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| When do you feed your horses? |
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| I was just watching an episode of Racers Edge and Dena was interviewing Winter Guesman and she says she feeds grain before every ride. So this has got me curious! |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | Kgirl - 2016-09-14 8:03 PM I was just watching an episode of Racers Edge and Dena was interviewing Winter Guesman and she says she feeds grain before every ride. So this has got me curious!
My daughter does all the competing these days. It's a family affair. lol. She feeds the horses she is running a grain feeding 1 1/2 hour before she runs. Then they also get their regular evening feeding. |
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 Yard Ornament Collector
Location: BFE, Texas | Turn out on grass, brought in morn/eve for grain then turn back out. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| I feed at 5:30 every morning. Horses are turned out on pasture 24/7 but get hay if at a show, whether in a stall or tied. Keep hay out until ready to run. Feed between 5 and 6:30 in the evening. Mine always have something to eat. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I'm sitting here waiting to see if mine see the barn light on and come up for breakfast before I have to leave earlier than usual for work.
During the competition season we grain 2x's a day. Things are winding down and they are turned out on pasture so we are dropping back to once per day in the morning - just because they seem to be more consistent at coming up from the pasture in the morning.
It's enough to walk out and get who you want to ride in the evening, 4 trips over the creek up the ridge and to the back of 20 acres isn't worth giving them a half can of oats.
I try to feed a few hours before I run while keeping them on a schedule similar to home. The big races we go to start at 7pm on Fridays, if we run close to the beginning I'll feed after. If we won't run until 9 or after I will feed before. They never get dinner until after we ride at home. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | 6 am, 11 am and 4 pm..hay all day. Of course we have race horses so they are in stalls. Get their biggest meal at the pm feeding. |
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | Weekdays I feed at 5am and around 6pm (sometimes a bit earlier when I have an evening race), they are on pasture the rest of the time. Weekends when I don't have a race I feed 8am and 6 pm, and pasture.
Race days I feed the same (unless I have to leave earlier) and they have hay in front of them, no matter if they are tied to a trailer or in a stall. I pull the hay usually when I start tacking up. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | I selected the option grain AM/PM with 24/7 hay/pasture. But wanted to add that my PM grain is fed before I ride every evening. My horses are eating 1-2 pounds per feeding at most, so it's not much and I like them to have that buffer in their stomachs before we start exercising.
It is a widely held belief that it's dangerous to feed a horse within a 2 hour window before heavy exercise. And while I agree that we shouldn't work them immediately after eating 5-6 pounds of grain, I think it's just as damaging to work a horse on an empty stomach. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| streakysox - 2016-09-14 7:35 PM I feed at 5:30 every morning. Horses are turned out on pasture 24/7 but get hay if at a show, whether in a stall or tied. Keep hay out until ready to run. Feed between 5 and 6:30 in the evening. Mine always have something to eat.
Same.
Except mine come into the barn at night for blankets, and then get turned out in the morning. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Mine are turned out on dry pasture 24/7, some spots have some nice green grass, they are fed hay morning and night, oats PM with their supplements. NOthing really changes race day except getting fed a little earlier and having hay in front of them at the race. |
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Veteran
Posts: 227
Location: Heart of Texas | I feed mine grain in the pm but they always have hay available. I cut mine off all food about an hour before I compete because its been my experience that running on a full tummy is painful. (Have you ever tried to go run or ride after a big meal? UGH) And research has shown that what you eat the night before fuels you for the next day. Look at marathon runners. They load carbs the night before and eat a light breakfast. So that's my theory anyways. |
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Regular
Posts: 76
Location: Mid-Michigan | Grain and hay around 7:00 am, one flake each when I get home from work at 4:30, I give mine hay cubes before I work them, then grain and hay at dusk. I feel like feeding grain before a ride would produce more acid in the stomach than feeding hay. With cubes, I feel like they can get more in their stomachs quicker than just loose leaf hay. Hope this helps :) |
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