Q about eating speeds

["Sarah McIntosh" <smcintos@rapidnet.net>]

Hello fellow RC'ers:

I have a hunch somebody out there has dealt with this problem in the past.

I have a new mare, 6 yrs old Arab.  She is about 14.2-3 with a slight build.
I have had her 4 months now, and she is making wonderful progress.  She had
very little handling and almost no trailriding experience when I got her.
She had never been fed grain.  She would not even eat it in the beginning.
Tawny has been doing better and better about wanting her grain mix (sweet
feed, shredded beet pulp, extruded feed, vitamins, plain salt and some
water). She starts in quite eagerly, but she is definitely  not a fast
eater.  I feed her around 3 lbs of dry food, 3 times per week.  My two
horses are pasture boarded, so I can't feed them everyday.  In the winter I
am usually only riding on the weekend, but I go out to see them during the
week and feed them grain then.  Otherwise they live off the pasutre until
December, when we feed hay til March.

I have noticed that Tawny eats better before a ride, than after.  She
doesn't seem tired after rides, but she wants to go roll, not stand there
and eat.  She's like a little kid, I have to keep saying "Eat Tawny!"  <G>

I should add, Tawny is about 3 on the condition scale, which indicates to me
she is not an 'easy keeper' like my other mare who is fat on less food.

My main question is this... What do people do during competitions with slow
eaters?  Do you just take extra time at the VC if the horse is still eating?
Tawny eats on the trail, so this will have to be part of my strategy with
her.

Sarah McIntosh & Saffy (75 miles) & Tawny (no miles yet)
Abbotsford, BC
Canada