At 09:14:45 on 17.08.11, wrote:
So I'm not riding Piper atm. Long story but basically because the lady who gave her to me has asked me not to. Anyways I tack Piper up and take her for walks along the road and often stand on the verge with her where she grazes different shrubs, plants etc that aren't plentiful in the paddock. I think I heard somewhere that you should never let your horse eat while tacked up/bitted but am not sure if it applies to us? We met this handsome fellow on our last walk. He has moved into the paddock with Cisco, the retired pinto stockhorse gelding. :)

At 06:41:21 on 18.08.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
i never ever ever let grenville eat with his bit in, it isn't going to cause them any harm if you do but it leads to bad habits when riding, messes up you bit with tangled up bits of grass and hay which you have to untangle AND makes the foam all green/yellow and 'bitty' EUGH no thanks lol my friends let their horses eat tacked up before riding and aren't bothered if there horse eats a sneaky piece of grass when we hack, grenville tried to copy once when we were out and once in his stable but got a scolding from me, i don't let him, never have, never will, i know horses that stop dead mid hack without being asked and stink their heads down and eat, couldn't be doing with it lol so yeah grenville + tack = no food haha oh and the WORST thing is when people give him a little bit of carrot on the sly with his bit in and the foam is all orange so i ask people specifically not to feed him with his bit in now

At 08:37:51 on 18.08.11, Flicka wrote:
I'm quite happy to let my horse eat with their bit in-it only takes a second to wash it off anyway and I'm sure it's not harmful, although they'd probably prefer, in an ideal world ,not to have a bit hampering their eating lol. I like to let my horse pick from the hedgerow at the end of my hack, sometimes I'm still on board and sometimes I hop off. I think it's a great way for them to pick at herbs/plants that are missing from their paddocks. This allows the horse to choose the 'supplements' that he needs :D

At 09:45:39 on 18.08.11, minki31 wrote:
I don't let the horse I'm riding most of the time but in the summer there is a bit of shade on our route and we let our horses eat there for abit but only if they have been good. It only takes a second to wash of the grass ect on the bit, by the time we get back to the yard most of the foam has gone but that don't take long to wash off either

At 13:12:55 on 18.08.11, Part Arab wrote:
Thanks for your comments guys. I'm leaning towards the "it's okay" position because I can't lead her out onto the road without a bridle (it's illegal here in Australia) and I want her to be able to self select herbal remedies when we are out like Flicka said :) Likewise with cleaning the bit afterwards - it doesn't make much difference if shes been eating or not, I always clean the bit off before and after use. A quick wash and we're good to go :)

At 14:20:24 on 18.08.11, crazycowgirl99 wrote:
Well, you learn something new everyday, I never knew it was illegal in Australia to lead your horse out onto the road without a bridle - oops, I do it all the time!

At 18:39:35 on 18.08.11, lovemyhorse wrote:
I dont let my horses eat whilst bitted iv seen lots of horses get bad habits from this and it does make the bit very dirty and tangled even after a few minutes, also not pleasant when riding x

At 00:43:44 on 19.08.11, WildHoofprints wrote:
I highly doubt there's any physical harm in letting your horse graze while bitted, I don't because my horse already has a bad habit of sneaking grass EVERY chance he gets, bridled or haltered (especially when he knows you aren't paying attention). It's been frustrating for me, i'll ask him to trot and he'll trot. Suddenly he'll stop and snake his head down for a few mouthfuls, leaving you on his back struggling to get his head up.

At 01:32:23 on 19.08.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Just thought i would mention about the hedges grenville snatches at the ones with thorns on -.- so i doubt he is wise on the whole herb thing i think he is just greedy when he tries so he isn't allowed lol and it takes more than a minute to wash it off with gren cos he manages to knot it round the link in his snaffle -.- also he messes about with it while im riding and refuses to accept the bit with stuff in with the bit so yes its ok but personally its a big no no for me and grenville (unfortunately for him)

At 11:24:50 on 20.08.11, Part Arab wrote:
crazycowgirl99 I know, right? I found it out when investigating if I was ready to ride Sienna out on the road in an online horse riding australia safety guide or something similar. Also same guide mentioned the need to release a running martingale from the reins when leading on the road (as soon as you dismount). Not very practical imo but was enough to put me off using a martingale lol.