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There are many old horse or veteran complete horse feeds on the market, but they often contain bulk fillers such as oat and wheat feed in high amounts, which are not necessary in the diet of horses. In addition, most of these feeds supply high amounts of molasses which is not desirable in large amounts when substituting hay for an old horse. We believe the smart horse owner buys the separate single feeds and mixes them so that the horse has the best chance of health.

Dermot is a 21-year-old Connemara who, despite being in his senior years, still lives a very active lifestyle. Dermot has poor dentition; various diastemas and having had three teeth removed means he struggles to chew hay effectively and requires a partial forage replacer ration. The suggested feeding levels are intended as a guide only. Always adjust your horse's feed ration to suit his temperament, the environmental conditions, his body condition and work load. If your horse is resting why not try one of the Dengie Hi-Fi products How Hard Are You Working Your Horse?

When winter sets in and the grass content lowers in the total diet then this is where many horses lose weight even though they look as if they are still grazing and eating enough hay or haylage. The months of December through March seem to be the worst, as grass availability is poor and the weather often turns a lot colder. It is very wise to assume that an old horse will lose weight if you don’t substitute quite a high proportion of hay and haylage with soaked high-fibre feed. How dental health affects feeding elderly horses He is looking remarkably well on a much reduced amount of mix, so my current plan is to let him eat as much hay as he will, up to say 25lbs, keep the hard feeds small and feed grass nuts as required to maintain the weight. If I can remove the mix entirely I will but Spillers have a new veteran mix which is higher in fibre than the one I have been using, although slightly lower DE/kg. If you can’t test, then understanding the effect soaking has on hay and choosing to soak for short periods of time, will preserve the nutrient status of the hay. It is important to use a protocol which will not leach high levels of water-soluble nutrients from the hay. Conner was suffering with faecal water issues that were particularly bad after being on fresh grass or if he was stabled. Gemma also believed that Conner had ulcers from the stressful upbringing he had before she bought him. It was suggested that Gemma tried Conner on Dengie Healthy Tummy which she says made a huge difference.

The decision to soak hay should be made on the health of the horse. An old horse with COPD may need hay soaking or steaming for a very short time. A laminitic horse may need hay rinsing and soaking for a short time to lower the simple sugars in the hay to prevent insulin levels from spiking.

Over-feeding cereal-based feeds in one meal can also cause digestive upsets, hence the rule of feeding little and often to horses. This is because cereal feeds contain a lot of starch and the horse has a relatively small capacity for absorbing it. If starch reaches the sensitive hind gut, problems such as laminitis and colic can occur.

The final consideration is to make sure the horse has sufficient time to consume his meals, in an environment where he will be protected from other horses. If a total replacement diet is needed then an area to munch, for an hour or two, in peace will be needed. This could be in a stable or in a fenced-off area. Although difficult to manage, this is the only way that a horse, which needs a considerable percentage of its diet as a soaked feed, will be able to consume enough food to maintain weight and health. The decision to carry out scientific analysis on the grass and hay an elderly horse eats, depends largely on whether you have control over the forage eaten and the amount eaten each day. Divide hay replacersinto a minimum of 4 meals for those without access to grazing. Try to ensure the first and last meals of the day are given as early/ late as possible to avoid long periods without forage overnight. YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. During winter, many owners will be thinking about supplementing their horse’s grazing with additional forage. If poor teeth or clinical conditions such as laminitismean that hay and haylage are no longer suitable, a hay replacerwill be essential. Choosing a hay replacerFaecal egg counts and the new saliva tests for tapeworms, done before deworming with a paste, will tell you if your worming programme is working. Making sure you do these on your old horse will tell you if you have a problem with resistance. If your worm counts identify species not normally found in adult horses such as ascarids or stongyloides, then you know you have a problem with resistance. It is very important to understand the daily feed should always be supplemented with a forage-focused mineral and vitamin balancer which is high in minerals which are commonly deficient in a forage focused diet. This should be fed throughout the year to all horses as grass is also deficient in the same minerals as hay. In the end, owners need to be guided by their horse, pay attention to body weight and treat each old horse as an individual. How does weather temperature affect feeding elderly horses? The amount and kind of work your horse or pony is doing is an important factor when calculating the quantity and type of feed to give.

SPILLERS HAPPY HOOFand HAPPY HOOF Molasses Freeare low calorie, short chop fibres ideal for laminitics. Alfalfa is an excellent feed for horses and can be chosen to feed an old horse, but its high calcium levels mean that it causes problems with balancing the major minerals. In addition, some horses do not tolerate alfalfa in their diet. Problems can range from worsening hoof sensitivity and laminitis, skin hives, to oedema in the legs, sheath and udder. There is little research to suggest why this is. Perhaps the most problematic aspect of how to feed an old horse is what happens to its teeth. At the time they erupt in a young horse, a horse’s cheek teeth are approximately 4” in length (including the exposed/erupted part and the portion within the jaw). Over the years, munching grass and hay cause these teeth to wear down over time. By the time horses are in their late twenties to early thirties, most have lost the majority of their teeth. This is normal and part of the ageing process.

How Hard Are You Working Your Horse?

And I will add Thunderbrook balancer as the mix reduces to ensure he gets his vitamins etc, although I do feed less than they advise. With the exception of SPILLERS GRO ‘N WIN®, all SPILLERS® Balancers are designed to be fed at a rate of 100g per 100kg of per day if fed alongside forage alone.