Feed Pre-Exercise

[ex_racer]

I have a 5yo TB and have fed her Baileys Keep Calm for the past year. Over winter she was on box rest for a few weeks so I switched to Rowen Barbary solution mash with a tiny bit of Keep Calm (simply so that she would eat it - as she wasn’t keen on it).

I’m now feeding half Keep Calm and half Solution mash and she’s looking really well on it. I have always left it an hour after feeding before exercising but I have recently been told that actually it can be beneficial to feed her 20-30 mins pre exercise.

Is this safe to do? I worry about the risk of colic. I have contacted Baileys to get their advice too but any opinions/experiences are welcome!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

It's a good idea to feed forage before riding, chaff of some kind or hay is just as good to buffer the tummy from acid splash. Not concentrate feed though.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

It's much better for the horse to have a small amount of forage in its stomach at the beginning of exercise, than hard feed.

 

[Roxylola]

I feed a small mostly fibre feed directly before tacking up and riding, I think if you're feeding fibre as opposed to a large portion of cereals its beneficial to have something in their stomachs as it limits acid splash and therefore ulcers (hopefully). However I grew up catching and tacking up in the field to ride so the (now dated) notion of ensuring you gave a period of time without food before riding was always a bit puzzling to me

 

[deicinmerlyn]

Yes, I feed before exercise, but then I feed low starch low sugar feeds. Unless you’re doing hard or fast work then it’s fine and even then bay or chaff should be given. I believe endurance riders feed during an event.

 

[Dexter]

I tie up with feed and a haynet. Once the feed is eaten I brush off and tack up. while they eat the hay net. I feed forage based feeds and have no issue at all working them after eating. I wouldnt do it if they were cereal or higher starch/sugar feeds

 

[Lois Lame]

However I grew up catching and tacking up in the field to ride so the (now dated) notion of ensuring you gave a period of time without food before riding was always a bit puzzling to me

By taking a horse from it's field, tacking up and going for a ride, the horse is not operating on an empty system. He has forage in it. That's good. I don't believe the laws of feeding have changed at all, it's just how they have been perceived.

 

[Roxylola]

By taking a horse from it's field, tacking up and going for a ride, the horse is not operating on an empty system. He has forage in it. That's good. I don't believe the laws of feeding have changed at all, it's just how they have been perceived.

Oh I agree that its good, however that wasn't at the time "correct" back then the official way to do things was to take haynets away and/or stand in for an hour before working. I've never known anyone that actually did that but that was the by the book way

 

[dogatemysalad]

Oh I agree that its good, however that wasn't at the time "correct" back then the official way to do things was to take haynets away and/or stand in for an hour before working. I've never known anyone that actually did that but that was the by the book way

I used to ride at a yard run by one of the top names in International eventing. It was common practice to remove haynets before and after exercise.
Personally, I don't, but then my horse isn't working at that level.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Mine always get a hay net before they are ridden.

 

[Bellaboo18]

For ulcer preventative, feed a fibre based meal 30 minutes to an hour before riding. So chaff, hay, soaked grass nuts etc. Not hard feed.

 

[Surbie]

I feed forage-based fibre rather than hard feed anyway, and give a haynet while grooming and tacking up - was taught to do this at an RS in the '80s.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

I tie up with a haynet whilst i groom. If im rushing i give a handful or two of chaff with some water but thats rare as i prefer to warm the muscles up grooming before tacking up and hopping on!

 

[Birker2020]

When I used to compete I used to take my horse a couple of hay nets in the trailer, one for transporting and one for standing still tied up to the back of the trailer before tacking up and whilst stood in between classes.
It never did her any harm and it's much better and safer than a hard feed.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I don’t worry too much as I pretty much only feed fibre based feeds these days. I’ll feed Pink Mash with unmolassed chaff and not wait a full hour. My oldie gets Saracen Releve plus conditioning cubes in winter so as it’s got a bit more to it I’ll usually give pink mash prior to riding and then he has a second breakfast after riding.

 

[MereChristmas]

I think, but will bow to greater authority, that the wait an hour came from when feed was mainly cereal grains. These take longer to digest and inhibit performance.
Here is one view
https://www.yourhorse.co.uk/advice/.../article/should-i-feed-my-horse-before-i-ride