Feeding before and after exersize

[Hormonal Filly]

Do you feed before exercise/after? If not straight away, how long do you leave it?

We were talking about this with an few friends, interesting everyone does it very differently. I was told I do it incorrectly.. One lady always feeds before, just chaff and pony nuts, then rides. Another lady waits an hour after exercise before feeding anything at all and wouldn’t feed anything before at all in case of colic.

I’ve had both of my gelding over 5 years and always fed them before exercise, always thought it was better for them to have something in their stomach before work to line it. Although they only get a balancer and some chaff no real ‘hard’ feed as such, like mix etc. Sometimes I’ll feed them something after if they’ve been out a while.

 

[Follysmum]

I Always feed sloppy fibre feeds before, during and after when competing long distance rides. At home I will give a small feed before or let them munch on a haynet.

 

[milliepops]

mine always have forage available.

If it's convenient to me then I will feed them the fibre element of their bucket feeds before exercise, I would give the concentrate stuff later if that's the case.

Mine never come back to the box blowing, they will always have done something to cool down before coming in so by the time I've untacked and tidied everything away I think it's fine to give a bucket feed.

 

[lauracwd2]

If I've just brought them in from the field or they have been standing in the stable with hay then I generally wouldn't feed anything else. After work would depend on how long they'd worked, how hard it had been and how hot/sweaty they are. I wouldn't feed a very hot sweaty horse straight after work but would have no issue feeding one who had been out for a relaxing hack. Like milliepops I'd normally have done some cooldown work after a hard session so usually by the time I've tidied up etc it's fine to feed.

 

[Hallo2012]

mine always have forage available.

If it's convenient to me then I will feed them the fibre element of their bucket feeds before exercise, I would give the concentrate stuff later if that's the case.

Mine never come back to the box blowing, they will always have done something to cool down before coming in so by the time I've untacked and tidied everything away I think it's fine to give a bucket feed.

Exactly this i always make sure they have ad lib forage plus chaff prior to work but by the time ive faffed they are cool and dry and ready for their bucket feed afterwards

 

[SEL]

My bucket feeds aren't concentrates - beet, chaff, balancer - so they get fed first thing along with hay and I'm happy to exercise on that. Mare has had ulcers so is better both physically and mentally with food in her.

The vet who did her ulcer scope said he wished people wouldn't exercise on an empty stomach because the acid causes problems - but I know loads of people who still think it's the right approach.

 

[Tarragon]

Mine are field kept so always have been eating before they are ridden. If they are looking "full" though I might let them stand for a bit in the stable before tacking up. If they are "hungry" they get a hay net for a bit as being Exmoor ponies they can't think straight if they are hungry
I think that the "don't feed before riding" applies to a hard feed and I always thought it was related to the size of the first gut and how long food stays in there but not 100% sure

 

[Hormonal Filly]

mine always have forage available.

If it's convenient to me then I will feed them the fibre element of their bucket feeds before exercise, I would give the concentrate stuff later if that's the case.

Mine never come back to the box blowing, they will always have done something to cool down before coming in so by the time I've untacked and tidied everything away I think it's fine to give a bucket feed.

Same as mine, always have ad-lib haylage if in and on grazing if out. I have witnessed some owners come back to the yard with their horse still blowing, can't say i'd ever do that with mine. No good for them!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

My bucket feeds aren't concentrates - beet, chaff, balancer - so they get fed first thing along with hay and I'm happy to exercise on that. Mare has had ulcers so is better both physically and mentally with food in her.

The vet who did her ulcer scope said he wished people wouldn't exercise on an empty stomach because the acid causes problems - but I know loads of people who still think it's the right approach.

Interesting SEL, as the friend who doesn't feed for a hour before has had several ulcery horses with issues and I've never had issues with ulcers in mine. I'm sure it does contribute.

 

[JFTDWS]

Mine have hay / grass in the field before they're ridden - I tack up at the field, they live out. If I was travelling out, I might give chaff before I rode if I didn't think they'd eaten a lot of hay on the way / on site. I feed properly (chaff / beet) after work - which is either directly on untacking, or after they've been thrown back in the field for a bit (with hay/grass), depending on what I'm doing.

I wouldn't feet a blowing / hot horse, but again, wouldn't bring a horse back like that (or, if I did, I'd be walking it off in the field before untacking!).

 

[Birker2020]

Do you feed before exercise/after? If not straight away, how long do you leave it?

We were talking about this with an few friends, interesting everyone does it very differently. I was told I do it incorrectly.. One lady always feeds before, just chaff and pony nuts, then rides. Another lady waits an hour after exercise before feeding anything at all and wouldn’t feed anything before at all in case of colic.

I’ve had both of my gelding over 5 years and always fed them before exercise, always thought it was better for them to have something in their stomach before work to line it. Although they only get a balancer and some chaff no real ‘hard’ feed as such, like mix etc. Sometimes I’ll feed them something after if they’ve been out a while.

Hay before I ride to line stomach and reduce acid splashback. I wait 20 mins before feeding large meal after exercise although its only hacking. Wouldn't ride for an hour after a large meal, just chaff or something similar would wait 3/4 hour or thereabouts.

But I've travelled my horse before on a full stomach, which is meant to be bad. Also I've given a hay net whilst massage machine is on which is also meant to be bad! So I've come to the conclusion I must be a bad mother.

 

[blitznbobs]

Haylage all the time ... bucket feeds are generally just more foragerbh so
I’m not sure it matters. If I do feed hard feed I tend not to do it immediately before I ride nor immediately after especially if hot and sweaty... but that is just the way i was taught and makes sense to me from a biological point of view ... is there any science ?

 

[PapaverFollis]

Hard feed, as in mixes/nuts etc, sinks in the stomach rather than floats on it... so can make acid splash worse? Whereas chaff, hay and fibre feeds float and prevent splash? The problem, I have always assumed, with filling the gut then working hard or filling the gut immediately after working hard is to do with blood flow... blood is being diverted to muscles rather than the gut so the gut is not working effectively... colic risk. That's my understanding of the theory but I'm not sure how it bears out in reality. I've always just gone whatever work without restricting forage intake before or after. But I don't work them that hard!

The Beast gets a few handfuls of chaff and about 1.5kg ish of hay before she works in the mornings because I know she'll have finished her night time hay a few hours previous. When working in the evenings she comes from the field, has her massage pad on, then works but she also can go straight from the field.

Is it bad to feed hay while the massage pad runs? Why?

 

[Birker2020]

It changes over time and as more research is done though. Its a bit like the water theory. That you couldn't let them drink during a long ride for example. Now its that you let them drink at every opportunity. Also the thinking that t you weren't meant to let a horse drink if it was hot and sweaty. That's gone out of the window now and they should be rehydrated asap. They can drink half a bucket and then the rest later after they've been cooled off I believe is the current thinking.

 

[The Trooper]

I don't know if what I do is correct, please tell me if you don't think it is!

Whenever they are in they have adlib hay, they can eat it before tacking up, whilst tacking up or after tacking up, they also have adlib water at all times - either trough or bucket.

When we get back it's much the same, Bonnie frequently buries her face into a net before I even get her bridle off!

I'll also let them have a bite to eat when we're hacking and if available a drink.

They get a 'hard feed' once they have cooled off when they get back, Belle only gets her nuts and chaff, Bonnie gets her concoction of all sorts.

 

[Mule]

It seems crazy to think that people used to withold water after exercise. Whatever about research, what about common sense!

It changes over time and as more research is done though. Its a bit like the water theory. That you couldn't let them drink during a long ride for example. Now its that you let them drink at every opportunity. Also the thinking that t you weren't meant to let a horse drink if it was hot and sweaty. That's gone out of the window now and they should be rehydrated asap. They can drink half a bucket and then the rest later after they've been cooled off I believe is the current thinking.

 

[Orchard14]

Mine are currently fed 2x per day morning and evening. I don't give my horses hard feed before exercise necessarily. I tend to ride in the evenings so they are ridden either straight from the field or straight from the stable where they have grass and adlib hay respectively. If they are hot after exercise they go on the walker for 20 minutes while I sort stables then fed again in the evening. In the summer they will need to be fed 3x per day to account for the additional workload in which case I feed the additional feed around lunchtime, chuck them back out until the evening then ride, walker, feed, back to the field. Works well for us and I don't have to worry about rest periods between exercise and hard food.

 

[eggs]

Years ago we were told not to give water for a while before or after hard work and to feed at least an hour before working. However that was in the days when feeds consisted mainly of large amounts of oats and other grains. Science has moved on since then and we are now told it is dangerous to withhold water before hard work. It is also advisable to give the horse a small amount of fibre before riding to help prevent ulcers caused by acid splash - the thinking being that the fibre forms a 'mat' preventing the acid from splashing higher up the stomach.

Mine are usually caught in from the field so already have fibre in their belly. I will feed them after work once they have stopped blowing and have cooled down.

 

[LaurenBay]

I've always done it on how hard the Horse has worked. If a gentle ride then I feed straight after. If doing hard work then I will give them a bit of time after. I give my share Horse a small handful of chaff before riding though, he always seems to work better after a bit of food (despite having ad lib hay)

 

[conniegirl]

mine is never ridden on an empty stomach, he will always have grass or hay before a ride and immediately afterwards (I tie up with a haynet)

I wont feed hard feed untill they are cool after a ride. I was taught that when riding, you always walk the first mile out and the last 2 miles home. It means they are nearly always cool by the time I get home even if we have been doing interval work or lots of fast work. Even after a lesson or hard work in the arena, I always take them for a wander to cool off.

As for water, I've always offered it after a ride, however if they are very hot and sweaty I will offer tepid water rather than cold water.

 

[Carrottom]

I agree with most of the above - grass or forage before exercise, any hard feed after provided they have cooled right down, water available all the time. Only exception is when travelling, I am cautious about hay whilst travelling for horses who don't drink readily when away from home. I have known choke and colic where I suspect the cause was munching on forage when water not available.
One caution about allowing horses to drink when out hacking - I went for a longish hack in the winter and while I was out the temperature rose a fair bit, I allowed my mare to drink from the river and she had colic immediately we got home. I believe the river water was probably icy cold and having as she was a little warm it caused a shock to her system.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Do you feed before exercise/after? If not straight away, how long do you leave it?

We were talking about this with an few friends, interesting everyone does it very differently. I was told I do it incorrectly.. One lady always feeds before, just chaff and pony nuts, then rides. Another lady waits an hour after exercise before feeding anything at all and wouldn’t feed anything before at all in case of colic.

I’ve had both of my gelding over 5 years and always fed them before exercise, always thought it was better for them to have something in their stomach before work to line it. Although they only get a balancer and some chaff no real ‘hard’ feed as such, like mix etc. Sometimes I’ll feed them something after if they’ve been out a while.

if I am schooling after I have brought livery horses in and de poo field I leave my horses feed outside the door and feed after,
after as long as there was a cooling down period and horse not blowing or puffy, I feed about 15-20 mins after, I know the rule but my mares gets bitchy when she knows it is coming.

I won't exercise them after they had their meal, as I find my performs better with not a full stomach.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

if I am schooling after I have brought livery horses in and de poo field I leave my horses feed outside the door and feed after,
after as long as there was a cooling down period and horse not blowing or puffy, I feed about 15-20 mins after, I know the rule but my mares gets bitchy when she knows it is coming.

I won't exercise them after they had their meal, as I find my performs better with not a full stomach.

Suppose it depends how much you feed, mine don't get very much so I find they perform better after a feed. I don't ever give much so it wouldn't be a full stomach worth, I'm talking cobs, never owned a thoroughbred or anything dainty lol!

 

[Tarragon]

I would have thought that the walk 2 miles home is generally good advice for a stabled horse but if I am turning straight out into a field where they can (a) have a roll and (b) then walk about it isn't so important.

 

[conniegirl]

I would have thought that the walk 2 miles home is generally good advice for a stabled horse but if I am turning straight out into a field where they can (a) have a roll and (b) then walk about it isn't so important.

Mine are and have always been turned out. I never stable 24/7 except on vet advice. The 2 miles home is so that they are cool when you get off them. Therefore you can feed, rug (if needed) and turnout pretty much as soon as you have their tack off.

Sports science has proven that a correct cool down is as important as a good warm up for preventing injuries.

 

[Ambers Echo]

According to sport science there is a 'golden hour' after hard work when nutrients are absorbed optimally by the muscles to rebuild muscle fibres and replenish the glycogen they used. Ideally within 20 minutes but certainly within the hour. So feeding concentrates as soon as possible after work builds muscle and speeds up recovery. As I am wanting to strengthen Amber and build up her top line I give her a bucket feed within an hour of hard work.

 

[chaps89]

Mine gets breakfast and dinner but it's little more than a token feed.
However she always has a haynet whilst I get her ready as I do like her to have fibre.

When I crewed at Euston FEI endurance last spring, the horses were offered as much food (endurance mix) as we could get into them in between loops. They were also syringed with what I think was date/prune juice and offered plenty of water and alfalfa hay.
There's a lot of research in the endurance field on performance, I'd be surprised if at international level they were getting it wrong.

 

[NinjaPony]

Mine have hay when they come in from the field so are never exercised on an empty stomach. I base it on how much work has been done- happy to feed after untacking and putting things away if he’s had a gentle walk hack, I’ll wait 20 mins if he’s done a schooling session. Like others, he never comes back blowing and is always cooled down properly anyway. Plus his feed is all fibre based anyway.

 

[splashgirl45]

mine always had hay or haylage for her breakfast as i always rode first thing and was turned out after washing off or brushing, then she had her feed in the evening when she came in ....

 

[Lois Lame]

'Do you feed before exercise/after?'

I feed after, but I would not ride a horse who hadn't had some feed beforehand. For instance, a horse at grass is one I am comfortable to ride, as he has had grazing. If there is no grass due to drought, I would not want to ride that horse without having fed him some roughage a couple of hours beforehand.

I'm happy to feed after a ride but it depends on how strenuous the ride, how tired the horse, how hot the horse... A hot, tired horse would not be fed until he was comfortable.

This is quite a complex question because it depends on so many things.

Let's face it, most of my rides are pretty darn slack, and I come home more tied than the horse. I would already have loosened his girth on the last little bit of the ride and maybe even dismounted and walked that little bit too. So my horse is raring to be fed and is quite okay to be fed once I've unsaddled and unbridled him. He'd be offered some water first but probably won't want it. It's feed he wants.

I'd be soooooo much more careful with a horse who has had a decent bit of work, that's for sure. A hot, tired and thirsty horse should not be fed straight away. They need to be walked until they have cooled down. It's more 'warming down' than 'cooling down'.