The benefits of feeding a chaff before you ride
Unlike humans, horses are designed to eat continuously throughout the day and their stomachs work best when provided with a constant trickle of food. It is a common myth that horses should be exercised on an empty tummy but did you know feeding your horse a scoop of chaff before a ride could have a number of benefits for your four legged friend!
1 – The chaff will form a ball of feed in the stomach, which will help prevent acid from splashing up from the lower part of the stomach to cause gastric ulcers.
2 – Blood is diverted away from the stomach during exercise, which reduces some of its normal protective mechanisms. Research has shown that feeding your horse before exercise actually reduces the amount of blood that is shunted away from the stomach and also increases the amount of blood delivered to the skeletal muscles and muscles of the chest. So not only are you helping to protect the stomach, you also might be improving your horse’s performance.
3 – The routine of feeding your horse as or just before you tack up can set up a positive association that leads to more relaxation when ridden
We stock a huge variety of chaffs here at Whipley and our store team are always on hand to offer feeding and nutrition advice
