Re: feeding schedules

["Robert Morris" <bobmorris@rmci.net>]

Once again "it all depends" How you keep your horses and how they are used.
Mine? Just got back from evening feeding. Had to go up in the hills and beg
them to come for supper. This morning they did not even look up at me when
I called. I will not be here for the next five days and they will not even
miss me or the food.

Now if they were stall bound they most likely would have been off the walls
if I was a quarter hour late. It is my belief that it is not the food that
is so important, face it, they most likely could miss a few meals and be
the better for it. It is the attention and break from Boredom that the
stall horse really craves and gets upset if it is not there on schedule. 

So I say again, it all depends! Know your horse!! The person on line or
1,000 miles away can never know your horse like you do/should.

Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID

----------
> From: Horsestwo <Horsestwo@aol.com>
> To: ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: feeding schedules
> Date: Tuesday, May 12, 1998 1:18 PM
> 
> I have a question for the vets and tech types.  How important is being
prompt
> when feeding i.e. scheduling the times?  I had read years ago that
besides
> helping with anxiety, feeding on a set schedule increased the utilization
of
> the feed.  Since then I have had to try to explain to friends and family
why
> it was important that I be at home to feed my horses.  I try to feed
within a
> one hour window but that is as close as I can come.  If it doesn't matter
that
> much it wouldn't change my schedule too much but at least I wouldn't have
the
> guilt trip!  I know that when at a ride the schedule is disrupted but the
> horse has to learn to eat when food is in front of him.  I'm concerned
about
> the home schedule, day in and day out.
> 
> Melanie in AZ  "The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse's
ears"
> Arabian proverb
>