How much exercise does your horse/pony get per week?

[ChoccyWoccyDoDa]

What do you consider is the 'right' amount of exercise to keep an average pony fit and healthy?

What would classify as being overworked in your opinion?

For the purposes of this question let's assume we are taking about an average pony who lives out, no health issues, not particularly old or young etc.

[Nicecuppachar]

Ours all get 45mins- 1 hour five times a week. Flat, grid work, jump work, hacking. Very fit ponies and horses!

[Mirage]

Ours live out and are rising 23 and 7.Both ponies,both ridden 6 days a week,it varies week to week,but we have 1 formal lesson and the rest is hacking over fields and roads,jumping in the field,x country jumping,and a bit of games too.The 23 year old gets worked harder because DD1 mainly rides her and she is confident enough to gallop over the fields.The 7 year old has only been with us 3 weeks and is very green,so we are taking it slowly with him,mainly walk,trot and jumping until I'm sure of how he'll react being cantered in a big field.

[Mirage]

Forgot to say,they are ridden for anything between 45 minutes to 3 hours each day,and the elder pony in particular is exceptionally fit.

[Mitchy1nge]

hmmmm, was between 1 and (max) 3 hours each per day, 5-6 days a week but only just getting into swing of it again so pony gets about 20-30 mins schooling (some jumping sometimes) then a hack (about an hour) and horse just hacks for an hour and a half. We are mainly walking and trotting everywhere as still perilously slippery out there.

[Mitchy1nge]

feels like I spent all weekend riding both of them though

[Mitchy1nge]

Just re read your OP, does any average pony that lives out need extra exercise to stay healthy? They will be moving around all the time anyway?

ours gets fat so it's work or starvation paddock but the horse doesn't become unfit or unhealthy through lack of ridden work when he is living out

I don't know about overwork, have a 3 hour maximum for mine but not sure where that came from - why?

[frostyfingers]

Dhorse when hunting gets a day off after hunting (in the field) and about 1-1.5 hrs twice a week exercise.

Out of season it depends on what I can do really - but he usually gets a minimum of 2 hrs 3 times a week. He lives out (or at least he does when not lame/shoeless/riddled with mud fever) so I feel that counts towards his exercise. When he was boxed 24/7 with mud fever I walked him out on the roads/grazed the verges for about an hour a day - yawn. Luckily he was then able to use a bit of the cattle barn so could trot up and down, roll and get a good leg stretch without getting muddy.

[50BalesOfHay]

I think the question is 'fit for what'. If you're just hacking and light schooling then if they live out and work for an hour three days a week they should be fine. If they're doing more strenuous work they need to be fitter and so need more exersize. I have to work mine 6 days a week in the Spring though, otherwise she gets fat just on the smell of grass

[Mitchy1nge]

oh yeah and 'for whom' - a seven year old child, a teenager, an adult?

[Butkin]

50 and Mitchy make good points.

There is a huge difference between getting fit for, say, endurance/hunting or showing.


Our M&Ms get ridden for half an hour 2 or 3 times a week - mostly hacking. Our Show Pony gets ridden for half an hour 4 or 5 times a week - mostly in the school.

When I had a hunter he'd go out for an 30-60 minutes hack about 3 times a week but the actual hunting kept him fit.