As everyone should have noticed by now, the clocks were moved one hour forward from winter time to summer time during the night from Saturday to Sunday. In the first moment it was a great thing for all of us, because it finally stays bright longer in the evening. Already on Sunday afternoon we had to notice that the time change was also noticeable for the horses. We put away one hour less sleep differently well - one has no problems with it and can adapt directly to the summer time without any problems, the other needs days or even weeks to get used to the changed rhythm.

Our horses are similar, because they are creatures of habit and adapt to their feeding times. If we now come one hour later to the stable to feed, this means stress for the horses. The stomach growls and the restlessness in the stable grows. This can be problematic, especially for stomach-sensitive horses, because more stomach acid is produced as a result of the stress. At the same time, the horse cannot take enough roughage and therefore does not produce the saliva needed to buffer the stomach acid. The excess gastric acid therefore attacks the gastric mucosa, which can cause irritation and lesions of the mucous membrane. In the worst case, stomach ulcers can be the result.

It is therefore important to keep to the feeding times at all times and to adjust the feeding times step by step during the time change in order to avoid possible stress for the horses. Longer feeding breaks should also be avoided, because unlike stomach acid, which is produced continuously, the horse only produces saliva when it eats or chews. It is therefore advantageous to offer the horse free hay, especially in case of stomach problems, so that a constant feed intake and saliva production is guaranteed.

However, if the horse tends to be overweight, the feeding times can be extended by hay nets, as the horses eat more slowly through the hay nets and therefore need more time for their hayration than if they can pick up the hay directly from the ground.