The frequency of riding your horse depends on a number of factors. A horse needs regular exercise or his muscles will become flabby. A horse needs enough exercise weekly to keep his muscles toned and stretched, otherwise he risks injury.

If your horse spends a lot of time in the pasture and is free to run on a regular basis, you can ride him less and he will stay toned from his own running, playing and "horsing around" in the pasture. If he spends his days in his stall, he definitely needs a workout and interaction many times a week, at least three to four.

You also need to be aware of what you feed your horse. When your horse eats, he needs to burn it off through exercise. Hay, fresh water and commercial feed are the basics for most horses to have a good regular diet. However if you give him oats, be aware it will give your horse a lot of energy and he will need to burn it off.

Also, if you don't ride your horse often, he will become a little rusty in the good riding manners department. He may ignore certain commands or show displays of dominance in an attempt to show you since you don't work him as often he isn't going to listen to you. This can be combatted through gentle reinforcement of training and commands and lots of praise and affection. Never harshly punish your horse, all you will teach him is that you can't be trusted and you will hurt him. Horses respond much greater to owners who build a bond of trust and then train.

As you can see, there are a number of issues you need to consider when you determine how often you ride your horse. If your horse is beginning to look a little heavy, you definitely need to exercise him more to keep him healthy and happy.