If you are new to the field of horse riding and looking after a horse, you might well be confused with one question, that is, how often should you ride your horse? For someone who got zero experience in the field, this comes as an important yet crucial point in learning to get used to your horse. The answer to this question depends on your horse, its training requirements, and, how well your horse will be able to handle the work. Apart from that, it is recommended that you ride your horse at least three days a week, to maintain normal health. Let us look at some advice and tips the experts have compiled over time over this issue and try to remove all your queries.
How Often Should You Ride Your Horse for its Optimal Health
Exercise is important for everybody out there, be it humans or any animal. Hence, when it comes to your horse, exercise is important for your horse as it is for you. Though the training and exercise requirements differ according to the work and labor your horse is supposed to undertake, on average it is suggested that your horse be ridden for at least 30 minutes 3 days a week.
Optimal health for your horse can be achieved by a mixture of trotting and cantering, which would help in the building of muscles and aid in cardiovascular health. Following a routine including these can ensure that your horse is fit and help maintain optimal health. Experts suggest that this combination of physical exercises is more efficient than strenuous work; to keep your horse’s health at bay.
Riding your horse will also become a necessity in maintaining its good health according to where your horse is housed at. If it is a cramped space with not much leg space, riding them often is necessary when compared to a horse housed in a large paddock with more space to stretch its legs.
Key Factors that Determine How Often Should You Ride your Horse
It is important to know that this question has no pre-set answer but a subjective one, depending purely upon your horse. The routine varies from horse to horse depending upon its physique and training requirements. The first and foremost thing to consider while making an exercise routine for your horse is its age.
Age plays a crucial role in determining how capable your horse is. It is suggested that a horse of age 2 to 3 years could be worked three times a week with hard labor, while an older horse or a retired one could be assigned with the same, but with light work. This analysis is made by noting how tired your horse will get with age, which affects its mobility and increase its chances of getting injured.
Another element that plays a significant role in determining your horse’s weekly routine is the level your horse is at and how its training regimen works. Take note of how your horse is coping with all the work and make amends according to your observations. If hard work is tiring your horse, leave it to rest and pace the riding and try working on building its tolerance levels. And if the work is aiding your horse to improve strength and stamina, continue with the routine. The temperament of your horse, as to whether it likes being a racehorse, also has an important role in this matter.
While noting all these down, keep in mind that your health and fitness matter as well in this to a great extent. You ought to be in good shape and health for your horse to stay healthy.
How to Prepare Your Horse for Riding?
Like every time you get ready to start a new exercise, you begin it slow and build the pace gradually. The same applies to your horse too. You cannot jump into strenuous exercise for your horse from the very beginning. It is important to work on stamina and endurance gradually. This can help refrain your horse from injuries.
If your horse is new and in not-so-good shape, begin by riding them for half an hour a day and then increase it step by step. This will help your horse strengthen its muscles without causing injuries from the start. Trotting and cantering are great ways to adopt to get your horse in shape.
These cardiovascular exercises, when done right will build your horse’s stamina and endurance. While doing these, monitor your horse’s breathing, and make changes according to the time it takes the horse to get back to its normal state. The rate at which your horse regains its normal heart rate will help you determine how good a shape your horse is in.
Is Rest Necessary for Your Horse?
When it comes to rest, it is of utmost importance. Be it a high-performance horse or a horse in a bad shape, lack of rest can harm your horse and even lead to fatalities. If your horse is new to work, rest is necessary to ensure that its muscles get enough time to relax and release all the strain it has been inflicted with. Lack of rest can lead your horse to fatigue and injuries to its muscles which will affect its overall health. So, make sure that your horse gets adequate rest to recharge and recoup.
Is it okay to Ride Your Horse Daily?
While it is important to ride your horse at least once a week, it does not harm your horse if you ride your horse daily as well, given that your horse is in good condition. If planning to do so, make sure that you give him proper rest to recover the muscle stress. You can do this by mixing strenuous and easy-going exercises in a balanced ratio so that your horse can catch up with the pace. Also, do watch out for your horse’s heart rate as well as breathing rate. Do not wait long to seek help from your veterinarian if your horse takes longer than 20 minutes to recover from a strenuous workout.
Conclusion
Horse riding is a fun activity and exercise if you are fond of horses and take the joy out of it. And when it comes to horses, riding them is a necessity, considering how horses are built and have evolved through centuries. By now, you must have learned the dos and don’ts of horse riding, and we are pretty sure that you can achieve great results by following those guidelines. So, be fit and keep your horse fit, and have a good time working those lazy boys out.
