The Healthy Senior Horse

Advances in veterinary medicine and greater attention to equine nutrition have made it possible even probable that your horse will live well into his 20s maybe even the 30s! But its apparent that individuality plays as much a role in the way horses age as it does for us. There are changes however that go along with growing old no matter what age they become noticeable. Some horses have trouble gaining weight others become too fat. Teeth wear down making chewing difficult some horses may even lose teeth. Most horses experience a decline in immune function and get sick more easily or develop allergies. Muscle mass may diminish and joints can become stiff. Digestion and absorption efficiency declines.

All these changes come about gradually but as your horse starts to show signs of aging the diet youve been feeding all along may now be obsolete and its time to tweak it a bit to meet your horses needs.
There are two major changes to consider
1. Diminishing saliva production. A seniorfriendly diet takes into account your horses reduced saliva production making dry food difficult to chew and nearly impossible to swallow. This natural aspect of aging is easy to manage by simply moistening your horses feed hell appreciate having his meal a little on the mushy side. And be sure there is water close by.
2. Less efficient digestion. This can lead to diarrhea electrolyte imbalances and weight loss. It starts in the small intestine where your horse produces fewer digestive enzymes leading to malnutrition simply because his tissues never receive the nutrients from his meal. Plus undigested food enters the hindgut where it is either fermented which can lead to colic or laminitis or ends up in the feces.
To improve the diet follow these guidelines
Choose senior feeds. Senior feeds are precooked and extruded formed into kibbles that are easy to chew and digest. Many senior feeds add digestive enzymes to their formulas to further assist with digestion. They also contain vitamins and minerals but keep in mind that the only way your horse will get enough of these nutrients is if you feed the recommended amount
Or choose beet pulp or hay pellets. Moisten these feeds into a mush. Youll want to add a digestive enzyme supplement along with proper vitaminmineral supplementation.
Feed the hindgut microbial population. These microbes are responsible for digesting the fibrous portion of the diet thereby providing your horse with calories.