Keeping Condition On The Older Horse

An increasing number of horses are remaining healthy and active into their 20s and even 30s. Joanna Palmer of Allen & Page explains how you can meet the needs of the older equine through correct feeding.

- Joanna Palmer

Regardless of age, the most important aspect of feeding horses through the winter is ensuring they are receiving sufficient fibre, as even when they’re fed a high-calorie bucket feed, horses will lose weight if their fibre intake is low.

Fibre is not only vital for good digestive health but its digestion creates body heat as it’s fermented in the gut, which helps to keep the horse warm during the colder weather.

Veteran horses that have maintained weight and condition well on good grass all summer can suddenly drop weight when the quality and quantity of grazing declines, even when ad-lib hay or haylage is provided.

As horses and ponies get older, a natural decline in dental condition that results in loose, worn or missing teeth, and pain from sore gums, can greatly affect the ability to chew long fibre.

It is then necessary to replace some or all of their hay with alternative fibre sources that can be easily chewed and digested by the veteran horse.

A fast-soaking fibre feed that combines all the necessary ingredients and vitamins and minerals for a balanced diet offers an easy and convenient way of providing older horses with the fibre they need when they can no longer eat hay or graze effectively.