Ride Schedule

Since I'm in super duper show season planning/getting fit mode, I thought it might be interesting to discuss what sort of riding schedule and activities everyone does with their horses on a weekly basis through the winter.

Since B and I are currently planning another year with a mostly eventing focus, my priority right now is mostly fitness, along with keeping Bridget interested amd happy.

Mondays:

Riding lesson. We alternate jumping and dressage each week.

Jumping in the dark.

Tuesdays:

Bridget does a vaulting class for little kids. Its adorable. This essentially amounts to lunging in side reins, mostly at a walk, while kids jump all over her. She likes this, and I think it's a nice change for her after our normally difficult lesson night.

Cute

Wednesdays:

Riding lesson, usually a progression of whatever we worked on in Monday's lesson.

Thursdays:

Fitness. Depending on how hard she worked on Wednesday, and how much daylight we have, this can be anything from canter sets in the arena, to walking/trotting up and down the big mile long hill near the barn. It's a very steep hill, so we walk down and mostly walk up. I usually do a lot on a loose rein and try to keep her forward and stretching in all gaits.

Hill is steeper than it appears

Fridays:

Flatwork, the odd jump at the beginning or end as a reward. Depending on my schedule, I might switch this with Sunday to be her day off.

I tried to set up video yesterday, amd failed. You get a blurry screenshot.

Saturdays:

Free for all. If the weather's awful, we jump. If it's even halfway good, or we've already had jumping lessons during the week,  we trail ride, usually 1-2 hours, mostly walk in the forest. Our trails are quite technical, so there's only a few spots for trot and canter. Another day that I try to sneak in some fitness work while disguising it as "fun" :)

Sundays:

Usually her day off, although I do switch it with Fridays now and then.