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Elite Veteran
Posts: 738
  
Location: Anywhere my horses are ! Lost in Texas!!!!! | I feed my horses at 6:00 a.m I get home about 6:30 p.m
Should I feed the horses first or ride first? thank you     |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| I don't ride horses on an empty stomach as it can increase the risk of ulcers |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 738
Location: Anywhere my horses are ! Lost in Texas!!!!! | that is what I was thinking. I have been feeding first and then riding. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | cheryl makofka - 2014-10-27 11:55 AM I don't ride horses on an empty stomach as it can increase the risk of ulcers
I was always told it was not a good idea to ride just after they had eaten? |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| This is why I leave grass hay in front of mine 24-7. They are grazing animals. They are not meant to be fed at 6AM and 6PM with nothing inbetween. Horses produce stomach acid 24-7 . After morning feed leaves stomach, acid keeps flowing. By end of day you can imagine the acid in there.. If you ride, it sloshes around and can cause ulcers. |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | cheryl makofka - 2014-10-27 12:55 PM
I don't ride horses on an empty stomach as it can increase the risk of ulcers
Riding a horse with fresh grain in it's gut will increase the chances of ulcers too. It takes a good bit of acid to digest grains. The hay absorbs that acid and is broken down over time. The grains break down quicker and need more acid to be digested. So feeding grain before a ride is worse than riding on emoty. Better to have hay than grain in there.
Any amount of time that the stomach is empty is bad. But being full of starchy grains is just as bad.
I would ride, cool out, then feed. That's usually my routine when I ride in the evenings. Just think about it. Do you eat a heavy meal then go jogging? Or do you wait until afterwards to eat?
Mine are outside 24/7 with free choice hay. So they're never 'empty'.
Edited by hlynn 2014-10-27 1:16 PM
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | i feed 530am ish and i get home at 5:15 so i go straightout to the barn and bring everybody in (5 at the moment) and get them eating and i saddle the broncy one and then i go in and have a quick supper and head out to ride... they aren't finished eating but they get to finish when i get back and i just go down the line that way....it may not be ideal but thats what my time allows.......and thats my summer schedule...winter is a bit different as im riding my young ones now and i dont have them in the barn.....
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 738
Location: Anywhere my horses are ! Lost in Texas!!!!! | The horses have their hay to eat throughout the day. And they can go and graze if they chose too. I was thinking about their grain, I do not ride them hard. I just started a new job,so just trying to figure out the horses feeding. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I ride mine in the mornings. I throw them a few handfuls of oats or Alfalfa pellets first while I go open up the tackroom and get spurs on and tack all ready to use. Just a tiny snack before we work. After we are done thats when I feed them their real breakfast. |
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Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: East Texas | I am in the middle of the suggestions.... on the days ridden, I feed half the feed a little before I ride (about 30 minutes before), and feed the other half after they have cooled off (about 30 minutes after). |
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 Expert
Posts: 2128
| hoofs_in_motion - 2014-10-27 11:59 AM cheryl makofka - 2014-10-27 11:55 AM I don't ride horses on an empty stomach as it can increase the risk of ulcers I was always told it was not a good idea to ride just after they had eaten?
I have also. |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| If they are turned out and are able to graze feeding after should be fine. To answer your question though if I ride before feeding time I wait and cool my horse down, then feed it afterward. I will refrain from riding if they have just been fed. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| hlynn - 2014-10-27 1:14 PM
cheryl makofka - 2014-10-27 12:55 PM
I don't ride horses on an empty stomach as it can increase the risk of ulcers
Riding a horse with fresh grain in it's gut will increase the chances of ulcers too. It takes a good bit of acid to digest grains. The hay absorbs that acid and is broken down over time. The grains break down quicker and need more acid to be digested. So feeding grain before a ride is worse than riding on emoty. Better to have hay than grain in there.
Any amount of time that the stomach is empty is bad. But being full of starchy grains is just as bad.
I would ride, cool out, then feed. That's usually my routine when I ride in the evenings. Just think about it. Do you eat a heavy meal then go jogging? Or do you wait until afterwards to eat?
Mine are outside 24/7 with free choice hay. So they're never 'empty'.
My riding horses don't get any high starch foods, no whole grains.
When on the road the have hay bags infront 24/7, when at home either pasture, or are hand fed hay, but are fed enough hay forked over there is a little left over.
I was also told do not feed immediately after a vigorous workout as this could cause colic.
Edited by cheryl makofka 2014-10-27 2:46 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | I have always been tought to never ride up to 2 hours after feeding grain. I always allow them to snack on hay or grass only for 15 minutes before a workout if they have been stalled. And feed 30 minutes after they have completely cooled out. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | I feed before, hasn't killed any of mine yet! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| For the people that keep hay infront of their horses 24/7 - how do you keep them from getting fat? I have always kept mine constantly on pature or with hay but they are so fat its crazy. I have had to put them on a dry lot because I am afraid my mare is going to founder. I feed a mix of oats, barly, and a little cracked corn as my feed. And I have recently switched to an alfalfa/orchard grass mix. Before that they were on a mix grass hay 24/7 or pasture. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Mine have hay in front of them most of the day. round bale in the morning out in the pasture, enough hay in their stalls that they can eat for several hours. I feed, do my chores, then ride. I agree that I don't eat a big meal before exercising. they don't get much for grain so for the 45-1 hr wait til I start tacking up I feel like they will be ready to work. besides, there is NO way they will even begin concentrating during our ride because they are only worried about their food! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| TNcowgirl88 - 2014-10-28 8:01 AM
For the people that keep hay infront of their horses 24/7 - how do you keep them from getting fat? I have always kept mine constantly on pature or with hay but they are so fat its crazy. I have had to put them on a dry lot because I am afraid my mare is going to founder. I feed a mix of oats, barly, and a little cracked corn as my feed. And I have recently switched to an alfalfa/orchard grass mix. Before that they were on a mix grass hay 24/7 or pasture.
I would eliminate the grains if my horses were getting fat, or switch to a pelleted feed that had low protein, low starch, and low fat.
My horses also don't get alfalfa for hay, they are on a Timothy, orchard grass, broke hay, it is a harder feed.
My horses also have to walk in a 1/4 mile to get water, and I also ride minimum of 2 miles to condition.
This is how my horses don't get fat.
If yours is an easy keeper you might want to test for Pssm |
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