Feeding at vet checks

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

>Well , I'm going to try this once again . What different type things do you
>guys feed your horses at the vet checks and what is the reasoning for
>feeding them ?Also do you get up in the middle of the night to feed before
>a 50 as you do a 100 or a multi -day ?   


You should be able to find a great deal of information on this subject in
the endurance archives.  Go to:  http://www.endurance.net  then go to
'ridecamp', and then look for 'archives'.  

I like to feed my horses three hours prior to the start of any ride.  So if
it is a ride with a 5 a.m. start, I'm up at 2 a.m. feeding.  

Anytime during an endurance ride, my horse is offered/allowed to eat free
choice hay.  I've never had a problem by doing that.  I prefer to feed only
wetted down hay at the vet checks, and over time the horses come to expect
that (who is in charge of who?).  In addition to hay, I usually offer an
assortment of concoctions which vary by each horse.  One likes apples.  One
likes carrots.  One likes beat pulp, the other won't look at it.  I mix up
a mash that includes dry cob with about a cup of wheat bran, and add some
carrots or apples to it. (I don't like to feed very much bran)   They
really like soaked crimped oats and barley and usually like that better
than anything else, except for hay of course.  

Happy Trails,

Karen
in Gardnerville
& Dream Weaver, 1330 miles
& Rocky, 350 miles