17/01/2026
& this is exactly why, no matter how late, or how tired I am , all of the horses not just our own are skipped out & checked before we go to bed!
*** Why it’s important to check and feed horses early morning AND late evening ***
Most horse owners should be aware that horses need checking an absolute minimum of TWICE daily. However, this doesn’t mean 11am and 2pm.
We obviously can’t watch our horses 24 hours a day, so we have to get as close to that as possible to potentially prevent immense suffering should they start to colic, or break a leg, for example. At least by knowing our horses are happy and well with only a 10 or 12 hour window since the last check, should the worst happen, they will not be suffering for potentially 24 hours.
So why do I also say to FEED them early morning and late evening? Because how a horse responds to food is a very good indicator of how well they are in themselves. Before I get anyone telling me that I’m promoting equine obesity by suggesting this, “feeding” them a few fibre nuggets from your pocket will suffice. Most horses, and definitely all ponies, will hoover up a handful of fibre nuggets (I adore the Baileys Fibre Plus nuggets for checking appetite) and then try searching your pockets for more. Again, it’s about knowing your horse and how they normally eat their hard feed or how they respond to a handful of nuts.
I post a lot of colic information, but just a reminder that the very first sign of colic, and often the ONLY sign of colic, is a horse or pony that doesn’t want to eat. If you give your horse his feed and he walks away, and this is unusual behaviour for your horse, then you need to call your vet immediately. A horse most definitely doesn’t need to be rolling/pawing to have bad colic.
If you check your horses at least twice a day, you may still miss the early stages of colic. A glance at a row of stables with heads over doors may well miss a horse that has stopped eating in the early stages; it’s important to go up to all horses when you do your twice daily checks. I appreciate that not everyone will agree with giving horses a few treats every day (you don’t want to know how many sweeties my lot consume on a daily basis if so!), but they can be healthy treats, and if the horse is in a stable, can be fed in a bucket. Obviously if your horse has a twice daily hard feed, then even better, but make sure you stay and check that the horse has eaten his hard feed as he normally would.
Feel free to share but not to copy my words.
Photo of Georgie bean jumping beautifully last year ❤️
