Feed and exercise. Empty stomach?

Wagtail

Wagtail

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I have always waited an hour after any hard feed before exercising my horses. Also, if the horse has been out on really lush grass, I will stand them for twenty minutes or so for their stomachs to settle (often the time it takes to groom and tack up). However, I have always let my horses have free access to haylage and hay whilst being tacked up as I think it is better for them to have some fibre in their stomachs when worked. This, I think prevents stomach acid sloshing around and possibly causing discomfort or even ulcers. However, it came to light recently that a well respected Equestrian establishment were very strict that horses stood with nothing for at least an hour before exercise. That included hay and haylage. I have never come across this before. So what are your views. Are they right? Have I been doing it wrong all these years? Or is the idea that horses should be worked only on an empty stomach out dated and incorrect, and possibly the cause of the large number of gastric ulcer cases in sport horses?
 
I would never want to work my horses on an empty stomach, I wouldn't like to exercise on an empty stomach either.
I bring mine in from the field to let their stomachs settle but I always give them hay.
 
Wagtail said:
Or is the idea that horses should be worked only on an empty stomach out dated and incorrect, and possibly the cause of the large number of gastric ulcer cases in sport horses?
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This, to a certain extent! I guess competition horses tend to get competition mix, which they can't eat before they work, so in that sense the old idea is true, but mine always has lucerne and grass nuts to munch on while he's being tacked up, with high energy grass nuts if he's competing/having a lesson. He's put away about 4kg (dry weight) of feed in the morning before the dressage part of a ODE, and another 2kg before the day is up, and been fine, so I'm inclined to disagree with the ol' empty stomach myth!!
 
I guess it's horses for courses as depends on the individual horses diet, work load and the exercise the horse is expected to do at that time etc, so what's good for one may not be for another.

Horses are designed to eat little and often round the clock and are quite capable of fast work while doing this, it’s how there designed to survive, it's only when us humans interfere with their digestive system/food and expect them perform in other ways that things go wrong or should be tailored to what we do with that particular horse but for a horse that lives a pretty natural life, grazing (fibre only diet) with access to water, there is no reason in my mind why they can't finish grazing or a snack on a net of hay before doing any ridden exercise straight afterwards, within reason of course, it just common sense but competition horses and race horses will have a different diet, routine and workload, so they need to be managed differently.
 
In my fantasy stables there is virtually no 'hard' feed but constant access to grazing/roughage... in practice I do what owners want but by default exercise after grazing without any unnecessary standing around and feed nuts/mix, if at all, once horse has cooled (usually ridden/walked off, I only wait for any additional time after to untacking and groom if owner requests) after riding.
 
Very interesting. I guess the yard is a mainly competition yard and so they probably feed less forage and more hard feed. I've never needed to feed my horses a high grain content diet. They have always had loads of haylage and only two hard feeds a day of high fibre feed.
 
I guess it depends how long their going to be stood doing nothing, for example on a weekend / day off he comes in from the field and gets hay while i brush tack up have a coffee chat etc, in the week if im just going for a quick ride then i brush, tack up and we go he doesnt have any hay, but he has been on grass all day. I'd rather feed him forage than concentrates as hes only a youngster and doesnt need any more fizz.
 
I always supply enough hay for me to groom - she then stands and waits while I tack up (easier than fighting to get hay from her gaping maw while trying to get the bit in!!)

I don't conscribe to the empty stomach brigade, if we go on a long ride we even stop in the middle for a grazing break for them and us (by the pub :D)
 
Wagtail said:
Very interesting. I guess the yard is a mainly competition yard and so they probably feed less forage and more hard feed. I've never needed to feed my horses a high grain content diet. They have always had loads of haylage and only two hard feeds a day of high fibre feed.
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Hah this is probably why so many competition horses have ulcers!
 
I'm the same as you Wagtail and always ensure that the horses have access to hay or haylage whilst in being groomed, tacked up etc.
 
Never! Exercise and food deprivation, alone or, especially, in combination, are risk factors for ulcers. And ulcers can establish themselves within five
days of these stresses. Giving horses continual access to forage, NOT
high starch foods, is highly recommended.

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Really depends on what the grass is like

If really lush grass and feel horse is bloated, will bring in and just give a very small armful of haylage. However if there is little grass I always give a good net of haylage.

My horse gets bad tempered if he is hungry (don't blame him)
 
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