off to an endurance ride.

How's that for a crazy riding schedule? My horses live on my property with me and right now, the last time I went riding was probably in June. LOL! You know how most folks say (and me included a long time ago) if your horses lived with you - you would ride everyday? Not so true..haha!


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## Jewelsb (May 8, 2012)

Not often enough! I won't ride for weeks then I will find something that needs work and ride a couple weeks, then the cycle begins again. I work a lot and have a baby at home so it's really hard to find the time as it is.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

I usually ride 5-7 days a week. And keep in shape about, 5 horses in doing so.
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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

6 days a week, generally 4-7 hours a day.


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## EXC (Aug 22, 2012)

I asked the question as I have people saying I should ride at least 6 days a week but with my own business to run and 5 kids it is hard to achieve this :-( I was riding at least 5 days a week but have just come home from a holiday and found my boy to not be too bothered by the fact that he hasnt been ridden so am now hoping to cut down to maybe 4 times a week giving me a few days to get everything else done. The kids horse is a different story I am asking somebody to bring him back into work as he has had a few weeks off and is much more likely to react to working again!


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

EXC - If your horse isn't in training, I personally see no reason to have to ride 6 days a week. Mine that are well broke, finished horses don't get 6 days a week. They get me once a week just to keep them true and then exercise comes by way of lesson students 3 or 4 rides a week. They are horses that could go out to pasture for months (years even most likely) and be pulled out of pasture to ride with no problem. My youngsters that are learning yet and those I am riding for others get 6 days a week.


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## EXC (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks MHF, my horse is 9 and pretty much the finished article(i believe) I am a novice so would only be exercise 5 days and 1 day lesson. I do think he is the sort that would be just as happy being ridden 3/4 times a week but as a newbie everybody has there opinions on how I should do it ;-)


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

You're welcome. Being a novice, the more time you spend in the saddle, the more you learn BUT that's more for you than your horse. As a finished horse, he'll survive if he isn't worked 6 days a week, I promise :wink:

If there is one thing the horse world isn't lacking, it's opinions. Newbie or not, that won't ever change. Put 3 horse people in a room and ask for opinions on something, you'll likely get 6 different answers :lol:


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## fenta (Aug 22, 2012)

Not so true..haha!


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

depends on the horse and what you want it to do. Lots and lots of trail horses do fine only being ridden a couple times a month on the weekends. Saying that, I tend to ride the snot out of mine. Amazing what wet saddle pads can accomplish. I noticed that alot of those above mentioned horses make me appreciate mine much better. I only ride 2 or at most 3 times a week, but generally 10-24 miles each time.


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## soileddove (Jul 27, 2010)

I have three horses that I circle through during the week.. I ride 4-7 days a week, depending on whats going on.. Lately I've had a lot of time to ride, so I've been riding between 2-5 hours a day, more or less, giving them time off as needed. Next week, I'm back in school, so between school, working two jobs, and my boyfriend and his two kids, it'll slow down.

My palomino mare is ridden most every day that I ride. She requires regular work to keep her going. I found out the hard way.. I've shown and hauled her basically since I've owned her, so she was always ridden regularly.. Then life caught hold of me and she was only ridden sporatically last year. She's a much different horse if not ridden regularly. 

My grulla mare is also being ridden quite often right now.. She's fairly new, so I've been putting a lot of miles on her. I don't believe she'll be a horse you need to keep up with though, so I'm not too worried about letting her sit, if it comes down to it.

Then my draft cross gelding, I've been riding very regularly too. I try to keep him going for my boyfriend, who doesn't ride often. He's one of those horses who can sit for a long time and be pulled out just fine, for me anyway, but I like to know exactly how he's going when I put others on him..


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## Horsnaround64 (Dec 31, 2011)

With just bringing new ones home from trainers I try to ride 6 days a week. But with old faithful I agree I could go a year and pull him out and he would ride the same. We get busy in life and sometimes the riding has to come when there is free time. And sometimes that time is very hard to find .


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## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

Mine is still being trained but sometimes she will get a week off because life got busy. She doesn't mind and we pick up right where we left off. Heck sometimes it seems it helps to give her a few days off. She still gets pampered daily though.


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## BCtazzie (Jun 7, 2011)

6 days a week and sundays off.


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## chrislynnet (Jul 8, 2012)

Very interesting thread. My teenage son and I lease our horses and it's just a 10-minute drive from us. But on top of working full-time, grad school, and being a single mom it can be a challenge! We do make it down 2x a week regularly but I want to go to 3x at least. I don't think the horses care very much but I'd like to be a much better rider than I am.


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## merle (Oct 4, 2011)

Not nearly enough.


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## Petertayyy (Aug 22, 2012)

Everyday.. Well I try too but someways I am too sore to ride. You just want to make sure you keep that connection with your horse and keep a steady schedule.


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## xxDreamxBigxx (Aug 18, 2012)

everyday


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

every weekend, three seasons a year. Don't ride much in the heat of the summer.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

We are weekend riders. We do ride 15-20 miles(hilly)a ride. I am concerned that come the following weekend they rested up too much and become a tad out of shape, loin strain from hill work etc. I have not had issues yet but...sometimes we avoid the challenging hills just for that reason. I want to take the steeper hills but fear of injuring my horse, don't think I ride enough. Time, time, time!


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## PalominoOwner (Dec 4, 2011)

I ride western and english pleasure so i show only during the summer. I currently ride 7 day a week in the winter, and spring and during show season i only ride monday through thursday unless i show on sunday then i ride tuesday through thurseday


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

I ride every day at the moment and when my other pony comes back into work (currently recovering from a fractured pelvis) i will be riding twice a day (one in the morning, one in the evening).
however my 2 are both babies (one more so than the other) and I'm teaching them the basics, give them a day off and they forget themselves.

However when i had older ponies i'd hapily give them a week or 2 off and not worry about it,


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## clippityclop (Jul 12, 2012)

goneriding said:


> We are weekend riders. We do ride 15-20 miles(hilly)a ride. I am concerned that come the following weekend they rested up too much and become a tad out of shape, loin strain from hill work etc. I have not had issues yet but...sometimes we avoid the challenging hills just for that reason. I want to take the steeper hills but fear of injuring my horse, don't think I ride enough. Time, time, time!


 
I know for a fact that if you keep doing that (just long weekend rides) slowly enough and build up the terrain challenges over time, your horses will do fine. Remember it is the downtime _between_ rides where they are building new muscle/tendon/ligament strength. I won Novice Sweepstakes in a CTR with my old QH from ONLY having time to ride long rides on the weekend...now it took us an entire year to train and to build up our stamina, but IT CAN BE DONE...LOL!

yes, where is the time?


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Been riding all sorts for almost 40 years and still love a good gallop along the beach..

My wife and I have five currently under saddle and do ride most days...

Hope you love your riding and can get out as often as you can...(smilies)


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

4-5 days a week; Ronan is in full training for the 2013 season to start strong. (Some weeks I have him lunged by a student so I can have another day off haha.)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Not very much at all.


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## EquineCookies (Mar 22, 2012)

4-7 days a week, depending what I have going on. I ride more now because I now ride a horse belonging to my coach, so I try and ride either one, sometimes both, per day.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I TRY to ride everyday, both horses, but usually 6 days a week, mostly both horses if my hubby is blowing off his lessons, again.


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## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

I used to ride much more often... this year not so much. I have really serious heart problems and this year has been a tougher year for me. I am hoping to get a little more riding before winter sets in...


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

I don't own a horse, and I ride two days a week. Soon, however, it will be back to one day a week, as school will be starting and my lease will be ending.


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## Fringe (Feb 29, 2012)

Currently, 7 days a week, 1-3 horses a day. It's hard with school and several hours of homework, but completely worth it.


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## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

Ah. I asked a similar question recently, how often are you at your barn. This thread also helps. I hope to have fun regardless of what days I ride or just in hanging out. So for me, I'd ride my (finished) guy 5 days a week and hang out or just groom 2 days.


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## danifaith (Aug 27, 2012)

I can usually only ride a few times in a year (which kills me) but I'll be moving soon and will probably be able to ride a few times a week. I'm actually getting really super excited about moving the more I think about how often I'll be able to ride my Simca<3.


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## Janna (Apr 19, 2012)

I pretty much ride whenever I feel like it.

normally 5-7 days a week.
sometimes I don't feel like it and don't ride much... But Id say even then ride at least once a week.

All seasons of the year though.
only when it's storming I don't ride.If it's just a rain, I will.

during the summer, if its too hot I ride at night. here its way too hot and humid during the day. during the winter.. being in texas its rarely too cold.
so I just add layers according to how cold it is..


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## Island Horselover (Apr 4, 2012)

Every day for about 4-6 hours... its my job :0)


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I ride once a week at my lesson, I'd love to ride more but we can't afford it and my mum won't let me help out at the stables


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

Only on the weekends right now. I wish it was more, but i work 50-60 hour weeks. I miss my college days where i rode 5-6 days per week


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## Meatos (Apr 30, 2012)

I ride once a week at my lesson. Hoping to add to that with my friend's horse who needs exercise. Eventually, I'd like to do two lessons and one extra ride per week.


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## Whizzer (Jun 11, 2012)

Wow, I am so jealous of everyone who gets to ride 5-7 days a week! I'm only able to ride 1 day a week for my 30min lesson because I work 50-60hrs a week and the stables aren't near to me. I would give anything to be able to ride more often and do a lease and develop a strong relationship with my horse. Luckily my trainer lets me stay after my lesson and help her with the horses so I get some ground training in every week but what I wouldn't give to spend more time with the horses!!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I hope that you will be able to get more time on horse back. It makes a world of difference. 

I ride generally 3 to 4 times a week in summer and 2 to 3 in winter, as we have no covered riding facilities.


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## Whizzer (Jun 11, 2012)

I'm so used to year round warm weather in Socal that I wouldn't even know how to ride in cold weather! Can you ride in the snow?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

A lot of people do. But here in Seattle area, the snow is like wet concrete. It gets wedged up into the foot (if wearing shoes it is really bad) and forms an ice ball that makes riding painful and slippery. Folks who live in snowy areas either go barefoot in winter or put these kind of pads under the shoe (between shoe and sole) that keep snow from packing into the foot.

here the weather is often just rainy, but we have lots of wonderful days that are brisk and cold and clear and the horses have shaggy hair and are just raring to go. They are frisky in cold weather. If the ground is frozen hard, we dont' do more than walk, as it is as hard as concrete. But if not frozen hard, we will have some very fun and fast trail rides in winter!


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## Kootenay (Nov 7, 2010)

It started out at six days a week, but seems to have decreased to five, and lately has been edging towards more like four 
Too much work and other things.


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## Jore (Dec 4, 2010)

Well, as of right now.. I ride two or three times a week, but at this point, we're likely going to be boarding my new horse closer so it'll be a lot more.


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## TheLauren (Aug 26, 2012)

Before my accident I was riding 3-4 times a week. I'm just going to start off with 1 lesson a week. And I have a potential prospect to lease, which would have me riding at 2-3 times a week.


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## boldstart (Oct 11, 2009)

Every day apart from Sundays and thats up to riding about eleven horses in one morning.

Phew, glad I get afternoons off to rest!!


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