I have recently moved my work schedule around to try and accommodate more riding time. I appreciate I'm lucky that I can do that easily and some people are locked into a 9-5.
So how can you make a routine for you and your horse that is sustainable for both you and the horse and makes the best use of your time?
Firstly, it's worth noting that there has been studies to suggest that there is no benefit to working your horse more than 3-4 times a week. You absolutely do NOT have to work your horse every single day to gain or keep fitness. It's not sustainable for either you or your horse, it gives no recovery time for your horse and also doesn't give them a chance to have some down time and think about what they have learned (Yes, latency learning is a thing!).
So let's say you choose to work your horse in some capacity 4 days a week. It makes sense to try to evenly space these days if possible. Clumping all your days together, say Monday-Thursday, won't necessarily help fitness.
This is purely what I TRY to do with mine although it rarely happens that easily, mainly due to the fact I have 7 to exercise plus work and we have no arena. There will never be a perfect week, there will always be days when the weather isn't suitable, you've had to work late, it's gotten dark or some days where you just don't fancy it and that is fine. It's meant to be fun after all!
I try to do a day “on” and a day “off” with mine. So for example;
Monday on
Tuesday off
Wednesday on
Thursday off
Friday on
Saturday off
Sunday on
You could then either work on a two week “rota” and continue the “on/off” into the second week so you don't have two days “on” back to back or simply start again each week and just be mindful to do two very different sessions on the Sunday and Monday.
So let's look at our 4 sessions a week. These could be in any order and could change depending on the weather, how much time you have, how the previous session went, or just how you feel !
Session 1
I like to try and do at least one groundwork session a week. Now that could be a lunging session (no more than 20 minutes and in just a headcollar), long reining, in-hand schooling, horse agility, walking out in-hand or even a free schooling session. All are great for your horse and I find it's really nice to be able to SEE what's going on from the ground aswell as being able to work on somethings that have maybe been tricky under saddle. You can always do more than one exercise in each session too. So you could do some long reining then switch and do some in-hand schooling, or lunge and then go out for a short in-hand hack. Don't worry about changing it up, keep it fresh for both of you.
Triple free schooling
Session 2
Hacking is of course another very important part of a horses training, not just for fitness but to go out and see the real world. Some people don't have the luxury of quiet country lanes, forestry tracks or bridle paths, BUT if you can box up to somewhere local and ride out (or lead!) for a few hours then it's absolutely worth it. I like to try and take them out for at least one hack a week. The duration really varies from horse to horse as I have some that still need babysitting so that may limit the day and how long I can go for depending on who's available to chaperone us. I aim to do a minimum of a 5km hack though which is roughly an hours walking depending on the terrain.
Let's use Dusty as an example, who is just finishing her first Novice season in Endurance. When in work I like to take her at least once a week out for a long hack (10-15km), mostly walking, utilising the steep hills we have near us. You can easily be out for a few hours at a steady walk, which will massively help build fitness whilst also being less likely to cause injury or fatigue your horse than doing faster work for a shorter period of time.
Remember always increase distance before speed !
Session 3
We all know schooling is important. If we want our horses to stay sound and free of injury then they need to be able to use their body's correctly and with correct posture. Schooling doesn't have to be fast paced either. There is sooooo much to do just in walk! Working on correct balance and flexion being very accurate in each movement. This sort of work can be mentally very hard for your horse (and sometimes us!) but does also helping train muscles that may not be used in the faster paced work (think of a gymnast doing slow but very accurate exercises).
My schooling sessions tend to be a minimum of 20 minutes up to absolute maximum of 60 minutes, but it's very rare that I will do a full hours schooling. It's a lot ! I would say my average is likely 40 minutes.
I like to do a wide variety of things and never stick to the routine of walk work first, then trot work, then canter and finish. You see this a lot, but it really does need to be more varied than that. Lots of lateral work, stretching, changes within the pace, transitions, all depending of the horse of course, and always led by what the horse needs on that day, not just to practice a dressage test for example ! But this isn't a post about schooling (maybe another time).
Sunny doing some slow and steady lateral work 2019
Session 4
If you choose to do a forth session, I would often let the 3 prior sessions “decide” what I do. What I mean by that is, was there anything in my schooling session that needs some groundwork to improve it, could they benefit from doing something a bit different with some agility work, or would it be better to go for another long hack, especially if they have worked well in the arena twice already.
I don't like to “drill” the horse and whilst exercises are repeated, especially at the start of a horses education, if you are struggling with an exercise it can be really good to go away and do something different for a few sessions, and then come back to it fresh. It can be tempting to do 3 schooling sessions in a row to try and “crack” something that has been difficult but it can end in frustration for both of you.
Don't be tempted to skip steps, especially if your horse (or you) have been out of practice for a while. I like to do 4 weeks of walking work before adding in trot if they've been out of work for a while, just gradually increasing the duration over the sessions.
Don't be worried about changing your plan. I like to have a loose idea of what I want to achieve that week or day, but if I get on or start working and can see the horse needs “help” in another area then that's what we'll do. Sometimes that might even mean cutting a session short. This is NOT defeat or giving up ! This is listening to what your horse needs and acknowledging them.
Always let the horse guide you in your work TOGETHER.
Remember it is a partnership.