Feeding Time

Our horses get grain and hay twice a day.  The amounts of each are far less in the summer when they have a few acres of grass to keep them happy, but they still look forward to that grain.  They know when it's time to eat and they never have to be called in to eat.  But they each go about it differently.

Remi, our thirteen-year-old Arabian, is our ADD horse - easily distracted, even from his food.  He raises his head as he munches grain, dribbling pellets out of his mouth as he looks around.  He's also a "beta" horse, happy to follow everyone else's lead.  So even though it's a sure thing that both of the other horses have their heads in their feed with their stall doors closed, Remi has to keep checking to make sure they don't suddenly sneak off to the pasture and leave him behind.  His head is rarely down.  A lot of grain hits the floor.

For Code Red, feeding time is all about getting it done and moving on to his next pressing engagement.  He paws impatiently while waiting for his grain, then shoves his head in the feeder and doesn't come up until every last piece is gone. 

Fritz LOVES his grain and nickers to me until he gets it, then nickers for more when it's gone.  But he's a slow eater - at 28 he's lost several teeth and chewing takes longer - so it takes him twice as long as the others to eat.  If I don't keep them locked in, Code Red would be right in that stall, shoving Fritz out of way, showing him how it's supposed to be done.