# How long do you ride for in one session?



## Connemara93

Hey guys

In another thread that I started, someone (sorry, can't remember who :?) said that they ride their horses for 2 hours each, nearly every day! To me, that is *a lot.* I ride my horse for 30-60 minutes, 3-4 times a week, and this is pretty average here in Australia, from my experiences anyhow. 

Wanted to compare, so just wondering how long and often do you work your horses?


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## Tennessee

Well, I tend to try to ride each of my horses at least an hour a day, and still have a little time to work with my foal. But, most days I have other things to do and can only manage 30-45 minutes.


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## Horsegma

I am not a winter person, so, I try to get in all the riding I can in the other three seasons.

I have three horses and I ride one horse about 5 days a week for 1-2 hours at a time. I used to ride him for about an hour and then starting to find if I rode him longer than that, his internal clock said I was supposed to be done :roll: and he started acting up. So, I changed it to riding him longer than an hour each time to avoid that. That worked.

The other two horses I will trade off riding and I ride them about 20 minutes to an hour each time.


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## IrishRider

In the Spring, Summer and Fall I ride 3-4 times a week for 30-45 minutes each, except when I have a lesson and those tend to run about an hour. In the Winter I ride in my lesson on Saturdays, and ride for 30-45 minutes on Sunday because I can only get to the barn on the weekends since the arena is not lit.

These times can vary because if my horse and I are battling it out over something or I am trying to work on something with her, I won't let her quit until I get the desired response from her. Other times, when we are working on stuff and it goes well and she is listening, I'll end the session on a good note and give us both a break.


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## pleasurehorse11

I ride one horse anywhere from 45 min- 2 hours depending what time of year it is and 4-7 times a day. I work with my colt for an hour and my other horse about 45 min 2-4 times a week


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## Dartanion

*I ride my horse for at least an hour and a half. One way I keep his stamina up is I will go on an hour long trail ride before or after schooling and I usually school for about an hour maybe a little less. So It's almost two hours for me here. I ride him about 5-6 times a week.*


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## NicoleS11

i ride my horses 1.5-2 hours a day. about 5 days a week...some times less cause im a busy girl :S


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## CessBee

usually between 1-2 hours a day 5-6 days a week. When you think about the other 22 hours each day the horse is eating or resting, so 2 hours work isnt much in comparison.


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## wild_spot

That was me!! :]

Well... When I said i ride about 2 hours a day, that's when we have daylight savings. Sometimes we ride for longer as well, but it's not all intense. We go for long sustained trots and canters, occasional gallops, mixed with periods of walking. it's really good fitness work, and for mounted games and polocrosse I need a very fit horse. On the weekend if I'm not competing we will go on long trailrides, sometimes 5-6 hours. we'll stop at a creek or something for lunch and a swim. 

In winter however, i don't finish work till four thirty and it gets dark at five thirty, so I can only ride for about 30-45 minutes safely, as i don't have an arena or lights. And trails next to raods in the dark isn't so much fun!


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## Dave

*rideing*

I ride and work a dozen horses most everyday, 2 of my horses are riden up to 6 and 8 hours a day as i use them for doing all my training and poneing my young horses from, so they have full days, If i was liveing on a working cattle ranch they would be rode 7 days a week and most days all day long, Now not all rideing is done at a high pace it varieas from walk trot to lopeing and some all out get er done rideing. And im retired and lazy so i use the horses to do my walking and jogging for me, Now there are weeks that my horses are not ridden much but im doing other things with them like the ground work ect. But i own them and feed them so that i can ride and also drive them as all my stock is harness broke also. I look at it as a waste of there time and energy is i cant use them so i ride as much as the man above will let me ride, I have ridden a horse from dawn to dark thirty on a lot of days, but again its not all out and out hard rideing. They stay in great shape and stay happy and healthy , and are ready to go anytime i want to ride. AND THEY REALLY ARE HAPPY TO HAVE A JOB TO DO.Thats is why when i walk out the door to my pasture they are waiting to go . not have to have a can of feed to catch them they are there ready to ride and work .


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## horsey*kisses

in the summer i ride everyday, i get up at 7, feed, feed myself then saddle up at about 8 then i get off..whenever it starts to get hot, anywhere between 10 and 11 then sometimes i ride at night too and then i only ride for less than an hour, its not very long, in the spring i try to ride everyday for a few hours, in the winter and late fall i dont ride very much at all,


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## KR Classified Lady

Hi There 
I usually will ride my horse for between 1-2 hours about 4-6 days a week (i am in college so it varies lol). 
However i dont think it would be uncommon to ride a horse for 2 hours almost everyday especially if it was a horse that was showing or has a higher engery level.


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## Baby Doll Amy

i ride for about 30 to 90 mins every tue,wed,fri and sat and some sundays i will ride all day due to lessons.


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## kerplop

In the summer my barn didn't have arena lights, so I rode in the heat 6 days a week for around 40 minutes (sometimes 7 days, one of the days being a light trail ride around the farm or walk/trot bareback in the ring in a halter), and now that I play a sport every season with school and can use the new lights, I ride at night for an hour at least 3 times during the week days when the weather is good, and each day during the weekend for a little over an hour. I keep Lena's exercise schedule in mind every week and always consider what I did the day before, (jumping, flat, dressage,bareback) and for how long I rode and then decide what's appropriate for that day. 

My personal rule; if I'm sore/exhausted, my horse is probably feels that way too and we both deserve a day to rest.


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## Connemara93

I think that the big difference between riding in the US and riding in Aus is the weather. Like right now, in summer, it gets up to 40 degrees celcius, which is like 104 degrees farenheit. And even in winter its not that cold. The coldest it gets is probably 10 degrees celcius, which is 50 degrees farenheit... and keep in mind its rare for the temp to get that low. I think its just too hot to ride for very long here. Sure, I'd be able to ride for longer than I currently do, but anything more than an hour of proper work would absolutely kill the horse (and me!)


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## BeauReba

Most people I grew up riding with were 1 hour a day 5 days a week kinda people. Well, the lessons horses were ridden 1-3 hours 3-7 days a week! It depended on the type of work and the horse. Personally I ride until the work is done. It depends on what my goal is - exercise, stretching the horse's legs (like a light hack!), leg yields, flying changes, etc.


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## wild_spot

I live in Australia, and I still ride as long as I can, light permitting. The climate is different all over Australia. Where I live, the high’s are usually around 30 degrees Celsius, and the lows in winter go just into the minuses. I definitely ride less in the winter due to cold, as opposed to the heat in the summer. As long as both me and my horse get enough water, the heat doesn’t bother us that much. I often compete a full two days at a mounted games comp in 30 odd degree weather. As long as my horse is fit and keeps drinking, it’s no issue.


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## smrobs

Oh, I would kill to have 50 degree lows in the winter, it is about 33 here right now with a 20 mph wind. COLD. In the summer, it can get above 100 but most of the time it is in the 90's (all temps in farenheit). When I actually go home and have a chance to ride, I use them all day every day. Most of what we do though is at a walk or a trot. I have a setup a lot like Dave. Working cattle and training colts mostly. Unless it is just unbearably hot or cold, I never ride for less than a couple of hours. If it is hot, I work on bending and suppleness, leg yields, neck reining, etc. Not very strenuous and then I bathe them when I am done to wash away sweat and help cool them off. In summer, I go really easy on young horses because they don't have the stamina yet and older horses sometimes have a less than adequate air conditioning system. In the winter, I ride until I get too cold to move before I quit.


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## LMW

When its not freezing cold outside I usually ride 30-60 minutes 4-5 times a week


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## drop_your_reins

I only ride my filly for around a half hour, the most I've ridden her in a day was about 45 mins to an hour.. But she's still green and finding her way, so I think its best to keep it as light as possible with her. 

However built-up horses, and my gelding I will try to do an hour of solid work and go on a relaxing trail ride for another half hour/45 mins to cool down, especially in the summer.


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## mojo7777

Now that it's winter--it's nine degrees out and snowing, but I'm thinking of going out to the barn and riding in the indoor arena--I can only make it out on Sat. and Sun. for 30 - 40 min. each time, and with luck once during the week. If I don't ride at least once during the week, Saturday means a stiff and rushy horse and Sunday a dream horse ! I teach at a school and get to have all the days off the students do, so a long summer of riding almost every day--trail rides that last up to two hours. On the average--my rides last about 40 min.


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## Mira

In the spring/summer when I'm consistently riding, I'll ride 3-4 times a week, though this year I think I'm going to up it to 5-6. At my lessons we usually go for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours and at home alone I ride for about an 1 to 1 1/2.


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## Jehanzeb

60mins once a week (Tuesday nights).

To me you certainly ride allot more then I do 

Regards


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## TwendeHaraka

How long I ride depends on a lot and varies weekly.
During the winter...I'll ride for an hour, weather permitting, possibly more. If it's so cold I feel like my toes are going to break off, I try to ride a half hour or 45 minutes.
In the spring and fall... I'll ride an hour to two hours... Usually around the hour-hour and a half mark. We have practice rides at the fair grounds with my 4H in the spring and early summer, and I'll get there first so I can get Twende settled down... I probably ride for a couple of hours there. Sometimes two and a half, but not all of that is actual riding time.
In the summer... I'll ride about an hour a day, depending. I go out a LOT during the summer, and I won't always work an hour every day.


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## LadyAshen

I ride spring, summer and fall. Not in winter.

When I ride I spend between an hour or so.


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## morganshow11

i ride about once a week in the winter, for a bout an hour, my horse is to busy playing with my other horse! heck in the summer i ride about 2-3 hour all week.


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## XxXequinegrlXxX

1-2 hours and during school i don't get as much time to ride but i try to ride 3-4 times a week for 1-2 hours each


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## Vidaloco

It depends on what your doing. If I was riding around in an arena I could handle maybe 10-15 min. :lol:
During the riding season (not to hot not to cold) we trail ride so it can last anywhere from an hour to 6-8 hours. We do stop every hour get off and give the horses a 5-10 min break. We generally ride at least 2 hours, every day to every other day.


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## Picture Perfect

The horse I'm leasing, I ride for about thirty minutes unless I'm having a lesson. Which would take it to an hour.


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## PoptartShop

It really does depend on what I'm working on that day, the weather, etc. Usually about an hour & a half-2hrs in lessons.


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## tawariel

well, when I´m in the arena, I ride about 1 hour, but when I go for a ride in the country, I´m out for at least two hours. My longest ride was about 8 hours long (but with breaks :lol.


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## peanut

I usually do an hour or two depending on what were doing atleast 3 days a week.


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## 1dog3cats17rodents

IrishRider said:


> These times can vary because if my horse and I are battling it out over something or I am trying to work on something with her, I won't let her quit until I get the desired response from her. Other times, when we are working on stuff and it goes well and she is listening, I'll end the session on a good note and give us both a break.


 
Thos quote pretty much sumsd it up for me. But... I ride about 30-40 moinutes 3-4 times a week (including one lesson for lewis, and one for Painter) I also lunge Painter for 45 mins once a week


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## my2geldings

Well it really depends on the horse I am riding. The age, fitness level and training the horse has as well as my goals for the actual ride is what will affect my ride. If I can achieve what it is I wanted to achieve in the first 20-30 mins then so be it, I leave it on a good note. Sometimes riding sessions take longer BUT I'm only doing as much as what the horse I'm riding tell me it can do, it has to be progressive.


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## horsegirl123

I don't have any horses but at the barn I ride at, the school horses are being ridden about two times a day, each ride for 45 minutes. The horses get one or two days of the week that nobody rides them.


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