Training Tip: Feeding a Horse Before a Training Session

If your mother was anything like mine, you probably heard, “Don’t eat an hour before you swim or you’ll sink to the bottom of the pool!” more than a few times while growing up. A lot of people have the same sentiment when it comes to feeding horses before a training session. Just like my mom’s warning about eating before swimming, I’ve concluded after 30 plus years of training horses that it’s all a bunch of nonsense.

In fact, research today shows that feeding your horse forage before a training session actually helps him. Horses are meant to graze up to 18 hours a day. Because of this, their stomachs constantly secrete acid, even when they’re not grazing. A constant trickle of forage entering their digestive tract keeps their stomach full and absorbing the acid, which helps to prevent gastric ulcers.

If you’re smart, you can use this to your advantage to help your horse look forward to training sessions. Most people turn horses into behaving badly when being caught by catching the horse, bringing him back to the barn and tacking him up and then immediately riding him. After the ride, they untack him, turn him out and feed him.

That routine lasts for about three to four days before the horse gets smart and stops willingly being caught. He knows that every time he gets haltered and brought into the barn, he’s going to have to work hard. Horses are experts at figuring out our routines. They know what we’re going to do before we do it.

If that’s happened to you, change your approach. Catch the horse and bring him to the barn. Then, give him a little something to eat. Let the horse eat and relax for 30 minutes or so, and then you can tack him up and train him. After the training session, take him back to the pasture and unhalter him. Spend a few minutes giving him a treat and scratching his itchy spots. Then, when you leave the pasture, he thinks you’re the best thing in the world.

If you follow that routine every time you catch him, he’ll be waiting to get caught because he’s associating you with going to the barn and getting to eat. He forgets that after the feed comes the work. This wouldn’t work if you brought him up to the barn, let him grab a few mouthfuls of feed and then started the training session. There has to be a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour between bringing him up from the pasture and putting his feet to work.

Humans think far into the future. When you get up in the morning, you have your whole day planned out—at 9 a.m. I need to do this; at 10 a.m. I’ve got to be here; at 11 a.m. this has to be done, etc. Horses only think about two steps ahead of themselves—at 9 a.m. this happens and then at 10 a.m. that happens. They think of right now and their next move. So even though you will eventually work your horse, he’s not going to think that far ahead of himself.

It’s important to understand that you’re not bribing him with food or treats to be caught. Getting to eat is just what happens after he’s caught and brought up to the barn. It’s a good way to help him associate you with something good. You always want your horse thinking, “Man, my human is the best thing ever!

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