# How long do you wait after feeding to ride?



## Blizzard (14 March 2007)

As title says really, hard feed of course.


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## Chex (14 March 2007)

I ride first, saves the hassle of waiting 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 But if I wasn't I'd probably wait an hour or so, if it was a "normal" sized feed.


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## peterthepony (14 March 2007)

If i feed before i ride will wait at least an hour, Peter gets fed every morning at around 7am and theres no chance that i ride that early


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## vieshot (14 March 2007)

Depends how big the feed is. If its just a couple of scoops then ill go out in about 20mins but if its a big feed then an hour.
xxx


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## spooks (14 March 2007)

we usually wait an hour to


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## sanda (14 March 2007)

Its supposed to be an hour. Manual of horsemanship Rules Of Good Feeding


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## moodymare1987 (14 March 2007)

I wait an hour but I dont have this problem as mine doesnt get a hard feed in morning He just gets on for his tea, He doesnt really need it so he gets it just before I go home.


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## viola (14 March 2007)

As far as I know you should wait at least an hour regardless the size of the meal and that is how I always have done. I am even not too keen on riding a horse straight from the field if it was there all day (would usually ask an owner for a horse to be brought in earlier so I can school when it had some time without munching).


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## Bright_Spark (14 March 2007)

I would wait an hour too or feed after riding. If they have come in from the field I'd groom etc for 45 min or so and they're not munching then.


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## buzzles (14 March 2007)

At least an hour and would take into consideration the size of the feed, the amount of work horse will be doing, (wait longer if its hard or fast work) and how long it takes the horse to eat, my horse take a good 20 minutes to finish all his food so I would wait an hour from when he's finished.


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## Blizzard (14 March 2007)

Im the same, I tend to wait an hour and a half though as my boy gets quite big feeds.


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## Gentle_Warrior (14 March 2007)

hour


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## Forget_Me_Not (14 March 2007)

One. An hour just the rule nobody questions. Two. Regards to bringing after hay/grazing... Horses are trickle feeders so I perfer his system to go without the un natural staving block and eat until I bring in.  Do you think horses is the wild go "Sorry lion give me an hour I've just eaten and can't fee from you just yet" I agree with leaving time when we give a hard feed becuase its not really trickle feeding. 3. [ QUOTE ]
 If its just a couple of scoops then ill go out in about 20mins

[/ QUOTE ] Is that a little?! Don't tell my big lad he alone gets a scoop or so in his biggest feed!


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## ihatework (14 March 2007)

I'm naughty, I ride my horse immediately after he's had his brekkie.  
	
	
		
		
	


	




Mind you he only gets a scoop of happy hoof.


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## Jellicle (14 March 2007)

This morning I left about 45 min. I normally try and leave an hour, and will just walk for the first 15 min if I leave less time.

if I ride in the morning, I feed at about 6:45, muck out, prepare evening feed, groom, tack up. Takes about 45 min


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## viola (14 March 2007)

Hmm, that's an interesting lion theory. I would not be so eager to apply the wild/ferral horses lifestyle's characteristics to the one the domestic one have. I would think there is a big difference in between an animal that permanently lives out and has to adapt to those quick flees and constant vigilation and our pet horse that grazes about half asleep and is then taken into work. I don't know about happy hacker sort of horse but as been mostly around sports horses I seem to always been told that the work we are asking those horses to do is rather unnatural and at times more demanding than a gallop in the wild (since canter and gallop are the most energy efficient gaits in horses).
I would love to be proved wrong though as sometimes all this waiting around is just annoying


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## mrdarcy (14 March 2007)

Simple Systems state that if feeding their products you can ride straight after feeding.  However their feeds contain no cereals or molasses and much closer respresent what horses would eat naturally.


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## Parkranger (14 March 2007)

I give my boy a handful of feed and a carrot then give him his feed once I've ridden - that way he doesn't get the hump that he's missed dinner and I get to ride.  By the time I've groomed and tacked up 15 mins have passed so I ride then.


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## foraday (14 March 2007)

As an endurance rider we do not wait!  On a 100 miler we are feeding through out the vet gates.

There was lots of research done for the Atlanta Olympics for horses working in hot climates.  Eating straight after exercise was found to actually lower the heart rate.

I think each to his own really!  What suits one horse maynot suit another.


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## jennystreek (14 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
One. An hour just the rule nobody questions. Two. Regards to bringing after hay/grazing...  *Horses are trickle feeders so I perfer his system to go without the un natural staving block and eat until I bring in.  Do you think horses is the wild go "Sorry lion give me an hour I've just eaten and can't fee from you just yet"* 


_Can see your point, and if my horse is turned out when the grass is next to nothing, then i have no quarms in riding straight away. however, when the grass is long and lush and they have been stuffing their litttle mouths like theres no tommorow, i certainly wouldnt want to ride them straight away, and would like them to be taken off the grass for at least an hour._


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## Tia (14 March 2007)

Ah there was another lot of research done about 20 years ago too.....it stated exactly the same as you are saying Foraday.

I don't ride after I've fed, no reason other than I go off and do something else.  If I fancied riding after feeding though I wouldn't count minutes I'm afraid, I'd just go and ride.

BHS says 1 hour and when I was a child I stood by this.  As an adult and having read many vet pieces this old advice seems awfully outdated now.  I have to say I did used to question it as a child and the response I was always given was that it takes a horse 1 hour to digest......LOL!!  What baloney.


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## fizz-tally (14 March 2007)

i normally ride about 10-11am, horses are fed about 7am


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## sanda (15 March 2007)

The reasons for not riding straight after[Manual of Horsemanship] are that the digestion process cant be properly done when all the blood is going to the muscles for exercise instead of to digest the grub. Not sure if this is scientifically correct but  it makes sense


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## Amymay (15 March 2007)

I always wait at least an hour or so.  We always wait at least 1.5 hours for the very fit horses.


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## Hedgewitch13 (15 March 2007)

That's what I've always believed. I would always leave at least an hour after feeding (although I tend to ride before the evening feed anyway).

Yes It's the same for humans - I would never exercise after a meal as it would be very uncomfortable and blood is diverted to the digestive system rather than muscles. That's not to say you can't exercise but you don't get the maximum output from your muscles and they are likely to cramp. That's also why you should never swim directly after eating. Sorry went off on a bit of a tangent there!


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## hussar (15 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
As an endurance rider we do not wait!  On a 100 miler we are feeding through out the vet gates.


[/ QUOTE ]

My view exactly.  We feed little and often during long rides - even a snatched handful from crew as we pass. Outwith competition I feed after riding - horse out 24/7 so trickle feeding isn't an issue. On a previous yard where horse was stabled overnight I would give half his breakfast, ride, and then feed the other half.


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## Mid (15 March 2007)

I feed last xD

My routine:

Drive to the stables.
Catch Jayjay and bring him in.
Groom him and ride.
Tie him up with a haynet and a cooler rug somewhere so I can muck out. 
Put him in his stable with his feed. If he's in overnight, I leave him there, if not, I clean tack or sweep up or something while he finishes his tea, then take him back to his field.


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## SouthWestWhippet (15 March 2007)

At my old yard we were always told to leave 1hr and 15mins after hard feed before riding and this was strictly policed (I can remember getting thoroughly bawled out for accidentally hard feeding a horse that was supposed to be in a lesson in 45mins time and having to go out the field and catch another one in). 

At my current yard it is all a bit more chilled out and I've know them take breakfast away from horses to take them into a lesson (albeit a quiet walk/trot lesson). Although I don't like this and wouldn't do it to mine, it never seems to cause the horses any harm. 

Personally I would always try to feed after riding, makes things easier all round but I don't really believe that it makes a huge amount of difference unless you are feeding 2scps of competition mix and immediately going XC or something...


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## EstherYoung (15 March 2007)

The difference is between horses and humans is that humans can hold a lot of grub in their stomachs and horses have tiny stomachs so can't (hence the little and often).

You shouldn't be feeding horses huge feeds anyway, as that way lies colic regardless of when you exercise. Exercising after or during a correct sized feed for a horse shouldn't make any difference to it.

If I'm on a long ride I'll aim to give the horse a bite to eat, even if it's only a snatch of grass, every hour or so while working to keep sommat going through its system. If I'm competing then they'll get a few mouthfuls of hard feed at crew points in addition to vet holds. Long gaps without food aren't good for horses. I've also found that if they keep eating, they're more likely to keep drinking, and it stops them getting dehydrated.

(ps Spot the endurance riders LOL)


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## filly190 (15 March 2007)

I would give it two hours if it were a large feed and one hour for a tiny feed.


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## TGM (15 March 2007)

I think the traditional rule of one hour after feeding is based on fit hard-working horses who have large grain-based feeds and then are expected to do strenous work.  It would be a bit like going for a long run immediately after having an enormous roast dinner.

However, I can't see that going for a gentle hack after a small fibre-based feed is going to do much harm - just like us going for walk after having a sandwich!


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## Moggy (15 March 2007)

Carrying on from this...
Do you feed at the same time everyday? I was always taught to feed at same time everyday (although mine are a bit flexible either way) but since moving from home to a livery yard hardly anyone seems to follow this.


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## Amymay (15 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
Do you feed at the same time everyday?  

[/ QUOTE ] 
Yes, apart from the weekend - when they get fed half an hour later in the morning.


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## sammy69 (15 March 2007)

you should wait at least one hour, but i usually feed when we get back 
	
	
		
		
	


	




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## Forget_Me_Not (15 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
  Hmm, that's an interesting lion theory. I would not be so eager to apply the wild/ferral horses lifestyle's characteristics to the one the domestic one have. I would think there is a big difference in between an animal that permanently lives out and has to adapt to those quick flees and constant vigilation and our pet horse that grazes about half asleep and is then taken into work. I don't know about happy hacker sort of horse but as been mostly around sports horses I seem to always been told that the work we are asking those horses to do is rather unnatural and at times more demanding than a gallop in the wild (since canter and gallop are the most energy efficient gaits in horses).


[/ QUOTE ] So I take a horse from the wild to domestic and the way his body works and digests changes over night? Interesting. 

My opinion...Like said it would be worse for them to stave for block periods then nibble of hay. After all the hour your leaving them first, then say 1 1/2 your riding for and then atleast another 1/2 hour...It just not natural. In the winter I like mine to be constancly eating hay because its there core central heating too.


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## MagicMelon (15 March 2007)

I dont ride straight after a hard feed. I always leave them a good hour before considering it just because that's what Ive always been told too! That, and the fact I like to let them mooch about a bit and have a chilled out morning, as I dont really ride til the afternoon anyway. 

I do take mine in from their grass and hay to ride straight away though.


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## Doublethyme (15 March 2007)

I'm with Tia - mostly my mare gets about 45 mins after breakfast before I ride before work, sometimes more, sometimes less - I don't clock watch it, just ride when I have finished other jobs or its light enough. 

I do however feed a virtually grain free diet and for breakfast she just has a bit of balancer, beet and hi fi, so I don't particularly stress about it either way.

Never had a single problem with this routine.

Oh as for feeding the same time every day - no way!    Horse gets fed when I am ready to feed her - whether that is 7pm or 5pm or even 9-10pm in the summer.     Breakfast they all get fed when the first person arrives, sometimes that is 5am, sometimes 9am.

Personally I don't like routines, I think it creates horses with far more hang ups than those with less strict routines.


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