Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I think what has worked best for my horses, is to take them on regular 
walks.  If there are places to graze, even better.  Just watch what it is 
they are grazing on.  Horses don't usually move around enough when they are 
confined, either in a corral or tied to the trailer.   Even if they do move 
around, you can still stimulate them to eat and drink better by walking 
them.

I can't say how many times I've gone out to my horse, and he's just 
standing there.  Doing what horses do best (being an ornament).  I take him 
for a walk around camp.  As we walk thru camp, we pass a water trough and 
usually he'll drink -- if not going by the first time, then when we come 
back by it going to the trailer.  Then, when we get back to the trailer 
usually it is nose first into the feed.  This is also really important 
after the ride is over.  Too many people think that their horse just wants 
to be left alone after the ride is over.  Sure, they do  to some extent -- 
they need to be able to eat, rest, etc.  But they shouldn't just be put on 
ignore.

I also wouldn't worry too much the day before the ride about getting the 
horse to eat elytes in his food.  Especially if this makes them finicky or 
possibly eat less.  This is something that might take several rides to 
figure out.  My horses seem to constantly change from season to season and 
what they are doing this season is not what worked best for them last 
season or the year before that.

I like to start getting my horses well hydrated and plumped full of food 
days in advance of hauling to a ride.  If they arrive already in a deficit 
it is hard to make it up.  If I am leaving for a ride on Friday then 
usually Tuesday night or Wednesday morning I start feeding them with all 
the grass hay they can eat, and buckets of soaked BP w/ salt in it.  They 
are a lot less picky about eating stuff with salt or elytes in it while at 
home.  During the trailer trip I usually don't put anything in their soaked 
feed because it isn't worth risking them being picky, and I'd rather have 
them eat.

My horses have never had to be treated at or after a ride for any kind of a 
metabolic problem.  <knocking on wood>

Karen
in NV
  

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The only thing worse than crewing for a female Endurance rider is crewing
for a wet, tired female Endurance Rider! A good crew person has patience, a
sense of humor, and knows that sometimes it's best to say nothing at all!
~  Jim Holland

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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