# Riding after the horse has eaten?



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I imagine that you may get lots of different opinions, but the way I look at it, horses are eating _something_ 18+ hours a day, so if you tried to arrange riding around when they eat, you would never ride. We've never had a problem riding even if it is after feeding.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

My horses are turned out 24/7 but I feed twice per day. With a new work schedule coming I'll end up being able to ride only in the evenings and on the weekends. That means feeding, waiting about 1/2 hour then some light riding. I would have no trouble putting in a solid workout if I could but just a tuneup is all I'll be able to accomplish. 

As for Willow, it sounds like she is under exercised and is letting off excess energy. The simple answer is to ride her more or work her for a bit on the ground before riding. Is she turned out or stalled?


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

I ride all the time after feeding, I have never had any problems, i ride hard too, I havent had any problems.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

I was always taught never to work a horse right after they eat their grain. I always wait an hour after graining my horses to work them, or if I plan on feeding them after I work them, I wait an hour or until they're completely cooled down to give them grain. I offer them hay and water right away, though.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

When we used to have set feeding times, I would ride directly after that quite often. However, we don't feed grain so I am not sure if that would make a difference (if you feed grain). There were many days growing up when we would feed the horses at 5 am and be working cattle by 5:30 or 6. We never had an issue with colic or anything.


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## Twilight Arabians (Dec 14, 2008)

Thanks for the great replies everyone! Willow and Onyx are kept out to together in a small paddock, they get fed morning and night, and there is no grass in the paddock, also neither of them get grain, I just wasn't sure if horses get cramps like people do after eating? I just don't want to do anything that might be bad for her, but I hate to let her sit all the time.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

If you were going to be riding really hard and making her work, I would suggest that you give her some time but if you are just doing light to moderate riding, I would say that riding her as soon as she is finished eating is fine, just keep an eye out for signs that she might be feeling off.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

If they don't get grain, don't worry about it. I'd be concerned if they got a rather large ration of grain, as it only seems natural they could cramp up like us, but quite frankly I don't know that I've ever heard of a horse getting colic after being ridden because he ate beforehand. If I'm not mistaken, it's far worse to feed a hot horse grain right after a ride. Not sure if it's an old wives tale or not, but most trainers/riders follow that rule.

Then again, I think they debunked the "no water after a hard ride" didn't they? Either way, our horses have always gotten as much water as they want, at any point, and we've never had a single problem. We also never give them ice cold water either though.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

My horses get fed three times a day out of pasture plus to feedings of grain, morning and evening. But if they are out on pasture they don't get fed at all because they just get fat on the over grown grasses. 

I always feed before I ride anyway just because I don't want a barn sour horse who thinks they can be ****y because they haven't eaten. It just makes the ride more pleasureable if they aren't hungry.

And as or your bucking, maybe try a little lunging before you ride so she can have her time to get energy out.


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## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

With school horse i know (and i use this method) leave the horse for an hour after eating concentrated, it doesnt matter about hay or grass.

To explain: the lungs and the stomache of a horse are close together so when a horses stomache is full then it puts pressure on their lungs, making it hard for them to breath deeply (like in excersise). eating hay and grass constantly passes through the digestive system efficiently (whereas cubes etc takes time) so that is fine.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

SorrelHorse said:


> My horses get fed three times a day out of pasture plus to feedings of grain, morning and evening. But if they are out on pasture they don't get fed at all because they just get fat on the over grown grasses.
> 
> I always feed before I ride anyway just because I don't want a barn sour horse who thinks they can be ****y because they haven't eaten. It just makes the ride more pleasureable if they aren't hungry.
> 
> And as or your bucking, maybe try a little lunging before you ride so she can have her time to get energy out.


We share the same philosphy! 
Horses are fed from 7:00am-9:00am, then I start bringing them into the barn and ride them, before they get turned out again for evening feeding. 
They get a handful of horse cookies at the end of their ride.


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## flamingauburnmustang (Dec 25, 2008)

I have also always been taught not to work a horse hard after their hard feed. What we usually do if we have to ride them straight after a meal is walk them out gently for about half and hour and then start riding. We have never had any problems with that. :???:


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

I'm glad you posted this as I was curious too, based on our work schedules


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

You say your horses do not get any grain? So they are fed hay and that is it?

I see nothing wrong with riding them after pulling them away from a pile of hay. If they got huge quantities of concentrate then that would be different. But a small grain meal and/or hay is not going to be an issue.


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## Silvera (Apr 27, 2010)

I usually ride after I have fed my horse. Think of it this way. If you are feeding grain you put them in their stall, feed them and wait for them to finish. When they are done and eating some of the hay and had a drink you can take them out and put them in the cross ties or straight tie them. You then give them a good brushing and pick out their feet. If you do a good job this can take 10-15min (if you are trying to take your time) then you saddle and bridle, this can take another 5 ish min. That's a fair amount of time, and then when you do start riding you usually warm them up which starts at a walk/trot. That's what they do themselves in the field. By the time you have gotten to any real work you have given them 45min - 1hr.

I wouldn't feed (grain) after you work your horse. If you do you may have to wait up to 2 or 3hrs for them to cool off enough so they don't colic.


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## Twilight Arabians (Dec 14, 2008)

Yea we don't feed any grain, Willow got grain over the winter because she got sick and we had to put stuff in her grain, but she's great now and is a easy keeper, she gets fed 2-3 flakes of alfalfa once in the morning and once at night, Its been really rainy here so I haven't been able to ride much at all, I rode her around bareback in the arena and she was really good, but as soon as we get out on the trail she's a total brat, trys to run away with me and buck... she even does it when other horses are there and she runs away from home, I don't know what her deal is... I just hope she gets better after time, so far I have only gotten bucked off her once, its not fun, I really hate horses that buck. I might just send her to a trainer if she doesn't get better within a month.


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## AQHA13 (Apr 19, 2017)

Hmm, good question. I have to admit that a couple of times I've given my mare a flake of hay then 30 min later went for a ride, with another 30 min of just walking. I assume that working a horse hard after it eats isn't good. Just like humans, if you eat then all your blood goes to you stomach. When you start working the blood goes from your intestines to your muscles and such. The food then sits there undigested, this is a cause of cramps in humans. It makes sense that the same thing would happen to horses.


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