Before you ride..Do you?

[grandmaweloveyou]

Rest your horses? I rest my boy for an hour before every ride (summer grazing only) but do I really need to?

 

[Ezme]

straight of grass I've been told it's a myth to leave them for an hour because they're designed to eat and then run, being a pray animal and all. However if feeding cereals in an real quantity I always give them an hour, its not a natural feed and I think it needs some digesting

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

No i don't rest her if she has come off the grass. There is not much grass out there thankfully in her paddock.
I would rest her if she had eaten hay or her dinner
Also by the time we have faffed around tacking up etc some time has passed anyway

 

[Cliqmo]

The people at the yard only stand theirs in long enough to groom and tack up their horses (10mins) but they tend to be happy hackers (walk and trot) so I guess it doesn't hurt?

 

[katie_southwest]

Well by the times Iv brought her in, brushed her, faffed about getting myself ready and gossiped it probably takes me about 45 mins to get done anyway! But not normally I wouldnt

 

[Chico Mio]

Rest???? My two do nothing at all except wimble around a field before they get ridden. By the time they've come in and been brushed over and tacked up it's at least half an hour before we leave the yard. FB has, on more than one occasion, been rudely grabbed from field, saddled, bridled and started on a hack in less than 10 mins.

 

[Puppy]

When they're coming in off the grass? Nope

 

[Chestnuttymare]

we were just talking about this today at the yard. We do, because they come in for their brekkie and a wee rest while we walk the dogs, then have a cuppa, so the get about and hour and a half. Before, when we were at a field a distance from the yard, we didn't. I think that if you are just going for a quiet hack then no. If i was going to do some serious schooling then i would.
I think it is possibly a bit of a myth though, but it suits us to bring them in then.

 

[rara007]

No, no rest when off grass.

 

[amycov]

If I'm riding in the morning after she's had her breakfast then I leave her for an hour. If she comes in off the grass then she is only left for the amount of time it takes me to faff around and tack up which is usually about 20 mins.

 

[AmyMay]

Well I left a horse for 2 hours yesterday prior to riding - and he still got collicky after ridden exercise.

So I would say most definatly rest them - the longer the better.

 

[quirky]

No, straight in from field, flick over and ride.

 

[blackcob]

By the time I've faffed about with grooming, sweeping up, cleaning my boots, finding my hat etc. at least 40 minutes has passed by the time I get on board anyway, so I suppose she has an unintentional rest. Deflation time is important for fat cobs, if only for girthing purposes.

 

[martlin]

QR
I do rest them but for a different reason.
There is no need to give them time to digest grass, but I find that if tacked up and ridden straight from the field they tend to be 'stuffy' to work with.

 

[Diggerdog]

It is better for horses to have some fibre in their stomachs when they are ridden. On an empty stomach the acid will splash too far up the sides and can cause problems over time.

 

[0ldmare]

No, go straight off if on grass.

 

[Ezme]

[ QUOTE ]
Deflation time is important for fat cobs, if only for girthing purposes.

[/ QUOTE ]

LMAO very true!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I used to rest my SJ horse because he needed to deflate but he was grazed in a very lush paddock. As current horses are grazed on pants grazing I don't bother - plus my horse is less grouchy when she's eaten

 

[mattilda]

Always always always. Fat ginger one comes in looking like a beachball so couldn't do the girth up anyway. Am usually schooling so definitely rest for at least an hour. However he has a net of hay to munch on.

 

[diggerbez]

i deliberately don't but only because i have a rather ariel youngster and nutty TB- find the grass keeps them a little quieter!! altho they do poop more in the arena

 

[Gorgeous George]

I only give him the time it takes me to groom, tack up and get ready, so normally about 20mins. I then walk for the first 10mins or so.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Good god no - I'd never ever have the time to ride if I did that.

He comes in , gets groomed, tacked up and ridden.

 

[Amaretto]

Would always leave them for an hour (brush them, faff about, tack up etc in between) but only because I've been taught to and it is habit.

Although thinking about it, after sparse grazing I don't think it would be an issue, but if it is lush, then I think it's fair to give them some time to 'deflate'! Imagine having to go for a run when you are feeling full directly after having your evening meal!

 

[diggerbez]

[ QUOTE ]
Would always leave them for an hour (brush them, faff about, tack up etc in between) but only because I've been taught to and it is habit.

Although thinking about it, after sparse grazing I don't think it would be an issue, but if it is lush, then I think it's fair to give them some time to 'deflate'! Imagine having to go for a run when you are feeling full directly after having your evening meal!

[/ QUOTE ]

that is exactly what i'm aiming at-- can horse possibly leap around like a loon if he feels like he's just eaten xmas dinner?!!

 

[Puppy]

I suppose it would be different if they were on lush grass, but I don't tend to have mine on such grazing - in fact, Be is on VERY restricted!!

 

[only_me]

no rest, but when bringing him in I tie up and give him good groom, and then muck out etc. and leave bed ready and then i ride.

But after feeding I dont ride for at least 1hr depending on size of feed.

But i can have him tacked up and ready to ride within 10mins from bringing in from field.

 

[hussar]

No, just the time taken to brush off, tack up and go. They're out 24/7, on reasonable but not lush grazing, and as trickle feeders they shouldn't have a belly full of grass anyway.

 

[lauraandjack]

If I'd given a horse a decent sized concentrate feed I'd give them at least an hour before riding.

However, my coblet only gets a token amount of feed, I figure he'd have a fuller stomach if I took him away from his haynet, so I often ride straight from the field or after dinner. Doesn't seem to have done him any harm so far!

 

[Amaretto]

We are always taught to give our horses an hour after a hard feed before riding, so if they are on lush grass, then isn't this the same principle?

 

[Arabelle]

No, because horses are designed to eat grass/fibre constantly. They are not like people. I compete in endurance (up to 160k) and I feed my horse continuously during a long ride. Gut sounds are checked at every vet gate because horses guts are meant to be constantly digesting food - if they are depressed it is a sign of trouble.
A