who feeds a small (very small) token feed before riding, if the horse is hungry!?

There could be a reason for it though...when Snip was having ulcer troubles I always fed a small forage feed before a ride.

I don't feed mixes or cereals but personally I'd never feed these before a ride.

Now I know the ulcers were as a result of pain from tying up, I no longer give a feed before work, but I always have a haynet tied up on the yard for them to pick at before being ridden.
 
It shouldnt be- I used to do event horses, and they quite often get worked at different times of the day. So if it was near a feedtime, a biggish handful of nuts is usually enough to think they've had what everyone else is getting. This stops stressing and sulking, and keeps the horse happy!
 
In the summer I often offered Phil a bit of hay or grass before work because he was muzzled and there's only so much I can expect him to do when he's been muzzled. We always take a while warming up though and have never had issues.
 
If she's in the stable she has hay before she is ridden or if out in the field I take about 5 minutes to brush, tack up etc so she still has grass in her belly.


I have been told by a professional that a small amount of chaff (or similar) a short period of time before a ride can actually be a good thing, especially for horses that are prone to "splashback" stomach ulcers etc.
 
I quite happily give my horse a normal breakfast or tea just before a ride. Just like I would give him a big bucket of feed in the middle of a ride, or at the end.
 
monkeybum13 said:
I have been told by a professional that a small amount of chaff (or similar) a short period of time before a ride can actually be a good thing, especially for horses that are prone to "splashback" stomach ulcers etc.
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Yes this is true. Last year when I suspected my horse had Ulcers he was given some chaff (or anything that can be used as a hay replacer!) before a ride, he never suffered from any ill affects.
 
Hay, usually .
If it's going to be a long day (ride, travel, etc) and I know we're getting well after dinner time, I give a small bucket of chaff before setting off.
 
I couldn't work a horse who's hungry. How mean. I'd get down half an hour earlier to give some chaff or hay.

The whole colic thing is if you give a huge bucketful of hard feed before work!
 
i give my mare a very small token feed if the other horses on yard are being fed and i need to hack before the usual 'hour break' is over .
literally a tiny bit of chaff and a very small handful of grass nuggets. #it stops her stressing when the others get theirs. but it is seriously small - she often raises her eyebrows in disgust when she sees it!!!
She then gets the rest of her brekky when she gets back.
 
Obie has ad-lib hay/grass so that's out of the question. I usually feed him in the morning wait an hour then ride. If I didn't have time I'd give him a handful or so of chaff, there's nothing wrong with it. It doesn't necessarily mean they're going to get colic, it's a pittance!
Movement is related to gut stimulation, so the gut is still working effectively to push (not to absorb so much). You wouldn't give them a huge bucket because as the gut is trying to shovel it through it might colic, as the blood is wanting to locate to the muscles and respiratory system so therefore it's not working 100% effectively.
However the MAIN reason for not feeding a huge bucket before a ride is that the stomach is located directly behind the lungs, and therefore if you feed them x amount of hard feed which fills their stomach up, and then you school them, or take them for a fast canter/gallop, the food within the stomach is restricting the inflation of the lungs, resultingin them not being able to breathe properly, resulting in not enough oxygen in the blood getting to the vital organs etc. etc.
So.. don't do it. A tiny bit of chaff and then feed afterwards, but always ad lib hay.
 
this is a big bug bear of mine! Mine has breakfast and haynet before i ride (only fast filbre so only need to wait half hour before riding) i have a BIG problem with some of my freinds - in that their horses will have breakfast and are then left for 2 hours with nothing before being ridden - i hate it!! they should be given hay!!! poor thing being worked on an empty tummy!
 
Unless you're one of these people who takes their horse off grass at least an hour before they tackup and ride, your horse is going to be full of grass/fibre anyways. A chaff feed isn't going to make any difference.

I wouldn't feed a hard feed before riding (as in cereals and graisn, not that I feed that anyways) but I often give him a small chaff feed: he's grumpy, stressy and bad tempered if he's hungry or expecting his dinner. Once he's had a little chaff he's happy.
 
I take two mins to tack up / groom etc... obviously a different case with current mare as she's in process of being broken, getting used to people being around etc...but ive only recently seens a couple of people feed a handful of chaff with a shredded carrot in before riding.......maybe ive led a sheltered life!
 
Always has his breakfast before riding or travelling, always been ok, so I go by, if it ain't broke don't fix it, you do what works for your "individual" animal.
 
I never give a bucket feed before riding but always make sure they have hay to nibble on whilst being groomed, tacked up etc.
 
I prefer to feed after however if I ride after work and get up to the yard late, I do give handful of chaff to keep her going! also a net while I groom and tack up
 
Yes, a tiny token feed when I catch the horse up, but always leave a gap of about 30 minutes before riding - or a little haynet to pick at. I'm a happy hacker nowadays, warm them up gently over the first mile or two, and have never had any problems at all.
 
cause ebs is really girthy, when she doesnt kick or try to bite :o she gets a little treat cause she was good but nothing huge
i was told by my oringal YO if you going to be really picky about it some people wait 30mins after they have been eating grass or hay til they ride :p
 
i think it depends on what is in the feed - horses are designed to be able to eat and then gallop off at short notice if a predator arrives.

Fibre type feeds such as grass, hay and chaff are normally fine to feed, large cereal feeds not a good idea.

Endurance horses are fed at breaks and then set off again and they cope just fine and they don't wait an hour before setting off.

Mine comes in and has his feed but it is small feed mainly of chaff and a low starch mix (less than half a scoop) and then normally I ride within 30-45 minutes but the first 15 minutes will probably be in walk.
 
I don't think my horse has ever been hungry... :p If he's out in the field he is munching grass, and if he's stabled he always has a haynet, so he never goes without food for longer than it takes to refill an empty net! He does get a little hard feed in the morning and evening, but never before a ride. If the others are being fed and I want to ride soon, he'll get a handful of chaff so he doesn't think he's been missed out, and the rest when we're finished and he's completely cooled off.
 
Yes. Mine will have half a scoop of high fibre nuts and maybe some haylage to munch on depending on whether they are in or not.

Horses are constant feeders so they should, in theory, always have a full stomach. Feeding a small amount of hay just before exercise, particularly if it has been 2 or more hours since a horse's last feed, will stimulate saliva production and provide fill in the stomach to protect the stomach from gastric ulcers.
 
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