Table of Contents
Good quality grass hay and corn or a complete pelleted ration for mature (not aged) horses are the feeds of choice. Avoid legumes (alfalfa and clover), wheat bran and beet pulp due to high calcium (legumes, beet pulp) or phosphorus (wheat bran) content.
How much feed does a senior horse need?
Senior horses can be categorized two ways – those that can eat hay and those that can’t. Because most senior feeds on the market today can be fed as a sole ration (ie 16-18 lbs. per day to a 1,200 lb.
What does a senior horse need?
Senior feeds contain highly processed grains and easily fermented fiber sources, such as soy hulls, beet pulp, and alfalfa meal. Whenever possible, use senior feed on top of a base diet of one percent of your horse’s body weight as chopped forage, hay cubes, or hay pellets.
What age is considered a senior horse?
By age definition “senior” horse has been defined as 15+ years of age. Due to improvements in veterinary care and nutrition, horse routinely live 25-30 years of age, some into their 40’s. It is not uncommon to see horses in late teens and twenties performing at high levels.
What should a senior horse feed look like?
According to Southern States equine nutritionist Dr. Marty Adams, “A senior horse feed should be highly palatable, dust-free, easy to chew and digest, based on digestible fiber instead of grain, low in sugar and starch content, 14% crude protein, and contain added B vitamins, vitamin C and additional fat.”.
How do you fatten up an old horse?
To maximize nutrient intake in an aging horse, try the following: Feed 1% of a high-quality forage daily (based on body weight). Offer a complete feed specifically designed for senior horses with higher digestible fiber at a minimum of 0.5% body weight. Feed a senior horse more frequently, at least three times daily.
Can a horse founder on senior feed?
Horses can founder even though they are on a senior feed diet. A simple grass hay diet is recommended for horses at risk of foundering. Senior feeds are made with ingredients that are typically high quality and easy to eat; however, horses susceptible to founder may continue to have problems.
Is beet pulp good for older horses?
Beet pulp is an excellent ingredient for complete horse feeds, where no hay or a limited amount of hay or pasture is fed, such as feeds for older horses or horses with respiratory problems such as heaves. Beet pulp is an excellent source of highly digestible fiber and has a crude protein content of 7%.
Do older horses need grain?
Typically, no grain is required but if desired or needed, choose one with restricted starch/sugar and contains added fat (4-7%). In these horses, forage based pellets or cubes could replace 10 to 50% of the long stem/chopped forages.
What do you feed a senior horse with bad teeth?
For horses with severe dental issues or missing teeth, Easy Soak™ pellets such as Equine Senior® horse feed can make it easy to create a mash with warm water. Simply add warm water to your horse’s regular ration of Equine Senior® horse feed, wait five minutes and stir.
When should I start feeding my horse senior feed?
At what age should a horse start on senior feed? A: There’s no correct age to start using a senior feed. Some horses never need a senior feed even into their late 20s, while others benefit from a senior feed in their early teen years.
What is a good senior horse feed?
Senior feeds have higher crude fiber levels than regular horse feeds. These sources of fiber include beet pulp, rice bran, or alfalfa meal because they are easier for horses to digest. Depending on the type of feed, some senior feeds also include high levels of easily digestible fiber.
Do old horses get skinny?
One of the biggest ways older horses are affected by old age is sudden weight loss. It’s a common fact that horses over the age of 20 often lose the ability to process and absorb enough energy to maintain a healthy weight. Your 20-year-old stallion can quickly turn into a thin, ribby, and less robust version of itself.
Are alfalfa pellets good for senior horses?
Energy requirements: Generally senior horses that are in good body condition are less active than their younger counterparts and only have maintenance energy requirements. Energy dense forage sources such as Alfalfa pellets, cubes of chopped forage are ideal to increase the calorie content of the diet.
Are hay pellets good for horses?
Horses often eat hay pellets faster than traditional hay because the smaller, ground particles are easy to chew and swallow. Hay pellets also do not provide any long-stem forage. However, for horses with poor teeth, soaking these pellets can still provide important fiber and nutrients.
Is alfalfa good for older horses?
The digestive system in older horses tends to be less efficient at processing and absorbing nutrients. Older horses often have difficulty eating hay because their teeth are either worn down or missing. Coleman has found that mixed grass-legume hay, such as orchard-alfalfa or timothy-alfalfa, is often a good choice.
What do underweight senior horses eat?
Common alternate forms are hay cubes, hay pellets, chopped forage, and beet pulp. Senior feeds often include some type of alternate forage like alfalfa meal, soy hulls, and/or beet pulp. For this reason, their feeding rate is usually double that of a normal concentrate feed.
How can I put weight on my old horse with no teeth?
Author’s Tip: Feed the geriatric horse a combination of chopped dried, wetted soft grass or young alfalfa, some soaked pellets which may be just forage pellets if the horse is no longer in work. An excellent feed to keep on weight especially during the winter is soaked sugar beet pulp.
Does beet pulp put weight on horses?
Beet pulp is considered a prebiotic, meaning it is beneficial to the millions of microbes in the horse’s hindgut. Beet pulp can be used to help underweight horses gain weight, as it provides approximately 1,000 kcals per pound (one quart of dry beet pulp shreds weighs approximately 0.5-0.6 pounds).
