06/07/2025
Something that is important to consider when making our schedules to spend time with our horses, is the time of day each individual horse is most active, and when they are most at rest.
The timing often has to do with what becomes ‘normal’ or routine in the environment they are in, when they are fed, and how they are managed throughout 23 hours of the day you’re not with them.
For example, my horses rest the most after breakfast between 8am-11 or later depending on the weather. My horses are more active in the afternoon and into the evening.
I was at a friends house the other day and noticed that her horses are very active and fully invested in eating early morning into the late afternoon hours (almost all day) with periodic rest throughout the day, and then they all become quite tired mid afternoon into the evening.
When you consider riding or working with your horses, it could be considerate to know and understand the individual the ebb and flow their body needs given the environment they’re in.
It wouldn’t be fair to my horses to work with them or ride them after breakfast, knowing that this is the time they get the majority of their rest. It would pull them out of their natural rhythm and disrupt what feels good to their bodies.
Sometimes I don’t have the energy at the end of the day to work with my horses, even though they are more energized and ready to go, so I’ve had to make adjustments and adaptations to my own routine to meet them in the middle.
Our horses compromise on a lot, but their sleep and resting schedule is one of their most valuable recovery periods, their bodies need the time.
If your schedule only allows for a certain window in the day to go out and ride or spend time with your horse, consider what changes could be made to preserve the time their body needs to rest.
Sure, we could say, “What’s 20-60 minutes out of their day, we are a small part of it, they’ll be ok.”
I don’t know… have you ever gotten up at 4am instead of your normal 6am time, even though your body was begging you to rest? Then gone on about your day bouncing between being energized and half asleep…Maybe you even napped in between, but woke up more tired than you started because your circadian rhythm and routine had been thrown off?
Food for thought!
Of course, this requires spending some time at the barn, just observing, and not doing... and a bit of compassionate compromise :)