Advice needed - how do you feed your nag on competition day??

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YummyHorses

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Help needed. I always have to leave early for competitions as I am still at Novice and Disco level so need advice on when to feed my boy.

How do people do it? My horses normally get there breakie at 8am so what should i do when i need to leave about 7am. Should they eat before going in the lorry and how long should they have to digest before going into the lorry? Do i feed when I get to the competition - but then I dont have very long before i need to warm up etc. Do you give them hay on the journey and do you let them eat hay on the lorry during classes?

My boy likes his food and gets very angry when he doesnt get his grub.

All help appreciated. Thanks.
 
If I have to leave mega early then I get to the yard and feed 1 hour before travelling.
smile.gif
 
I always used to get to yard at least 1hr before needing to leave to feed.... always travelled with a small net of hay, which he had on the lorry and in between classes... just not too much....
 
i give them a smaller feed than usual and try to feed an hour before travelling, 1/2 an hour at a push.
you could feed while en route if you can secure flat bucket where they can eat, i guess. i've heard of feeding en route before, and never heard that it causes colic.
i try to feed earlier for the days before and after if possible too.
 
Cheers everyone - I will try that coz my plan this week just didnt work. Will mean I will need to leave soooooo early to get to the yard but there you go - thats the downside of living over an hour from the yard. BUT i would rather he was a happy chap coz omg was he grumpy this week when we were out!!!
 
At the moment mine lives out and I have to feed her brekkie in the field before bringing her up to the stable to get ready to go. Otherwise she clocks summat is up (you don't drag me out of the field this early for nowt!) and doesn't eat it, is too busy stomping around the box!

It takes me an hour at least to faff about before actually leaving the yard, so plenty time for her to digest it ok and she has a soaked haynet the rest of the day while out, then dinner once home. (along with carrots, pears, apples and polos as the occasional bribe/well done while out!)
 
i feed a token feed in the mornings only and its the very first thing i do when i get onto the yard, before i've even switched the lights on! by the time i've loaded the lorry, faffed around she has normally finished by a good half hour if not an hour. if you're only feeding a small feed (i just do chaff) then 30mins should be ok. or if im already loaded i brush her up whilst shes eating or muck out her box, i've never had to wait for her to be ready as my kit always needs sorting out in the morn!
i give a small net for travelling and dont usually have time for her to eat between classes, but if she is tied up its with a net, otherwise she unties and runs off!
 
When I've ever had an early start, they are fed at least 1 hour before travelling and are given their usual haynet, also give a small net for travelling too. Where possible I try to keep the routine the same as consistency is the key!
 
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