Some Dumb Q's for those who keep horses out 24/7

D

DaisyOscar

Active Member
Joined
21 October 2010
Messages
34
Visit site
Just wondering about a couple of things..

When you want to ride do you bring the horse in a little while beforehand too allow him to digest any grass he's been eating or do you just get on and ride?
Was reading a very old pony club manual which said to "take it easy for the first 15 mins riding"??

Also how do you cope with competition days?

Thank you!:D
 
I usually just get on and go but mine doesn't exactly work hard (I am the laziest rider ever!)

Competition days (of which there have only ever been three in his life so far) I just dragged him in 20 mins before we needed to go and then went.

As I said before I'm very lazy though and don't do anything to a decent level. we just potter really. Plus he is only out 24/7 in the summer which helps!
 
I don't wait tbh. By the time I have got him in and groomed him, tacked up at least 15 mins will have gone by. When I get on, I don't exactly ride like I'm in the grand national, and I think unless you get your horse totally out of puff, you won't have any problems :)

Competition days? Pray he doesn't get too dirty the night before, then wash his legs and tail and hot cloth the rest of him to remove the dirt (grey horse!) Someone is bringing my turned out 24/7 horse in to get him ready to come for my wedding. I will be scrubbing him til he shines the day before and putting a rain sheet on him whatever the weather and hoping he doesn't get too dirty for her! :eek:
 
Imagine a horse saying to a wolf: "Excuse me while I take it easy running away for the first 15 minutes, while I digest the grass I just ate!" :D No, I just haul him in from the field, saddle him, and warm up as normal. As to competition days, well, thankfully he's bay, so a regular grooming will do! If I suspect the weather will be awful, he'll get a rain sheet on to keep him dry before a competition; similarly if he's just had a bath.
 
I take the horse in groom, tack up and go. I spend 10 minutes warming up anyway so if you think - by the time the horse has come away from the grass to doing harder work - that's about 15 minutes.
I have also brought in, brushed/tacked up - hacked 8 miloes to show field. done a couple classes and hacked home. The horse has never had any ill effects etc. :D
 
bakedbean said:
When was the last time you saw a wolf roaming the highways and biways of great britain?
Click to expand...

I really hope never. They're the thing I had nightmares about as a kid and I don't think I'd sleep a wink if they were reintroduced or anything silly like that. Even if they were in Scotland I'd worry!
 
I do bring him in a for rest before riding, he has a bit of chaff and a haynet and then by the time I have brushed him and tacked up at least 40 minutes have passed (I am quite slow at getting him ready and like to chat!).

I don't need to do it for his health but I don't like to rush if I don't need to.
 
Well by the time I've groomed and tacked up (which takes a loooong time in winter :( ) they've definitely had long enough to digest any grass. I would spend about 10-15min warming up anyway before getting onto harder stuff so it really isn't an issue.
 
Ive never heard that one but it normally takes me 20mins to half an hour to get ready to ride! I end up faffing around while i am grooming and tacking up lol :rolleyes:

As for competition days it depends, if its an evening SJ then i bring in, groom, load and off we go, but with a proper show where they have to be glammed up i keep them in the night before. :)
 
spookypony said:
I haven't, thankfully, although I gather someone wants to reintroduce them to the Highlands or something... :o
Click to expand...

There are a few Wolf Sanctuaries (we have one not too far from us) so it is possible that a wolf could escape and go for a potter about the lanes and roads. :p
 
I bring mine in an hour before, including tacking up etc because when I bring him out I find he is wayyy to lazy!! Find he is so much better and ready to go when he's had that hour to relax and 'clean himself out' without having a big heavy tummy and not wanting to do any work :)
 
I ride mine straight away (after grooming) including having lessons and I've never had a problem. I find that when they are out 24/7 they graze a little all day long rather than gorge themselves but of course I keep an eye on the grass anyway for laminitis and weight reasons.

Mine are cleaner living out than in.
 
I wait about 40 mins but I worry about things like that. I just don't like my horse to have been eating for a good while before I ride so if out I bring in and wait and if in I take the hay away 40 mins. before I plan to get on. I then walk for a good 10 mins. After that I feel safer. Had a horse prone to colic and I always waited an hour for him.
 
It has to be remembered, horses that live out (like mine) As Booboos has said, aren't gorging for 24 hours. Instead they're on the move, laying down, playing with the others, standing under a tree grazing here and there or whatever. They certainly haven't just had a big bucket of grain based mix stuck in a stable. Some have said they give a hay net or chaff when tacking up before going out. I wouldn't do this myself. All I do is give them a couple of handfuls of nuts with a splash of water when we get back.
The only time any of mine get to go in a stable now is if they get sweated up in the winter, they get a sweat rug and go in to dry off; or if the vet of farrier is coming.
 
I'd hope nobody would jump on a horse and immediately do fast / hard work in the first 15 mins anyway! 10 mins of that should be warming up for example.

I keep mine out, I dont give them any time as such from the grass - only as long as it takes to groom and tack up (prob 10/15 mins). For events, I do the same or I'll bring the horse in the night before if I've had to wash him (he's dreaded grey) purely to keep him clean. He's actually more chilled out if taken straight off the grass!

I dont worry about working after them eating fibre (ie. grass / hay), but I would always give them an hour before working after a proper hard feed.
 
Usually I just bring him in and give him a groom, tack up and have a chat. I usually end up talking for about 10/15 minutes before I start tacking up anyway!!!! But also D isn't on long lush grass he is busy eating starvation fields so his stomach isn't stuffed full anyway (although you wouldn't know he was on starvation looking at him :rolleyes: :o )
 
Having had a horse prone to ulcers, I always let mine chew on a haynet right until I get on and ride off. As someone else said the first 15 minutes tend to involve walking, anyway. I usually hack out, so 15 minutes just about gets me to the bridleways.
My horses are rarely grazing when I go to ride anyway. They know the time and they've normally already been standing by the gate not eating anything for a while, so when we set off it's usually just a belly full of hay.
 
My TB is out 24/7. It takes 5 min to walk from the field to the yard, then a further 15 mins for me to groom/faff/tack up and I always walk for the first ten mins when hacking or schooling.

When competing, I generally bring him in 2hrs before we leave. This is to allow plenty of time for a) him to eat and digest (assuming it's a morning start) and b) for me to scrub him clean! (he is grey). Unless it's winter and I have to deal with early starts and mud, then he is out the night before a comp. He was out all night before both one day events we've done so far this year.
 
Mine was out (still is) unrugged wont wear one, sometimes I brushed him thoroughly all over only to come back from a ride back in the field and straight to the muddiest puddle.(He is cremello).

Then as long as feet picked out and tack/saddle area decent...brush and gooooooooooooo.

I think we were a permanent ball of mud. One dry summer the vet said oh have you clipped him..ur no moulted with nice short clean coat.

Shows never did that kind of thing which I could never see me doing..we are far too muddy.

Digestion...hes been out 24 hours snooping around. No etiquette unfortuantely.
 
The rule I abode to is that after a hard feed then yes they should wait an hour before exercise.

other than hard feed H lives out 24/7 so just tack up in the field, hopp on and go or bought in with haynet and tacked up and ridden.
 
Get on and go - it does take a little time to groom and tack up anyhow. Mine don't get hard feed, so no worries on that score.
 
I think it stems from hard feeding horses... there is also an old adage never ride a horse off fresh grass but I think it's just another old saying misinterpreted.

Never had any probs riding any horse straight off the field.

Does anyone know what is actually SUPPOSED to happen? Do they just fall over and hold thier tummys like when we have stitch??
 
Just get him in, groom (how long depends on what i can be bothered doing! Lol), I then get on and go. I don't know the theory behind waiting and where it came from as, as mentioned horses in the wild don't wiat til they've digested food properly before they leg it from a lion! They are designed to eat and run put it that way! i am not sure whether it makes a difference with hard feed - I guess maybe some does expand slightly when digested so that may be why you should wait a little then but that would depend on how much you have fed in my mind. I fed out lot the other night then got mine out and schooled him in the field. I barely brushed him as he's pretty clean and he was fine (it's not like i am galloping about for a long time)
 
tallyho! said:
I think it stems from hard feeding horses... there is also an old adage never ride a horse off fresh grass but I think it's just another old saying misinterpreted.

Never had any probs riding any horse straight off the field.

Does anyone know what is actually SUPPOSED to happen? Do they just fall over and hold thier tummys like when we have stitch??
Click to expand...


I actually asked my vet who specializes in horses (the whole practice does).....he said an hour between eating anything and working....anything included hard food, hay and grass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top