How long between Feeding and Riding?

3Beasties

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2008
Messages
15,574
Visit site
OK I really should know the answer to this but I can never remember if it's one or two hours, seems that people have different opinions on the matter!

So how long do you leave your horse after feeding before you can ride?

I fed the beast before I was suppose to be going to work but now I don't have to be in work till later so need to ride before I go, typically I had fed him 5 minutes before I was told not to go in till later :rolleyes: :D
 

3Beasties

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2008
Messages
15,574
Visit site
Thought so, I'm only going for a quick hack (It's chucking it down :rolleyes: ) So I don't think it will do any harm :D

Never heard of it being 30 mins but if it is then even better!
 

Noodlebug

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 August 2010
Messages
642
Location
Somewhere
Visit site
I leave for 30 mins after riding but only if hacking so can walk for first part. I always leave 30 mins after riding unless hot and then wait until cooled down. I do feed haylage before and after riding but I know some people don't and treat as hard feed!
 

forestfantasy

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 September 2011
Messages
999
Location
Chesterfield
Visit site
I was always told an hour.
Gentle walking won't hurt, most people turn out after feeding in a morning and the horse might go whizzing round the field for 10 minutes and is fine.
 

TGM

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 April 2003
Messages
16,527
Location
South East
Visit site
Depends on the size and type of the feed and the intensity of the work to be done.

With a large (1-2kg) proper hard feed, then an hour before riding.

If the feed is only a scoop of chaff or similar fibre-based feed then would happily go for a gentle hack after 30 minutes.
 

Marydoll

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 March 2011
Messages
7,140
Location
Central scotland
Visit site
A proper feed with hardfeed etc, id leave an hour or so.
A handful of chaff and id ride after 10-15 minutes
Research into gastric ulcers show giving a handful of chaff before riding to be benificial in preventing splash about of gastric acid and reducing the impact of the ulcers
 

fidleyspromise

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 August 2005
Messages
3,705
Location
Scotland
Visit site
Depends on the size and type of the feed and the intensity of the work to be done.

With a large (1-2kg) proper hard feed, then an hour before riding.

If the feed is only a scoop of chaff or similar fibre-based feed then would happily go for a gentle hack after 30 minutes.

This
 

Rouletterose

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 October 2008
Messages
930
Visit site
A proper feed with hardfeed etc, id leave an hour or so.
A handful of chaff and id ride after 10-15 minutes
Research into gastric ulcers show giving a handful of chaff before riding to be benificial in preventing splash about of gastric acid and reducing the impact of the ulcers

^^^^^

This is what we do, and after riding if the horse has had a proper work session, we don't feed for an hour.
 

eggs

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 February 2009
Messages
5,427
Visit site
When I was doing my riding exams years ago we were always taught to leave an hour after feeding.

However I do think it is very dependant on what and how large the feed is. I am quite happy to bring mine in from the field to ride with only the time it takes to groom and tackup before hopping on board.

In the wild horses are basically eating for most of the day but have to be able to gallop off if a predator rocks up so I do think we tend to be a little more cautious than necessary.
 

Pearlsasinger

Up in the clouds
Joined
20 February 2009
Messages
48,421
Location
W. Yorks
Visit site
In the wild horses are basically eating for most of the day but have to be able to gallop off if a predator rocks up so I do think we tend to be a little more cautious than necessary.


Exactly!

I always make sure that mine have had some hay/lage to eat before riding but would never give a cereal feed less than an hour before.
Likewise I like them to eat forage after work, it is part of their 'winding down' period.
 

scarymare

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 October 2010
Messages
1,250
Visit site
I don't give any time at all.

Mine are on (mostly) ad lib forage and only get a handful of hard food. Obviously I wouldn't stuff them with food and then go for a gallop. I think it depends. Mind you, in the summer I do bring them in for an hour or more if they have been on good grass as I think this is worse.
 

unbalanced

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 January 2011
Messages
1,142
Visit site
I don't bother leaving any time. However, my pony is a laminitic out on a bald grass paddock. In her stable she gets soaked hay. When she was eating her bucket feed as I was tacking up before my lesson the other day (set my alarm for 7pm not 7am and woke up at 8.30 for a 9am lesson whoops!) she was actually only eating hi fi lite which is only fibre anyway so it doesn't really worry me. We start the lesson doing in hand work in walk for half an hour - it's not like we're headed out onto the cross country course.
The only things I ever feed that I wouldn't give her straight before riding would be her blue chip lami lite and speedibeet but to be honest the quantities are so small (200g dry weight of each) that I would only leave half an hour if she didn't only get it in her evening feed.
 

juliette

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 June 2010
Messages
952
Location
Suffolk/Essex border
Visit site
I keep some Simple Systems in the diet purely so that I can feed it very soon after a ride as a reward. My horse LOVES their Lucie Nuts. They can be fed whole or soaked so i soak for after a ride so that he gets re-hydrated. Generally not an issue after a hack, but means it is normal routine for when we do endurance, he is a devil for not drinking away from home, but this routine has helped with that enormously.

However, I don't feed before a ride unless i am leaving it at least an hour before grooming and tacking up.
 
Top