Caring for older horses and ponies
The normal ageing process can cause a reduction in weight. Often, what you see is a drop in muscle mass because the combination of reduced exercise intensity and ageing mean that muscles don’t have the same tone as before. In addition, digestion and absorption of food isn’t as efficient, causing older equines to drop in weight despite no change in their diet. Also, these animals can’t cope with colder temperatures well, so make sure they are well rugged up on cold and rainy days, to avoid using up their fat stores just to keep warm.
Weight loss may also have other causes. First, make sure he is up to date on worming or organise a worm egg count. Untreated parasite burdens can cause intestinal damage and weight loss. Next, get his teeth checked at least every 6 months. There are lots of problems that can be caused by poor teeth, even in horses and ponies that have previously had few dental problems. For example, ageing teeth can be lost or change in shape, leading to tooth problems like overgrowths, ulcers and trapped food. Older teeth often aren’t as good as chopping up long hay either.
What should I feed my ageing horse or pony?
Although many older horses and ponies don’t need a specific change in diet, it’s important to make sure they receive both the forage and essential vitamins and minerals they need each day. This may just mean continuing with his routine access to forage. But, depending on whether you have changed his exercise level, it may mean changing his concentrate feed to one more suited to the older horse.
Dental issues, health problems and normal ageing may mean your horse or pony needs a change in diet to keep him in good condition. Even where an adequate amount of hay or grass (2% bodyweight per day) is being consumed, the horse or pony will usually benefit from a balancer or supplement formulated for the older equine. That grass or forage alone probably won’t provide essential vitamins and minerals that your older horse needs to stay healthy and maintain condition.
Chopped hay or hay cubes can help an older equine who struggles to chew effectively, to help them get the forage they need. There are even fibre cubes that can be soaked into a porridge for horses who have lost all, or nearly all, their teeth. Although expensive, horses often do really well on this diet.
Take home message
In order for your horse and pony to stay fighting fit and enjoy his golden years to the full, it’s important to stay on top of regular healthcare, worming and farriery. Also, keep a close eye out for subtle changes that could indicate there’s something amiss.
Some horses enjoy the stimulation of light exercises well into their older years but it’s key to listen to your horse. Daily grooming and playtime are great ways to enjoy precious moments with your ageing horse or pony whilst making sure they are doing well physically and mentally.
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