# How long after feeding should you wait to ride



## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

My guy is typically eating hay while I tack him up. Doesn't seem to cause a problem- look at endurance riding, one big problem for their horses is if they don't eat enough during the race.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

He eats whenever, I ride whenever, problems? Never!


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Depends if you are going to be doing major work, or just hacking around.

For shows, we always pulled the evening meal/water.

Horses that are just going to be used lightly, I don't worry so much about whether they are just off of the trough.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I never worry too much about it, but if you just come back from a vigorous ride and the horses are hot and tired, I would not give a lot of grain without first giving a good drink.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Where you run into trouble is feeding too much too quickly _after_ a heavy day's work. If a horse bolts his food when he's already dehydrated, then that can lead to an impaction. That's why I cool my horses out and make sure they get a big drink before they are allowed to eat after a day's work.

However, eating _before_ going to work has never been a problem. Pretty much every single feedlot cowboy I know feeds his horse a bucket of grain/pellets/some kind of concentrated feed while they are tacking up first thing in the morning. They do that so the horses will have the energy needed to complete a full day's work that might be up to 15 hours under saddle. Never seen a single one that had issues related to that feeding method.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

that morning feed isnt giving the horse any energy for the days work. Horses digestion doesnt work that way. Its alot slower and takes a while. What you put in the horse on Thursday is in the gut on Saturday. But they are designed to constantly have stuff moving in and moving out. No reason you cant saddle em up right away. You do need to wait after hard work till they are drinking good. Generally endurance horses get soup until they are cooled down and rehydrated.


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## ESPIE413 (Aug 27, 2012)

​Thank you everyone for your input! I didn't think about half the things you guys brought up. Now I am feeling better about everything. Thank you so much!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

My horses have hay most of the time, so I don't see it as an issue. However I wait for about an hour after feeding pellets in morning before I ride, and I wait about an hour in eve after I ride before feeding pellets (unless it's a very easy short ride, then I wait for half-hour).


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I often feed Biscuit in the trailer on the way to the park to ride. It is an 8 mile drive but it takes about 18 minutes to get there due to red lights. Of course we are generally walking the first miles anyway but have never had a problem. Horses have alot of acid in their stomachs to aid in digestion because they are grazers. way better to have several small meals a day than one big one so you are pretty good to go.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Joe4d said:


> that morning feed isnt giving the horse any energy for the days work. Horses digestion doesnt work that way. Its alot slower and takes a while. What you put in the horse on Thursday is in the gut on Saturday...


Hmmm..."The small intestine contains about 30% of the total weight of the digestive tract of the horse, and is where most feed nutrients are digested and absorbed. The horse's digestive system is designed so that soluble carbohydrates and proteins from grains are digested and absorbed in the upper gut. The small intestine of the horse also serves as a conduit for moving a large amount of undigested insoluble carbohydrates from forages into the large intestine.

The rate of passage of feed through the stomach and small intestine is very rapid. Grinding or chopping feed increases the rate of passage and decreases absorption of nutrients. Since the upper gut comprises only 40% of the digestive tract and feed moves through rapidly, it is relatively easy to overwhelm the digestive capacity of the stomach and small intestine. If large amounts of soluble carbohydrates reach the large intestine, they will be quickly fermented. This may result in excessive gas and lactic acid production, leading to colic or founder."​Equine Digestion"The actual extraction and absorption of nutrients begins in earnest once ingesta enters the small intestine, a tube-like organ 60-70 feet in length. Despite this considerable length, the ingesta traverses the small intestine quickly. *Some food enters the cecum within one hour, and much of the ingesta will reach this "fermentation vat" by three hours after eating. *This rapid transit reflects the coordinated activity of the nerves and muscles contained within the walls of the small intestine.

Factors such as meal size, feed type, and exercise will influence transit time. *Big grain meals result in rapid gastric emptying and intestinal transit* and a reduction in the digestion of the available starch (more on this later). *Exercise also results in a moderate acceleration of intestinal transit*...

...The simple sugars in molasses and grasses are easily digested; glucose from them is absorbed directly into the bloodstream while enzymes located on the small intestine's lining make other sugars available to the body."​The Horse | Digestion From Start To Finish"*Even though food passes in liquid form through the small intestine quite rapidly (taking anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours), this is where much of the digestion and absorption of protein, sugars, and starches takes place.* End products of soluble (dissolvable) carbohydrates are glucose and other sugars. It's important that they're efficiently digested in the small intestine...

...In horses bile is secreted continuously in small amounts in the small intestine. People once thought horses couldn't utilize fat, due to lack of gall bladder, but research has shown they handle fat quite well. Fat as an energy source (often added in the forms of oils or rice bran) can be beneficial to horses that need more calories. It can be healthier than adding a lot of grain to the diet."​The Horse | The Horse's Digestive System


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## englishaqh (Jul 6, 2012)

I try to wait a min of 45 minutes, ideally at least an hour, before riding after feeding grain.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

Wow if I waited that long to ride before or after feeding I'd never find time to ride lol...

I frequently ride right after feeding have never had an issue...
I do wait till the horse is cooled down and had a bit of down time before feeding grain after a ride (this is usually no more then 20-30min)... But hay I never worry about....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I have seen horse colic when they were fed large amounts of grain when they were still really hot from a hard ride. I make sure that my horses are well hydrated and totally cool before feeding more than a token amount of feed.


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