# Horses snacking on the trail - problem?



## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Whenever my husband and I ride our horses, he spends a good amount of the time nagging me about letting my horse have an occasional snack, amongst other things. If we've stopped for a minute or two, I'll let her put her head down to eat a little grass. I don't think it is a big deal, he thinks that it is terrible and I get to hear, "Don't let her do that." He sees it as her being "disrespectful". I see it as, "I'm expecting this horse to work hard for a 2-10 hour ride, I should let her snack a bit if it doesn't interrupt the ride." I do not let her do it all of the time. 

He's the same way about letting them drink at creeks. He always stops his horse before I stop mine, and tells me, "That's enough, she doesn't need that much." I kinda figure we're having highs in the 80's and 90's these days, I'd like her to get all of the water she wants/needs.

How much do you let your horses "snack" on the trail? Do you see it as a huge problem? Does it bother you if other people allow their horses to?


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I don't let my horse snack, but I do let her drink as much as she wants. As long as it's not causing a problem it doesn't bother me if other people let their horses snack.

That puppy looks just like a puppy I once had!


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Thanks for the info. 

The puppy is now 5 1/2 mos old and 85 pounds! I need to post a newer picture.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

At the last place where I was going trail riding the instructor made a clear difference between a horse getting himself a snack and being allowed to.

That is, if it wasn't my idea, he was asking me to stop the horse from eating (if all of a sudden he would slow down to graze)
But we had 2-3 breaks / trail and in those the horses were allowed to graze and drink for 10 minutes

So I guess it matters a lot who came up with the idea of a snack break, ou or the horse 
Honestly I see no biggie in letting them munch some leaves or something, as long as they don't abruptly stop to do it.


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

I like to let my horse every once in a while get a few bites, if she can snatch tall grass or leaves or something while walking at the pace I want to go, then I don't stop her. I use eating to actually calm down really nervous horses, because if the herd leader says it's okay to eat...then it must be ok! 
But she or any other horse doesn't inturupt the ride to eat, only if I say so.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

For a two hour ride, I'm sure the horse can go that long with out eating.
For all day rides. 6-8-10 hours. I think it's important to keep their gut working.

If my horse show any interest in water, I usually stop and give him a chance to drink. If he immediately grabs grass rather than water, then he is not thirsty and we continue. If I know the trail and know that there is no water for some period after a stop. I will try to get him to drink at that spot. Basically keep refocusing the horse on the water and pulling him away from any grass.

I strongly believe that keeping a horse's gut moving is a strong preventor of colic. I can work my horses and as long as they have water and feed pushing through their gut, they are not as likely to colic. This all comes back to my early days riding CTR when the Vets would listen for gut sounds. A reduced gut sound got points deducted for the ride. So we allowed our horses to snak when ever we find a good spot for them to grab a mounthful or two. In some desert rides, we have very little water, so green grass is a way to keep water in the gut.

Now the disrespect part is the horse just stopping and snaking on his own. They should keep focus on the ride until you queue them that they can snak.


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Eating while tacked up is one of my biggest pet peeves. When we are stopped for a break, Ill drop my reins and let them eat. Any other time, its just not acceptable to me. Its a personal thing. As far as drinking goes...horses need a lot of water. Especially on a hot day while exercising. As long as they arent playing around too much...they can drink til they get their fill.


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## soileddove (Jul 27, 2010)

I don't really have any problem with letting my horses graze when it is clearly my idea. Anytime we're stopped for more than 5 minutes or so, I jump down and loosen the girth and if its been a longer ride, I also let my horse graze for a bit. If you have a "snatcher" on the other hand, I don't put up with it at all.. These are the horses that I never let graze while tacked up. 

My mare understands when she is allowed to and when she is not to, so I let her when we're not on the move. My gelding doesn't. He'll snatch grass any chance he gets and if you're not paying attention, he'll get his face down there and just eat. He rarely gives me this problem, but he can be a turd for my boyfriend, who cannot quite anticipate him just yet. So, anytime I ride him, I just don't let him graze. I don't want to encourage that behavior at all.

If its your idea for the horse to be grazing, I wouldn't consider it a problem unless it developed into "snatching" without permission.

As for drinking, let the horses have their fill, especially in hot weather. Just take it easy on the trail for a bit afterwards. Some horses get "fresh" again after drinking, so they want to go, go, go.. If your horse is like that, I can see restricting it to a degree, but for the most part, let them drink. I'd just tell him to ****** off.. ha


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## Alicia (Mar 21, 2009)

I only worry about if they take too much long grass and it getting stuck on the bit and them choking. Overall I don't mind as long as it's not getting in the way of the ride ie: pulling on the reins, dodgeing off the trail to get a bite, slowing down. But if they can still focus and keep up pace it doesn't really bother me.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

When I first got my mare, she was REALLY bad about eating on the trail. She would try to grab food constantly.

So I trained her to eat on cue and now she never eats unless I tell her she can. She doesn't grab bites while we're moving, and when I stop her she stands still until I tell her she can put her head down (by scratching the top of her mane, halfway down her neck). And when we stop for a drink, she knows she's not allowed to eat - even if there's grass under the water.

If I see another person's horse put their head down to eat forcefully (and nearly yank the reins out of their hands), it bothers me. But then, it bothers me a lot when people don't have well-trained animals, haha.



As far as drinking... :O

It shocks me that your husband won't let his horse drink as much as he wants. But then, I'm coming from an area where the heat index is often 110 degrees, and I do some hard riding. Getting enough water is literally life or death for people and animals in this area.


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## depnewshound (Aug 14, 2010)

I didn't think of my horse as something to be dominated, he was my friend. We had a healthy respect for each other. He didn't just eat at will on a ride, but if I stopped to take a call or stopped to talk to another rider I met on the trail, he felt free to help himself, as he should. I wasn't his master or his owner, I was his friend and his family. He knew that and we treated each other as such. We had our tussles -- as all families do -- on the trail at times, but I loved his independent spirit and we challenged one another (in a positive way). I always wanted our rides to be as much fun for him as they were for me; after all, I didn't own him, we owned each other.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My horse and I agreed a few years ago on him eating when he wants to, and when he's allowed to. It hasn't been a problem since. If he asks to eat grass, he is required to stand still and not pull on the reins for 3 seconds. Only then does he get his head. If he doesn't get the release, he understand's the answer is no. I have no problem with it because it's on my terms.


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I'd love to see new pics of the puppy! They do grow fast! My boy's name was Baxter, I lost him at exactly 11 months old, he was hit by a car, it's been 11 years! He was my first dane, I now have my boy whose 10 years old (and sadly won't be with me much longer) and a nearly 8 year old girl whose thankfully healthy as a horse!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Mine have started eating as they walk, and I only let it
happen occoasionally. And if you're stopped I don't see a problem. Same for the water. We don't want dehydration....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

'I' let him snack when I want him to, but he's not allowed to just start grabbing at food along the trail. I'm not overly strict about that because I like to just mosey when I'm out riding anyway.


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## RodinKy (Aug 20, 2010)

I don't let mine eat while we're moving, but if we stop for a people break I let the horse eat.


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## Citrus (Feb 26, 2010)

I have not gotten it through to Citrus yet that he cannot snack unless I tell him. I don't like it, especially when I think of my daughter on a trail ride someday and him constantly pulling down to get a bite.... for heavens sake he is not starving.....


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

I was always told to never let them eat unless they were told to. But then I started doing a little trail riding with an endurance rider a couple of months ago. He told me that if they wanted to grab a couple of bites of leaves off of trees, as long as they kept up the pace, that it was ok. He said that they draw a little water from them, and helps to keep them hydrated. Rookie will keep up his pace, and I call it grabbing fast food, if he goes for passing leaves. Other than that, when I stop, he's allowed to graze at will after I let him know it's ok...usually with a slight push on the neck and release of the reigns. He's also allowed to drink as much as he wants. We played in a deep part of the river Saturday where we were trail riding. The water came up to his chest and he drank all he wanted while I swished my feet in the water. It was fun for me and him, and he got to cool down which really helps on a hot day. We stayed in there for about 5 minutes, and when we came out, I could tell that he was refreshed and ready to go again. If he gets some around his bit, I simply get off and drop it, the beauty of having a halter/bridle, clean it off and put it back in.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

charlicata said:


> I was always told to never let them eat unless they were told to. But then I started doing a little trail riding with an endurance rider a couple of months ago. He told me that if they wanted to grab a couple of bites of leaves off of trees, as long as they kept up the pace, that it was ok. He said that they draw a little water from them, and helps to keep them hydrated.


Actually - it's to keep the gut working. The amount of water they can get from leaves or grass by snatching a mouthful is negligible.

I let my horses grab a bite but the rule is they keep walking. As far as drinking - as much as they want.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I personally don't like it when a horse tries to graze along the trail. I have been fighting this with my Mustang from day 1. I don't know what it is about him but he is almost obsessive about trying to grab a bite whenever he can. I know he's not hungry because he gets free choice hay so it just bugs me. He is one of those that's a sneaker. He'll wait until he thinks I'm not paying attention before he'll drop his head and try to grab a bite. It is really frustrating when I'm working cattle and I need the horse's attention on the cattle but instead, it's on the closest clump of grass. Just because of that, I don't allow any of my horses to eat when they are being ridden. If we are working all day long, we will generally take a break in the middle of the day to get something to eat/drink and relax for a few minutes. I will often take off my bridle and breastcollar and loosen the girth and turn my horse loose so that he can graze. The only time I won't let a horse drink their fill is when we have been working hard and doing a lot of running and they are pouring sweat and breathing hard. I've heard that drinking a full belly of water can cause colic when they are in that state (don't know if its true) and I am horribly paranoid about colic. I will give them a little drink and then wait until they are cooled down some before letting them drink 'til they're full. If we're not working hard like that though, they can drink whenever they want for as long as they want.

That being said, lots of people don't mind snackers on the trail. Everyone trains and expects different things from their horses. So long as something isn't dangerous or mean to a horse, it isn't my place to say it's either right or wrong.


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## Zora (Mar 18, 2010)

We always let our horses graze and eat trees on the trails. They don't have a grassy pasture so as long as it's on our terms I think it's great for them.
My mare really doesn't like to drink on the trail, but if it's a long ride then she sometimes will.


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## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

I'm with smrobs on this one: I sometimes take Tango out to hand graze her, and now even when we're stopped and just standing on the grass, she's always obsessively trying to put her head down and eat. I'm lucky that the trainer we bought her from never encouraged this sort of behaviour under saddle, so she never tries it when we're riding. I have no doubt though, if I let her start snacking, that she would be trying it all the time and it just gets annoying. Generally we're not working all day long, so she doesn't really need to eat, but I'll let her drink if we ever stop at a pond or creek or something (though she normally doesn't).


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

IF I have stopped and given the 'okay' for her to drop her head and graze, I don't have a problem with it...it's in allowing them to drop their heads when they want to that I see it as an issue. Just because they stop doesn't give them 'free will' to graze...I choose to drop the reins, and I choose when to pick them up and move on. It's the same with when I hand graze...I choose where and when they can put their heads down, they don't snatch the lead rope from me. 

I think it is rather convenient to be able to do that on long trail rides...I figure I stop to snack, so I will let my horse grab a few bites too.


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## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

Athena and I have come to an agreement that she's allowed to eat on the trail as long as she keeps her head level with or above her shoulders, and she can't stop or slow down. I don't tolerate her eating short grass/plants, she just starts tripping over herself because she knows she's suppose to keep moving and it's annoying.
She's gotten pretty good at it though. We'll be cantering along, and she'll just snag a mouthful of leaves from out of nowhere like it's no big deal. :lol:


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## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

I only skimmed the first and last pages so this may have already been said but I will never ever ever let my horse snack on the trail if I can avoid it.

This may be because of where I live and ride but it's incredibly dangerous to do so here because it puts the horses at risk for snake bites! The last thing I want is to be out on a trail and have a snake bite my horse on the nose, have the nostrils swell up and the horse can't breath. That is the last place I want my horse to receive a venomous bite, especially if we are away from the barn. 

My horse has to keep his head off the ground on the trail at all times. Period.

Edit: Not to mention that if he's snacking on random plants out on the trail they may not be safe. I'm not willing to risk him getting sick if he grabs a bunch of a toxic plant as we are plodding along. To me it's all about safety. He's not hungry and he can't eat while we are working in the arena so he can't eat while we are working away from the arena either.


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