Feeding before/after riding

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Liane

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When a horse gets a small (and by small I mean half a flat scoop of readigrass or similar and a cup of balancer or handfull of mix/cubes) feed how soon after feeding would you ride or feed after riding?

A lot of people I know stick to the 'leave an hour between feeding and work' and 'leave 1/2-1 hour after work to feed', but if the feed is that small would it really cause a problem? I would have thought bringing in from the field/turning out or giving a haynet before or after work is just the same?

What do you do?
 
My horses get fed fibre and not a lot else, so they get fed whenever. Usually after riding. If they've been standing around not eating before riding, though, I'd give them a scoop of something fibrous before work to prevent problems caused by excess acid.
 
Liane said:
When a horse gets a small (and by small I mean half a flat scoop of readigrass or similar and a cup of balancer or handfull of mix/cubes) feed how soon after feeding would you ride or feed after riding?

A lot of people I know stick to the 'leave an hour between feeding and work' and 'leave 1/2-1 hour after work to feed', but if the feed is that small would it really cause a problem? I would have thought bringing in from the field/turning out or giving a haynet before or after work is just the same?

What do you do?
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I've always stuck to the "one-hour" rule basically; i.e. leave an hour between feeding & work; and vice versa afterwards. If they come in after exercise then they get their haynets but no food till at least an hour after. If turning out after work AND having hard feed, same rule applies, i.e. leave an hour to let them chill, then feed. It was what we were taught in Pony Club and I've never done anything different.

Can't go wrong with the "hour" rule IMO.
 
depends on how much work, but NEVER feed sooner than 30 mins after riding and only then if we have just gently hacked. AFter a strenous schooling session it would be at least and hour

As for before riding, never any hard feed. If horse is hungry (no grass) then he would have a small haynet before being ridden, with 10-15min gap until ridden
 
Yep, i give a handfull of chaff before riding, research has shown that it helps reduce and prevent worsening of ulcers.
I usually wait to feed after riding,half an hour or so if not worked hard, but if hard work, at least 45 mins until theyre well cooled and settled
 
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I often feed about 20-30 mins after exercise and gave never had a problem. She gets two handfuls of chaff and a scoop of balancer with her supplements. She is a fussy eater and I've found she's more likely to eat after she has been worked
 
SmartieBean09 said:
If the feed is fibre only then you can ride pretty much straight away. The 1 hour rule only applies to cereal feeds.
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This. And I'm definitely 'old school'.
But ours only get fibre feeds. I like to give them something to nibble on while grooming prior to work and turn out immediately after brushing off after work. If a horse gallops away from a predator in the wild, it isn't going to wait an hour before grazing.
 
Never a feed before (treats okay).

Then by the time I've hosed down, put tack away etc etc I'll make up a feed for the horse but only small 'thank you feeds', will kill more time if feeding a large feed. Normally our feeds get done am and/or pm though, not near riding times.

Pan
 
I normally leave an hour after feeding before i ride. after work it depends how hot he is, i normally let him cool off and then feed so times can vary, never had a problem in four years
 
I was always a strict follower of the one hour rule but since my boy only gets Very small fibre feeds I don't worry as much. Do prefer to feed after riding than before if I can't give him nearly an hour after feeding before riding though.

Recent advice suggests it is best for a horse to have a stomach lightly lined with fibre before exercise anyway (stand for half an hour with a haynet before tacking up)... stops all the stomach juices sloshing around in there causing ulcers! ;)
 
Agree that if you are feeding 100% fibre it really doesn't matter and when I fed SS feeds I would feed whenever.

However I now tend to leave at least 40 mins before riding and around the same afterwards TBH. By the time I've done all my jobs its normally around then anyway and the only time pony gets fed before is on the weekend and we normally hack so will spend the first 15 monutes warming up and never hooly around the countryside. After riding is more common and I'll ride, groom, wash down, skip out, hay, top up water, wipe off tack and by then he's normally cooled down enough. I've never *touches wood* had an issue feeding on this basis but my horses have nevr had tonnes of hard feed - usually no more than a scoop in winter but more likely 1/2 scoop.
 
If you turn your horse out onto grass, or leave in a stable without food you aren't stopping food for an hour before work. It's like taking water away, how many people stop access to water before they work their horse? I would suggest your horse is eating until very soon before you work them.

As a point, endurance horses in longer rides are reguarly fed, then go back into hard work, all within a time gap of 20-30mins (usually), so often will only stop eating 5 mins before they resume work. Hard feed, sloppy feed, fibre feed, what the horse fancies. Colic is not an issue. They are also given as much fluid as they want, even during each loop at crew stops. In fact you worry when your horse isn't drinking, never when they are.
 
I don't think I've ever had to feed before riding but I'd leave an hour, after riding I'd just leave the time it takes me to untack, brush off and potter about as I do which is probably half an hour. I usually walk him off for a bit to cool down before that. If I was feeding a lot like I probably will this winter I might go home and come back anyway.

He is out at grass all the time though, a handful of fibre is surely not much different to grass or hay and they need something in their stomachs at all times so I also let him have the odd grazing stop on hacks.
 
marydoll said:
Yep, i give a handfull of chaff before riding, research has shown that it helps reduce and prevent worsening of ulcers.
I usually wait to feed after riding,half an hour or so if not worked hard, but if hard work, at least 45 mins until theyre well cooled and settled
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Exactally as above!
Riding on a completely empty stomach means that acid gets splashed over the gut lining causing or irritating ulcers but a handful of chaff will act like a sponge and soak the acid up.
Id not feed hard feed but mine always have access to hay.
Again as above with feeding after work.
 
I don't often feed before I ride but if I'm just feeding a small fibre/balancer feed, I would ride straight after (probably about 20 mins with grooming, tacking up, bandaging etc). If I'm feeding cubes or cereals I would give hay beforehand and feed after riding. Again, I would feed straight after riding if the horse had cooled down (but my idea of straight after is having cooled off in walk for 10mins, untacked, washed down/brushed off and then making the feed so about 30mins after intense work).
 
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