Anyone who has ever watched a horse eat knows that eating is serious business. It’s rewarding to the person feeding the horses to watch and listen to them enjoy their meals, but it can also be a time of stress if things aren’t handled in a safe way.

In all feeding situations, whether its group feeding in a pasture or feeding horses in a stable, the most important thing is safety for the handler and for the horses. This may mean that there will be some testing to see what works for the horses to be fed and what doesn’t. And every time a new horse is added to the herd, the pecking order will have to be re-established. With barn-fed horses, there can be issues with horses kicking the walls, pawing and banging the stall door, pinning their ears back and trying to bite at the horse next door.

Don’t go in the stall, if possible, with grain. Either have the grain in the stall when the horses come in or feed them through an opening in front of the stall that keeps you protected. If you must go in the stall to feed, make sure that the horse has learned to “back-up” from a body signal or voice command and keep them out of your “personal space” while delivering the grain. Speed matters.

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