June 24, 2003

Feeding A Trail Ride

Horses today are seldom used for work as many horses were used a century ago. Today one of the more rewarding uses of a horse is pleasure riding on designated trails in various parts of our country. I am sure that the early TV programming created the image and fun of riding off into the sunset, across the grassy plains or up and down mountain trails. Visions of Roy Rogers an Dale Evans, The Lone Ranger, Matt Dillon, etc. add to the thrill of vacationing in the outdoors with your horse.

You spend a lot of time with your horse during the year for this opportunity a few times a year. How can you make this experience the most fun possible? Besides preparing yourself for the ride, you must think about ways to make the experience as comfortable as possible for your horse. The most important part is what the horse will eat.

Because the horse's digestive system needs time to adjust to be the most efficient, your preparation for the trip should begin two weeks before you leave. The horse should be introduced to the diet that will be fed on the trip slowly over the two week period.

Please do not expect your horse to enjoy the trip if you take the horse off a lush pasture, put them in a trailer, travel for hours, let them out and introduce them to a new diet of dry hay and strange water. If you have ever been car sick, sea sick or air sick you will know exactly what your horse will feel like. You trail ride is now off to a less thatn desirable experience.