Care of the Aged Horse

  Care of the aged horse

 Dr C.E. Foote

Equine Consulting Services

The feeding program of the aged horse depends primarily on horse’s dental health. If the horse’s incisors are damaged, the animal will have difficulty grazing or grasping long stemmed hay. If this is a problem, either a chopped, wafered, cubed or pelleted hay and grain, or a complete pelleted or extruded feed should be fed. These feeds also work well for the horse that has trouble chewing because of wear or damage to the cheek teeth. However, the old horse may be more prone to choke on pelleted feeds, particularly if they are consumed too rapidly. The risk of choking can be decreased by feeding soft rather than hard pellets or by feeding an extruded rather than a pelleted feed, and by slowing the rate of feed consumption by:

1. spreading grain thinly over a large surface
2. putting several bars or even compartments in the feed bin
3. putting several large smooth stones in the feed bin
4. feeding small amounts often
5. feeding nervous horses first
6. mixing chaff or chopped hay with the grain.

All hay should be high quality, fine stemmed and leafy. Not only is this type of hay easier to chew, it is also more palatable and nutritious and the horse will eat more of it if needed. The grain fed should be processed. Even easier to chew and therefore more conducive to maintaining body weight in the older horse, is a complete pelleted or extruded feed. Because older horses with dental problems are able to chew these pellets, they can obtain the nutrients needed and are less susceptible to colic, which can occur in these horses due to the ingestion of poorly chewed feeds. If the horse’s teeth are sufficiently bad, the complete pelleted or extruded feeds or dehydrated Lucerne pellets may be soaked with sufficient water to make a thick slurry which can be consumed without chewing. The pellets can also be softened and additional dietary energy for maintaining weight can also be provided by adding as much as several cups of  oil to the diet daily.

Most good quality forages, pasture or hay and cereal grains will meet the older horse’s nutritional requirements. Mature grass, forage, hay or pasture however may not contain sufficient protein or phosphorus.

Generally it is necessary to feed older horses by themselves, so that they get their feed and are not injured or driven away by other horses. Providing sufficient feeders placed in a large circle may alleviate that problem.

Need more information?  Contact Equine Consulting Services

Copyright Ó 2008 Equine Consulting Services

References:

Frape, D. (1997). Equine Nutrition and Feeding, Edition 2. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, UK.

Lewis, L.D. (1995). Equine Clinical Nutrition, Feeding and Care. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, USA