Q: How long do you actually have to wait to ride after feeding your horse?
Asked by May Clarke
A: This depends on the type of feed, the amount and how hard you’ll be working your horse. On the one hand, if your horse has just eaten a 0.5kg meal that is mainly fibre-based and you are just going on a hack, you can ride almost straight away. If your horse has eaten more than 2kg and the meal is made up of mostly hard concentrate, however, it is advisable that you wait at least one hour for the meal to be properly digested, whatever work you are going to do. If you’re planning to do fast-paced work, again you will need to wait at least an hour, regardless of the type of feed. However, as a general note, with fast-paced work it’s always best to feed a fibre-based meal instead of concentrates an hour before to reduce the risk of gastric acid splashing that can lead to gastric ulceration.