Feeding your Senior Horse

As healthcare improves for both animals and people, more and more of us are having to care for senior horses. It's a good thing--we get to keep our reliable animals around longer and longer--but with age, comes challenges. One such challenge is feeding your senior horse. especially if they are missing teeth.

When our horses begin to lose teeth, they can't chew and digest as well they used to; this means they may not be receiving all the nutrients they need. Our horses only have one set of permanent teeth, like humans, and they may lose them for a number of reasons (periodontal disease being the main one). Horses also wear their teeth down with chewing and sometimes they simply run out of tooth surface.

So when we have horses that lose teeth, or maybe their teeth are just too smooth for any effective chewing. we have to figure out a way to make sure they get the food and nutrients they need. Pasture will be extremely difficult for aging teeth, the incisors themselves may not be able to grasp the plants and nip them off. Horses without molars have difficulty grinding feed, making hard grains and long stem hay particularly difficulty for them to eat. Aging horses should have access to pasture and forages, to encourage natural behavior, but you must be aware of other ways to build a ration for these animals.

Alternative fibers may be helpful in these cases--hay cubes, beet pulp and others can provide forage and fiber without the possible long-stems in traditional hay. Pelleted feeds will allow your senior horse to get more out of it, as opposed to full oats or corn. Body weight, health and coat condition are improved with these types of pelleted or extruded feeds.

For more information about feeding your toothless horse, check out this article: https://thehorse.com/112446/mind-the-gap-feeding-the-toothless-horse/

Beet Pulp: 5 Feeding Benefits

Beet Pulp: 5 Feeding Benefits

Recently, I looked into how to increase fiber in my senior horse’s diet.  My horse Kat is a 28 (soon to be 29) year old Quarter Horse that cannot chew and digest hay any longer and is typically kept on pasture year round.  Our pasture did not stockpile forage well this past fall due to weather and I knew he would need fiber supplementation in addition to senior feed.  I brought this up talking to a co-worker of mine (and fellow horse owner/enthusiast) and she suggested beet pulp and/or chopped hay (no stems to process there).  I thought to myself, beet pulp- I haven’t used that stuff in years and also, why didn’t I think of that?  Here are five benefits you should consider when it comes to feeding beet pulp:

1.      Beet pulp is a soft, easily digestible fiber source excellent for seniors and horses with dental issues.

2.      Beet pulp is high in fiber, relatively low in crude protein (8-10%), and has been found to be high in digestible energy (higher than hay but lower than grain).  *Beet pulp is great for horses that need a low carb diet!

3.      Beet pulp comes dehydrated in two forms: pelleted or shredded.  This allows for easier storage and limits spoilage.  You soak the beet pulp you need and feed within 24 hours.

4.      By feeding soaked beet pulp, you can increase your horse’s water intake in the winter months.  Tip- Soak beet pulp with warm water in the winter (never hot water as this can destroy the nutrients).

5.      Running short on hay?  By adding beet pulp to your horse’s diet, you can actually stretch your hay supply further.

So far, beet pulp has been a great choice for my senior horse.  I soak beet pulp pellets and then add his senior horse feed on top for increased palatability.  During a snow event, he is also receiving chopped hay since it is harder for him to forage in the snow. 

Kat eating his beet pulp and senior feed.

Caution

While beet pulp is an excellent fiber source, feeding too much of it can result in a calcium phosphorous ratio imbalance.  Therefore, it is advised to not feed more than 25% of your horse’s total diet in beet pulp.  You may want to even feed less than 25% to younger horses to ensure normal bone development.   As with any change to your horse's diet, start by feeding only a small amount and gradually increase the amount fed over a period of a week or so. Consulting with your veterinarian or equine nutritionist to ensure your horse's total diet remains balanced for all nutrients is also recommended.

For further reading about beet pulp please click here (source used for this post): http://livestocktrail.illinois.edu/horsenet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=10020

Caring For Your Senior Horse

We’ve all heard the phrases “Well, I’m no spring chicken” or “I’m not as young as I used to be”.  The older we get, our joints creak and pop a little more than they used to, our eyesight is not as sharp and it takes a little bit longer to get moving.  With everything that happens to us on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget that they happen to our equine friends too.  As our horses get older, there are things that we can do, steps that we can take to help them age gracefully and comfortably.  Researchers from the University of Georgia and University of Florida have detailed some of the most common problems for senior horses and their solutions and compiled them in the article below.

Caring for the Older Horse: Common Problems and Solutions