Caring for the Equine Elder

care must be taken to ensure that they are receiving adequate nutrition.
Fitness for Health
The saying youre only as old as you feel certainly applies to horses and use it or lose it relates to horses just as much as humans. Unused muscles tendons and ligaments will weaken over time. The senior horses exercise regime should be carefully planned to encourage mobility for health without putting undue stress on old injuries or areas of particular weakness.
Exercise is important for helping to maintain healthy gut function. Lack of movement weakens muscles and bones while mild exercise can help reduce inflammation in tendons ligaments and joints. Exercise also helps prevent the senior from gaining too much weight letting an elder become obese only adds to the strain on their joints. 
Although old injuries and general wear and tear may require scaling back athletic activities seniors certainly benefit from maintaining an active lifestyle. Work with your veterinarian to decide the level of activity that is suitable for your horse.
Herd dynamics change on a regular basis not just when a new horse is introduced to the field. Seniority in the paddock means that it is the most dominant strongest horses that eat and drink first.
One way to help your senior horse to his fair share of resources is to create as many hay stations as there are occupants in the paddock and provide more than one water source. Space the hay stations far enough apart so that each horse can eat uninterrupted. If the older one is not chomping down food as quickly as his paddock mates this may not be an adequate solution. Consider splitting them up into a smaller and less dominant group or feeding them separately. Also try to keep your retirees separated from horses that travel frequently to reduce the risk of contracting infectious disease.