Learn Hardcore German: Am Wochenende reiten wir zusammen auf dem Reiterhof. - At the weekend we ride together at the riding stable.

am = an + dem (contracted)
With time expressions, an is used for days and times:
- am Montag – on Monday
- am Abend – in the evening
- am Wochenende – on/at the weekend

Im Wochenende is not used in standard German for this meaning.
An dem Wochenende is grammatically possible, but normally used to pick out one specific weekend from context, and it still almost always appears in the contracted form am Wochenende.

What case is Wochenende in Am Wochenende, and how does am work?

Wochenende is in the dative singular.

an (the preposition) can take the dative.
an dem Wochenende → contract → am Wochenende.
Article in dative neuter: dem (because das Wochenende in nominative).

So structurally:

am Wochenende = an (preposition) + dem (dative article) + Wochenende (dative noun)

Why does the sentence start with Am Wochenende reiten wir and not Wir reiten am Wochenende?

Both are correct. German main clauses follow the verb-second rule (V2):

The finite verb (here: reiten) must be in second position.
Exactly one element can stand before it: subject, time phrase, object, etc.

So both orders are allowed:

Wir (1st position) reiten (2nd) am Wochenende zusammen auf dem Reiterhof.
Am Wochenende (1st) reiten (2nd) wir zusammen auf dem Reiterhof.

Starting with Am Wochenende emphasizes the time: when this happens.
Starting with Wir emphasizes the people: who is doing it.

Why is it reiten wir instead of wir reiten right after Am Wochenende?

Because of the verb-second rule:

First position: Am Wochenende (time phrase)
Second position: reiten (conjugated verb)
Then comes the subject: wir

So:

Am Wochenende (1) reiten (2) wir …

If you put wir directly after Am Wochenende, you would get:

*Am Wochenende wir reiten … – this breaks the V2 rule and is wrong in standard German main clauses.

Why is it auf dem Reiterhof and not auf den Reiterhof?

The preposition auf can take either dative (location) or accusative (direction/movement):

Dative (wo? – where?): auf dem Reiterhof = at/on the riding stable (location)
Accusative (wohin? – where to?): auf den Reiterhof = (to) the riding stable (direction)

In this sentence, the meaning is where we are riding (on the stable grounds), not where we are going to, so the dative is used:

auf dem Reiterhof (dem = dative masculine)

Why is it auf dem Reiterhof and not im Reiterhof or zu dem Reiterhof?

Nuance:

auf dem Reiterhof
- Very idiomatic; means being on the premises of the riding stable (yard, fields, riding arena).
- Standard phrase for activities connected with a farm/stable.
im Reiterhof
- Literally inside the riding stable (inside buildings).
- Would sound odd for riding, since riding is usually outdoors or in arenas, not “inside” the farm as such.
zu dem Reiterhof / zum Reiterhof
- Focuses on going to the riding stable (direction), not being there.
- Wir fahren zum Reiterhof – We go/drive to the riding stable.

Here the focus is on where we ride (location), so auf dem Reiterhof is the natural choice.

What gender is Reiterhof, and how can I tell from dem?

Reiterhof is masculine:

Nominative: der Reiterhof
Dative: dem Reiterhof

In the sentence, we see dem Reiterhof, so we know:

It is either masculine or neuter (both use dem in dative singular).
But by dictionary form and usage, Reiterhof is masculine: der Reiterhof.

You cannot always tell the gender from the ending; for compounds like Reiterhof, the last part (Hof) determines the gender. Hof is masculine (der Hof), so Reiterhof is masculine as well.

What does Reiterhof literally mean, and why is it written as one word?

Reiterhof is a compound noun:

Reiter = rider (usually horse rider)
Hof = yard, farm, courtyard

So Reiterhof is literally a riders’ farm / riding farm, i.e. a horse farm or riding stable.

German likes to glue nouns together into one long noun, rather than separating them:

Reiter + Hof → Reiterhof (one word, capitalized because it’s a noun)

What does zusammen mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

zusammen means together.

In your sentence:

Am Wochenende reiten wir zusammen auf dem Reiterhof.

This means we are riding together (with each other).

Typical positions for zusammen:

Wir reiten am Wochenende zusammen auf dem Reiterhof.
Wir reiten zusammen am Wochenende auf dem Reiterhof.
Am Wochenende reiten wir zusammen auf dem Reiterhof.

All are correct; word order can slightly change the rhythm or emphasis, but the basic meaning stays the same.

How is reiten conjugated with wir, and what does the infinitive look like?

The infinitive is reiten (to ride, on an animal, typically a horse).

For wir (we), the present tense form is identical to the infinitive:

wir reiten – we ride

Present tense (indicative) of reiten:

ich reite
du reitest
er/sie/es reitet
wir reiten
ihr reitet
sie/Sie reiten

What is the difference between reiten and fahren in German?

reiten
- Used for riding an animal, especially a horse.
- Ich reite ein Pferd. – I ride a horse.
fahren
- Used for traveling / driving / riding in or on a vehicle: car, bus, train, bike, etc.
- Ich fahre mit dem Fahrrad. – I ride a bike.
- Ich fahre mit dem Auto. – I drive / go by car.

So for horses: reiten.
For bikes, cars, trains: fahren.

Can Am Wochenende reiten wir zusammen auf dem Reiterhof also mean something like we usually do this on weekends?

Yes. German present tense is flexible:

It can mean right now / this specific weekend.
It can also express habitual action (something done regularly).

Without more context, Am Wochenende reiten wir zusammen auf dem Reiterhof is often understood as a habit:

On weekends, we (normally) ride together at the riding stable.

How should I pronounce Wochenende, reiten, and Reiterhof?

Approximate pronunciations (standard German):

Wochenende: [ˈvɔxənˌʔɛndə]
- W like English v.
- ch like the German Bach sound (a bit rough, not like English sh/k).
- Stress on the first syllable: WO-chen-ende.
reiten: [ˈʁaɪtn̩]
- r is a guttural r (in the throat) in most standard accents.
- ei is pronounced like English eye.
- So it sounds roughly like “RYE-ten” (one smooth eye sound).
Reiterhof: [ˈʁaɪtɐˌhoːf]
- Again ei = eye.
- hof with long o: hoːf.
- Stress mainly on REI-: REI-ter-hof.