Early morning riders

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ed&arch

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A quick question for all those that are on board bright and early.. what do you do when it comes to feeding your horse?

Does your horse have a hay net over night, which lasts until morning?
Do you delay riding and feed some forage in the morning before getting on?
 
Mine lives out so has access to forage 24/7. He still has a haynet when tied up to groom & tack up though.

When he was stabled overnight, I tried to always give him just enough to have a small bit of hay left (double or triple netted) & he had his feed and a haynet whilst I was grooming & tacking up.

He only has a handful of Fast Fibre & oat chaff for his supplements though. If he had more hard feed than forage, I think I'd give a haynet before and feed after exercise once he'd cooked down.
 
Yes she has a haynet overnight but because I dont know when she's last eaten I also give her some soaked grass nuts when I get to the yard, do some jobs and then tack up...
Aim to be on 30 minutes after grass nuts but then she's not long been treated for ulcers so I'm extra careful. If it wasn't for that I'd probably just encourage her to eat from a fresh net while I tacked up.
 
ed&arch said:
A quick question for all those that are on board bright and early.. what do you do when it comes to feeding your horse?

Does your horse have a hay net over night, which lasts until morning?
Do you delay riding and feed some forage in the morning before getting on?
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i dont feed a hard feed in the morning and just give some hay whilst I get ready.
 
PictusSweetDreams said:
Scoop of chaff and get going, I never ever ride them with an empty stomach
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Ditto with a scoop of unmolassed chaff before exercise

ETA currently stabled overnight with adlib hay and always has, at the very least, a section left in his haycube
 
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Mine are currently out so have grass and hay over night. They are tied up with a hay net while I get them ready. In the winter, they are fed well before its light enough to ride so just have their normal feed.
 
If in overnight he’ll have some chaff beforehand. If someone else has already fed earlier ~ first at yard puts all breakfasts in - then I’ll give a handful of hay whilst getting tack etc organised. I always used to give a bit of chaff even before it was known to help with ulcers as felt it would put horse in better mood if he’d had something to eat
 
Mine both have a small pink mash and chaff feed before riding regardless of being in or out. I think they are more content and in a better frame of mind if they get their expected breakfast. My oldie has a second more substantial breakfast after riding. They have hay whilst brushing off and tacking up.
 
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If in at night I give a fresh net while I muck out and then tack up and go. When out at night they come in to a mini feed (splodge of mash and handful of grass nuts) and then tack up and go.
 
All mine are on forage based feeds and small ones at that. So tiny breakfast (beet , chaff) & hay provided while I faff around with tack.
 
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Mine is out at night and not a huge amount of grass. I try and bring in an hour before riding.

I bring in to Haylage. I feed all low starch / low sugar as well. Might not have finished breakfast before I ride. Stays in after riding to eat / sleep.

If stabled over night, I try to give enough Haylage hasnt run out by morning but still feed before riding.
 
I ride just after 7am, she is on full livery and fortunately the yard feed around 6ish. I arrived about 6.45 and give her a haynet to nibble while I’m getting her ready and then we’re both good to go!
 
FourLeafClover said:
If my horse had run out of hay in the morning, I would be giving it more hay at night, regardless of whether I was riding in the morning or not ?
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I don't think anyone is saying they dont adlib but even with that, you don't know when they've last eaten.
A fresh net or a fibre feed encourages eating before exercise.
 
Not often I rode first thing but I always have mine on adlib hay. Means I can feed after riding.
 
Used to ride regularly in the early mornings. Always gave hay or haylage (if in during winter months, they had ad lib hay) My current horse has had ulcers, I would feed her chaff or fibre beet before as she's fussy and won't eat chaff
 
When I ride first thing before work I don’t feed before riding, they have ab lib hay overnight & then I just feed them their bucket once I’m back from my ride, had one of mine coming up 10 years and he’s lasted okay ?
 
On weekdays, my friend turn the boys out early - about 6.30 so even if I'm riding early, C has an hour out before I grab him back in to ride. If I'm on morning duty at weekends, I turn out, muck out and then get him back in. We do this for the oldies really, Monty won't wee in his stable so needs out asap, Archie gets a bit stiff so the more time he has out the better and their geriatric fieldmate, even at 23, tries to climb over his door as soon as others start going out. Charlie would stay in quite happily with a haynet but it's easier to do jobs when none of them are around. They tend to hang around the gate in the morning so it's never too far to go to get him again and this year I haven't needed him particularly clean for anything so that's not been an issue.
 
My horses and all those on my yard have as lib hay or haylage over night so they never run out.
I feed a scoop of chaff whilst grooming before racking up, then crack on.
 
I ride about 45-50 mins after mine has his feed (small scoop of mix for supplements really) and plenty of haylage
He seems fine with that, I woudn't dream of trying to ride him before breakfast he is incredibly food orientated and would be devastated.
 
Mine has a handful of his breakfast before riding, he's out 24/7 so has either grass or hay available at all times. Breakfast when we get back.
 
Bellaboo18 said:
I don't think anyone is saying they dont adlib but even with that, you don't know when they've last eaten.
A fresh net or a fibre feed encourages eating before exercise.
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Exactly! Mine are routinely fed in the morning whether ridden on not and whether out or in stable overnight. I personally think they are more settled if they get what they expect. They have high standards on service ?. I suspect some would say spoilt. I know I’d be disappointed if I was expecting breakfast and then had to go straight out instead.
 
My horse has his feed (scoop of Alfa A) and a bit of hay whilst I muck out. I'm usually first to arrive in the morning and feed the whole yard. There is no way he would let me get away without giving him some sort of bucket feed before riding in the morning. :)
 
After (almost!) bankrupting myself with treatments for ulcer prone horse, the thought of riding on an empty stomach sends me into a cold sweat. I would always give a couple of decent handfulls of chaff 20 mins before I ride, and then normal breakfast afterwards.
 
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