In December I pretty much failed to spend enough time with my horses.  First we got atrocious amounts of snow; then I worked more hours than usual in the week before Christmas; and then of course the holidays kept me extra busy as well.  And finally, as the topping on a busy month, our dog got sick enough to end up in the doggy ER, requiring a lot of time (and worry!).  In other words, not much time for horses.

But I paid for my neglect.  My older horse, who is 6 now, was pretty good when I finally found time to ride him a few days ago, for the first time in two weeks.  But my younger horse, who is just two and a half, was a total spaz today when my trainer and I worked with him.

The fact of the matter is, a lot of horses can't go months, weeks, or sometimes even days without being worked, at least not without showing the effects of being neglected.  They often have an excess of energy or excitement when being ridden for the first time in a while, or they forget what they are supposed to do or how they are supposed to act.

Just like kids and dogs, horses do best with regular and consistent attention.  Ideally, they ought to be ridden several times a week.  Think about it: If you kept a four-year-old child locked up in a tiny closet for weeks at a time, meanwhile feeding him candy (the human's equivalent of your horse's grain), wouldn't you expect him to be rather hyper and ill-behaved when you finally let him out?  Can you imagine then taking him to story time at the library, and expecting him to sit still and do as he's told?

Many of the problems people describe with their horses could easily be resolved just by riding more often.  And the more horses you have, the more work you have to do.  Now that I have two horses instead of just one, for instance, I have nearly double the work to do with them.  As a result, one of my New Years resolutions is to adjust my work schedule so that I ensure I get out to the barn to work with both horses at least 3 times a week.  It's a far cry from the 5 days a week that I used to ride, but considering the fact that it's winter and I'm busier than I used to be, I think 3 times a week is reasonable.

What about you?  How many days a week do you spend working with your horses?  How many days would you like to spend, and how many days a week have you found is optimal for getting the best behavior from your horse?