WEG 2018: Feed Office Insider

Ever wonder how horses competing at the World Equestrian Games and other international events get their feed and hay delivered? Here’s how it works at WEG 2018.

When a groom needs to place an order, they stop in to the feed office. Kentucky Equine Research provides order forms for those who know what they’d like to receive, and can also offer assistance if there are questions about the correct selections for a horse. Teams can order from feeds that they brought on the plane or from the containers of pre-ordered European feeds, or select U.S. feeds available a la carte. In all, there are well over 100 different formulas onsite. They can also select from four hay varieties or pre-ordered bagged chaff and haylage. Straw and cardboard bedding are also available through us (shavings are in stable management’s bailiwick this time), as are a selection of KER supplements.

Once the paper order is filled with selections and relevant delivery information, a feed crew member enters it into the accounting and inventory system. (This sometimes requires skills in translation and identification of handwriting hieroglyphics.) Once entered, the order is printed and walked over to the warehouse team.

In the warehouse, orders are separated by priority. Horses entering and leaving quarantine move to the front of the line. Otherwise, orders received before noon are delivered same day, those placed after noon may be delivered the following day, depending on volume. They’re also grouped by stable when possible so that multiple orders can be delivered in a single run.

When an order comes to the top, a crew member assembles all the requested items and loads them in a cart for delivery. This often involves climbing in and out of several different shipping containers. A typical order for a single horse might be:

• 2 bales first-cutting timothy hay (50 lb)
• 1 bag rolled oats
• 1 bag beet pulp
• 1 bag Saracen Enduro-Performance
• 1 bag carrots (25 lb)
• 1 bag apples (5 lb)
• 1 salt block

When teams order as a group, carts fill fast! Sometimes a pallet on a forklift is the best approach.

The Tryon stables cover a vast footprint. Driving time to far-flung stables can be considerable, especially with horse and construction traffic. When the delivery person arrives, they park and find the correct stall, then start unloading the order into the stable. At this point other teams often approach with questions about products, order status, and other queries. Once everything is delivered, we leave a copy of the packing slip and head back for another round.