– Neighborly Advice –
Senior horse care essentials
Proper nutrition is important for equine in their golden years
By Grey Parks, ProTrition Equine Nutritionist
Horses are living and continuing to perform and work much longer these days than they did in the past. Aging horses, though, often require additional attention and nutrition when compared to their younger counterparts. Simple adjustments to your feeding program can help keep them feeling and performing at their best well into their golden years.
One of the most common physical changes older horses experience involves their teeth. Horses, like rabbits, have teeth that erupt continuously from their gum line throughout their lives. Since there is a finite amount of tooth material available to erupt, old horses will eventually “run out” of teeth. This reduces the horse’s ability to chew its food, particularly hay, thoroughly. You may notice your older horse “quidding” — dropping half-chewed mouthfuls of hay from its mouth. Whether your older horse is showing signs of dental problems or not, be sure to have your veterinarian examine its teeth every six months so that any developing problems can be caught and addressed quickly. Horses that can no longer safely or thoroughly chew long-stem hay should receive an alternative forage source. Hay cubes and pellets, beet pulp, and complete senior feeds are all good forage replacement choices. For older horses with chewing difficulties, all these products should be soaked prior to feeding to reduce the risk of choking.
Which forage replacement product is best for your horse will depend on your particular circumstances and preferences. Hay cubes, even soaked, provide more “chew time” than the other options, but they are bulkier and therefore more difficult to store and scoop.
Which forage replacement product is best for your horse will depend on your particular circumstances and preferences. Hay cubes, even soaked, provide more “chew time” than the other options, but they are bulkier and therefore more difficult to store and scoop. Beet pulp is a very low-density forage replacement product. In other words, it has a very high volume-to-weight ratio, especially when soaked. This can make it difficult to use as a total forage replacement product, as many horses won’t eat enough of it to fully replace their hay ration. Hay pellets and complete senior feeds are relatively easy to store, scoop, soak, and feed. Complete feeds usually contain more calories per pound than other forage replacement products, which is important for older horses that have difficulty maintaining body weight. No matter which product you choose, remember that horses should receive a bare minimum of 1% of their body weight (though 2-2.5% is preferable) in forage daily. An average (~1,200 pound) horse should therefore eat between 12 and 30 pounds of hay or an alternative forage source, weighed dry, daily.
Not all older horses develop chewing difficulty, especially if their teeth have been well maintained throughout their lives. However, age also reduces the horse’s overall digestive efficiency, which may be less noticeable day to day than a dental problem. This means that aging animals have higher nutrient requirements than they did earlier in their lives. Nutrients include not just calories but also protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is important that you choose a high-quality feed to meet these increased demands. For senior horses that are still relatively easy keepers and utilize their forage well, Pinnacle Balancer (336PE) will meet their nutrient needs in a small (1-2 pound) serving size. Average-to-hard keepers, on the other hand, are better served by a complete feed like Pinnacle Maturity (323PE).
Visit your local Co-op or Stockdale’s store for all your senior horse care needs!