Providing Care for Your Senior Horse

Technology and advances in medicine have given us tools to keep our horses alive longer.
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Not all that long ago, a horse in his teens was considered old. Today in many undeveloped countries, this is still considered to be the case. But in the sophisticated horse world, what is considered "old?" We consider a horse to be "aged" when he crosses over into his 20s. However, it’s not just the human life span that has been lengthened by good nutrition and preventive care; horses are living well into their late 20s and 30s. And these aged horses are doing so with a good quality of life. But just as some humans have aged beyond their years at, say, 65, some horses are old by 18 years even in the best of circumstances.

Technology and advances in medicine have given us tools to keep our horses alive longer and, in many cases, to help them remain athletically active into old age. Let’s look at some old horse tendencies and problems, then discuss how to successfully manage these concerns to give your older horse the life he deserves.

Nutrition and Dental Concerns

Just because a horse is up in years does not necessarily mean that he needs a geriatric ration. Many senior horses do well on the rations they have been fed since they were in their prime. However, an old horse might have dietary requirements that are similar to that of a young, growing horse: If he can’t maintain weight on a normal ration and is otherwise healthy, he might benefit from a ration similar to that which he was fed as a colt; a relatively high-protein (12-14%) and high-fat (7-10%) diet as well as an excellent source of quality fiber. The younger horse needs this because his growing body requires this diet for growth and energy; the older horse because his system absorbs a lower percentage of many nutrients, perhaps due to chronic parasite damage. These increased nutritional demands are met by various commercial "senior" feed products. Such "senior" products are easy to chew even for a horse with compromised dentition (teeth), are easy to digest, and are quite palatable

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Written by:

Nancy S. Loving, DVM, owns Loving Equine Clinic in Boulder, Colorado, and has a special interest in managing the care of sport horses. Her book, All Horse Systems Go, is a comprehensive veterinary care and conditioning resource in full color that covers all facets of horse care. She has also authored the books Go the Distance as a resource for endurance horse owners, Conformation and Performance, and First Aid for Horse and Rider in addition to many veterinary articles for both horse owner and professional audiences.

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