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Veteran
Posts: 193
 
Location: TEXAS | Just curious how many ride their horse the day before a run. This is on a open older horse. I always think save their energy lol |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
 
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I think an easy ride, maybe on the trails or just lope some easy circles are good anytime. Maybe keep it a short easy day. Do something fun with them. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| I do a lot of rating work the day before. Just to refresh the idea. My mare gets a bit pushy sometimes, so some light rating work on or off the pattern just to keep her thinking right is usually what we do. Nothing hard or anything. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 679
Location: KS | My Paint Gelding did a lot better if I did some light riding the day before a race. My mare on the other hand, she does better is she isn't rode the day before. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | My daughter has an open mare. She usually rests the day before. Sometimes it's a travel day, if so, maybe just a light walk/stretch/relax no more than 15 minutes when she unloads, other wise just rest. |
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 I"m Jealous!
Posts: 1737
Location: Benton City, WA | I don't worry too much either way. But right now my horses are super fit & well fed... so if I don't get to ride the day before, I expect a wild warm up! Lol. Its definitely more fun to warm them up if they get rode the day before. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| It goes both ways. I haven't noticed a huge difference in mine either way. If it's a big show or a HS rodeo type deal where they're going to be making 2+ runs, I give them the day before off. If it's just a race where I'll run once and roll my time, I will usually hop on the day before for like 15 minutes and work on little stuff like headset, rollbacks, stopping, etc. and get their mind on something other than the pattern. I think it keeps their mentality fresh without using a whole lot of their energy
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Depends...if I haven't gotten to ride that much that week then I will absolutely ride. Ideally come Thursday/Friday I have rode enough through the week and can use that day to get my stuff loaded for the weekend. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | My finished horse usually doesn't get ridden the day before, if he does it is very light riding, no workout. The one I am seasoning, I definitely try and get a little riding in the day before. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | Depends on what the rest of my week looks like, i.e.
Rode Mon/Tues and a jackpot Friday night. So, I rode Thurs
If I rode Mon/Tues and had runs going Fri/Sat/Sun I prly would've skipped Thurs.
If your horse is in shape a 25 minute workout of trotting and loping is not going to exhaust them.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 422
Location: Fort Bragg North Carolina | Since the beginning I will not ride a horse the day before and the day after a race. Of course if I have a couple shows the same weekend that's different. I feel that there's nothing you and your horse is going to do the day before that you can't accomplish during the wk. I just like to give them rest. A lot of ppl think I'm crazy but that's what has worked for me over the years. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | I used to have a hot mare. I would take her for a group western pleasure/trail class lesson. she really liked it and she was a lot calmer about things. |
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