Eating at an Equestrain Event

NaturallyUnbridled · Well Schooled

Eating at an Equestrain Event

prospect · Advanced

with two competing boys that can eat me out of house and home we have a system - I have several different menus for events - the boys compete in horse trials - so they eat all day long - every event has a different menu with lots of healthy snacks throughout the day.

We usually have one show at the beginning of the season and one at the end that we buy lunch.

We have a great time having our meals at the shows and it is so convenient to have all the food there.

Barbara F · Grand Prix

Blech. There's never anything good to eat. I bring my own food. Lots of bananas, oranges, yogurt and lots of water.

Dillinger · Yearling

I usually try to bring my own food. I have low blood sugar, and because of that I need to eat every 3 hours, and I need to eat a protein source each time to help stabilize the blood sugar. I usually will pack boiled eggs or cheese to have as a snack with some fruit or a yogurt. And I'll make a turkey, or chicken sandwich or wrap for lunch. I find I feel so much better (and ride better!) if I take care of myself this way. It takes more time, but it pays off.

tuckermmr · Well Schooled

If its a multi-day expo or such we usually get a meal or two (usually lunches) from the concession stand, bring our own dinners and some lunch stuff. Sometimes treat ourselves to a box of donuts as breakfast for the weekend or bring frozen stuff or poptarts to heat up. At a one day show we usually bring snacks, crackers, and water for our lunches, then stop for dinner on the ay home.

jessiereasmussen · Yearling

I always pack myself a cooler!!

DressageLeggy · Yearling

I pack a cooler - but it gets harder as the events get further away from home. And even then it is tough to make sandwiches or wraps for a long show for lots of people!

spirithorse · Advanced

One is always forced to bring decent food with them in the cooler and brown bags or whatever is handy.

It is a shame that the food for the participants/spectators is held to such low standards

Ranna · Well Schooled

I always bring my own food because I don't like what the sell at those events.
I'm pretty picky with food because I like to eat healthy and as far as I recall I never have seen something healthy to eat at horse events.

SiobhanDressage · Well Schooled

Here is a quick & easy yummy snack:
In the summer when it gets quite hot I used to bring frozen grapes & fruit with me to the barn. It keeps you cool & energized :)

cjroyg · Well Schooled

I have been at many one day event and usually ended only eating frosties and drinking sport juices. With the little time we have I have always found it was hard to even get to eating something. When we have been to one of thje championship at one of those huge facilities were they only do those kind of things. It was basically impossible to eat well. There was no groceries in the area and the only restaurent was at an hour drive from the barn. We would usually end up having to lunch quickly at the facilities with junk food.

Once we did have a plan and the familly that had no competition or very little would go and do the supper for us and we would pay for are portion and each one of us would do so for one of the meals. It worked out great. We had to bring a lot of coolers and freezers but we got to eat a lot better, still was not perfect do.

Horse-hearted · Advanced

I also have a problem with blood sugar, but I find my nerves often wont' let me eat. I try for oatmeal early in the morning, with some fruit (high in sugar but light on the stomach) closer to show time. And LOTS of Water!

NaturallyUnbridled · Well Schooled

I am loving these posts and am thrilled to see that so many of you are concerned with eating healthy foods! It is very challenging at these events. Some of the foods that I bring along include:
Raw nuts / Trail Mix
Hummus
Carrots
Apples
Bananas
Whole-Grain Crackers
and LOTS of water!

I'd also like to invite you to join my Barnmice group "Naturally Healthy Equestrians"
http://www.barnmice.com/group/naturallyhealthyequestrians

Horse-hearted · Advanced

Very interesting, thanks Naturally Unbridled! A lot more people are more and more interested in their health these days, it's a nice change.
I encourage my students to pack lunches on horse show days- fruit, granola, yogurt, sandwichs with whole grain bread, blah blah. Since most of them are young, the compromise comes with a bit of chocolate or a bag of chips that sneaks in there, but hey, better then loading up on fries!

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

I tend to be like everybody else, pack healthy snacks. Back when I was showing a lot, the hotels we stayed at usually had healthy meal options for breakfast, too bad we were usually out the door and off to the show grounds long before kitchen staff showed up. It was handy when we traveled with the motorhome because we had a fridge, and were able to cook onsite. One of my favorite shows to go to was in a small town that had a great bakery, so we'd foot it into town and fill up on sweets