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  Discussion on FEEDING AND EXERCISING
Author Message
New Member:
boogirl

Posted on Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 4:05 pm:

I have a bit of an issue as to when my mare gets fed at the stable vs when I can get her out for exercise. I work late till around 8:30 - 9:00 at night so I need to exercise her in the morning. However, when I go up to get her out she is usually eating as they have just fed about 15 - 30 minutes earlier. Is there any health concerns associated with taking a horse away from their feed to let them run around and get some exercise?
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 4:10 pm:

Welcome to HA, Boogirl!

I lived with this problem for years, and noticed the occasional attitude problem (which occasionally might have impacted my own health!) but never any GI upset. I did give my own concentrates after work rather than before, and was careful to cool down the horse.

I actually think it's good training for the horse, especially if you intend to compete. Good for them to know duty may call at inconvenient times, and they will still be expected to go to work.
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 5:00 pm:

Hello Boogirl,

I have a similar problem at the barn I am at, but more in the evening than the morning. I like to give my horses about an hour between when they get fed and when they go out to jog or train (I have racehorses). Morning feed is not a problem since I get there around 8:30am, someone feeds the entire barn around 6 am.

What I would do is ask the people that feed to only feed a small amount and leave the rest of the feed for after the horse was exercised and cooled out. This way the horse gets something, but not enough to cause any type of digestive upset and then gets the rest later.

I am on a slightly different schedule than the other people in the barn, they feed lunch at 10:30 am and I do not feed lunch until noon (morning feed is 6 am). They feed dinner at 4:30pm. I feed dinner at 6pm. SO, I leave a small can of feed, so in case my horses are in they get something so they don't bang on their gates when the rest of the barn gets fed. Then I feed them the rest later at 6pm. It seems to work well for me.


Good luck and Welcome to HA.
Rachelle
Member:
mrose

Posted on Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 5:40 pm:

Another Welcome, Boogirl.

I think it depends on what they are fed and how heavy they are worked. I think with just hay, it's not a problem, (other than mental.) If your horse is getting a lot of concentrate, then I think it's better to give them a little time to digest their feed. When you think about it, horses are grazing and flight animals and in the wild would be eating and running all the time. Of course, in the wild horses aren't fed heavy loads of rich feed though! Some training barns keep hay in front of horses all the time and feed supplements and grain after work and cool down.
Member:
canter

Posted on Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 10:15 pm:

Hello, Boogirl, and welcome.

Although not a regular thing, I have interrupted my horse's meals on occasion to put her to work. While she does not work as heavily as, say, one of Rachelle's racehorses, my mare is in dressage training. I might be fooling myself, but I think that at least some of the feed gets digested while grooming, tacking up and warm up before we really get into it (I'm sure DrO will set me straight here). I've never had an issue health or attitude wise...the biggest drawback I have found is that I may have one more pile of poop to pick up out of the arena when we're done. After, I always ensure to take extra long to cool out, brush her and leave her standing in cross ties before returning her to what's left of her meal.
Member:
dsibley

Posted on Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 7:51 am:

I understand the concern about exercise after grain, and I tend to agree that it might not be a good idea, but let me add one more aspect to this issue:

I run a boarding stable. While I try to accommodate requests from my boarders, I also have issue with someone coming in and dumping grain in a stall when horses on either side have none. The horse that has it will try to protect their meal, and the horses on either side will try to at least irritate the heck out of the one eating. Hay doesn't seem to be as much of an issue as grain.

I might suggest talking the issue over with the barn owner. Maybe put the grain in a pan or bucket and let the horse eat in an area away from the stalls? Just an observation; I've had boards broken before when people did this.
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 10:38 am:

dieliz,

I am in a barn with 24 other horses, 22 of them belong to one operation, but all of us cooperate as much as possible with the feeding arrangements even if we are on a different schedule.

We all set up our breakfast and dinner usually while the horses are out of the stalls and usually first thing in the morning, so there is no banging of the feed tubs or feedcans in barrels which is usually what gets the horses upset.

If Boogirl could quietly feed her horse after she was exercised and cooled out, I am not sure if the other horses would really care. I know when I was in a barn that everyone was not on basically the same schedule, as long as my horses had already eaten, they did not act up even if the other horses were fed after them. They seemed to know they had already eaten and basically just ate their hay and ignored everything else.

Rachelle
Member:
dsibley

Posted on Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 9:34 pm:

Maybe it is the production made of the process? It's just an observation. It's usually the one eating that makes the most ruckus trying to protect their food.

Bottom line, however, is that the barn owner should work with you to do what is best for the horse. You pay to board there, and while I understand that they have a lot to do, your schedule also has to be accommodated with advance notice.

Another word of advice (geez, have I seen it all or what?) If you make advance arrangements with the barn manager, please do everything you can to show up. I have had boarders call and tell me that they are coming to ride, and please don't feed their horse. I can see the parking lot from my living room, and I give them two hours past the appointed time. If they don't show up by that time, I call (they never answer) and leave a message that I am going to feed their horse. Then I have to put on all my winter gear...why don't they do this in the summer??...and trek down to the barn and feed the poor critter. What if I hadn't been watching?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 9:53 pm:

Welcome Boogirl,
Our horses are fed lightly before we go riding. I would be more concerned if they are large amounts of grain but surveys have not shown that recent feeding before exercise a risk factor for colic. I do think the idea of getting together with the barn manager and working out a solution that works for everyone should be possible.
DrO
New Member:
horsewiz

Posted on Thursday, Aug 20, 2009 - 7:39 am:

Hi Boogirl,
I ride 50 mile endurance rides and we feed our horses at the Vet checks and ride them hard.
Everyone seems to do this and I haven't seen any problems. Also I recently did research on ulcers and hindgut acidosis and it looks like feeding the horse before riding helps to prevent ulcers.
It keeps the acid from going up on the part of the stomach that is sensitive to the acid.
You don't feed them 5lbs. Usually only a lb depending on what you give.
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