Who rides more: an endurance rider or a dressage rider?

My perspective on this topic is slightly skewed since my view of how much and a lot of are formed by my years of endurance riding.  It used to be that it wasn't worth saddling if I wasn't going to do at least five or six miles.  And it was far more worth my time to do ten miles.  In hours, that would mean an absolute minimum of 45 minutes with an hour and a half being a more worthwhile time frame.  And this was for after work.  A weekend ride had to be at least two and a half hours to count for anything.  My endurance pals and I would joke that the ride had to be longer than the time it took for me to drive to the barn and saddle up.  Otherwise, what was the value?

As a dressage rider, my view of how much and a lot has really changed.  Now that summer is over, I am riding fewer horses each day, but I do ride nearly every day.  Is that a lot?  It feels like it since as an endurance rider I only rode two or three times a week: two short days of an hour or so each time, and one long day.  An often used piece of advice for endurance horses is a day off for every 10 miles ridden.

While I now ride five to seven days a week, the ride might only last 15 minutes.  I guess the joke is on me!  A few days ago, I was at the barn for more than an hour and yet I only rode for 15 minutes!  The rest of the time I spent grooming, saddling, mixing feed, cleaning stalls, and feeding.  Why only fifteen minutes of riding? Well, all I needed from Sydney was some loose walking, and a few trot circles that were soft and elastic.  He started out by being heavy, but after just a few 1, 2, Let Go's, he was ready to be soft and relaxed.  Since he accomplished what I wanted, he was done.

So how much do I ride?  A lot more frequently than as an endurance rider, but for far fewer hours!  And interestingly?  I feel like I am in much better riding shape now than I ever was as an endurance rider!  Weird, but true!