News
Feeding the Older Horse or Pony over Winter
3rd December
The winter months mean management changes for many horses and ponies and those in their "senior years" may sometimes need a little extra support to ensure they emerge from winter full of the joys of spring! If you have a "20 going on 2 year-old", or an aged veteran with poor dentition we are here to help with feeding management strategies that can help you to see them safely through this winter.
You're only as old as you feel!
Improved knowledge, veterinary care and nutrition mean that horses and ponies are living much longer and our perception of what defines an old horse has changed. Although many senior mixes and cubes are available not every senior horse or pony needs them, expecially those that hold their weight well or the aforementioned "20 going on 2 year-old" that is just as excitable as their younger companions. In most cases this results in less than the recommended quantity being fed, which means missing out on important vitamins and minerals as well as all the extra added "goodies" designed to support the ageing horse or pony.
For the older horse or pony that has no specific problems the main priority is to continue to feed a suitable ration according to their bodyweight and workload and to ensure that the ration is balanced. Any of the Dengie fibre feed products such as those from the Alfa-A or Hi-Fi ranges may be fed to a senior horse and as they all contain alfalfa they provide good quality protein and can help to support topline in the advancing years. To provide a balanced ration a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement such as Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins can also be used.
Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins is a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement formulated to meet the needs of the older horse or pony and should be added to the ration when feeding a fibre only diet, or when feeding significantly less of a feed with added vitamins and minerals to provide a balanced ration. However, Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins is much more than just a vitamin and mineral as it has additional ingredients to support the ageing horse;
Two tier approach to digestive health
Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins offers a two tier approach to digestive health. The prebiotic FOS is a food source for the beneficial bacteria within the horse's gut. Creating a favourable environment for the "good baceria" enables them to proliferate at the expense of the less desirable or "bad bacteria". Secondly the prebiotic MOS offers a binding site for "bad bacteria" carrying them out of the digestive tract rather than allowing them to attach to the gut wall and to colonise. This two tier approach is particularly beneficial as older horses and ponies tend to be increasingly prone to digestive disturbance.
Confined to Barracks?
Stabling over the winter months is not always the most "comfortable" situation for the older horse. Confinement to a smaller space may result in stiffer joints and poor ventilation in the stable may result in respiratory problems, which is a common problem for older horses and ponies. Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins also contains some glucosamine for joint support and elevated levels of vitamin C that is an important antioxidant for lung health, which is particularly beneficial for older horses and ponies that are respiratory challenged.
Senior Specific Problems
Poor dentition, weight loss, Cushing's disease and laminitis are just some of the problems that a veteran horse may face. In practice this means that they require a more specialised ration all year round, but for those with poor teeth the winter months can be particularly challenging as the reliance on conserved long stem forage increases. Monitoring bodyweight and condition by regular use of a weigh tape and body condition scoring is good practice for any horse owner, but it is especially important for the veteran horse owner as changes can be spotted quickly and appropriate alterations to the ration made.
Poor Dentition?
As horses age their teeth can become worn and loose, a problem that is usually first noticed when a horse drops partially chewed feed from its mouth which is termed "quidding". For horses that quid, feeding long stem forage like hay and haylage can become a problem and poorly digested feed can lead to further complications including impaction colic, a common problem in older horses. As a 500kg horse can eat around 6-8kg or more of forage in the winter months alongside grazing, it is not surprising that as soon as they start to struggle with forage they may lose weight.
It is vital to remember that a horse needs fibre to maintain digestive health and fibre intake should still equate to at least 1.5% of bodyweight; a 500kg horse would therefore require 7.5kg of a fibre based feed per day. When horses can no longer manage long stem forage the next step is to try a short chop hay replacer product, like Dengie Hi-Fi Senior that combines short chop high temperature dried grasses and alfalfa in a soft and easy to chew format that makes eating fibre much easier for the older horse or pony. Often we are asked by horse owners if feeding such a large quantity of feed ina bucket is alright as the general advice for feeding horses is to keep bucket feed to a minimum. However, because Hi-Fi Senior and for that matter the other Alfa-A and Hi-Fi products are fibre sources, it is like a haynet in a bucket and therefore completely safe to feed in bulk - in fact the horse was designed to eat this way!
Soaking feed to a mash or gruel consistency can also help make it easier to consume. Adding Dengie Alfa-Beet to the ration is an ideal way of softening it as well as providing extra calories for those horses that need to gain weight. Dengie Alfa-Beet combines alfalfa and unmolassed sugar beet with a convenient 15 minute hot soak or 2 hour cold soak and is approved by the Laminitis Trust. There may come a time when an old horse cannot even manage short chop products. At this stage itis advisable to use an entirely soaked hay replacer ration that can be made up of soaked Alfa-Beet and High Fibre Cubes. It is equally important to weigh the cubes before they are soaked to ensure an appropriate quantity is fed.
Weight Management
Just because a horse is old does not necessarily mean that they are going to be thin, but many owners of older horses and ponies are often more concerned about weight loss over the winter months. If your veteran does start to lose weight it is important to ascertain the reason why and not just to put it down to "old age". Run through a checklist including a dental check, vet check and worming check to identify any problems. Also check your horse's diet; in particular, are they eating as much hay as they used to? It may be time to consider moving onto a more senior specific or higher energy feed. However proceed with caution with senior coarse mixes as most of them are unsuitable for veterans that have problems like laminitis or Cushing's disease, both of which require a low sugar and starch diet. Alfa-A Oil is Dengie's highest calorie fibre feed and has a calorie level equivalent to a conditioning mix or cube but without the high starch levels. This makes Alfa-A Oil suitable for veterans that need weight gain but require a low sugar/starch ration and can also be fed alongside Dengie Alfa-Beet if extra condition is needed.
Cushing's and Laminitis Care
The dietary management of a horse or pony with Cushing's disease should be based on a low sugar and starch diet, similar to horses with laminitis. Unfortunately one of the main problems associated with the Cushing's horse is that they tend to be more prone to this horrible disease, not necessarily due to any nutritional causes. This may mean that you may be doing everything right and yet laminitis can still occur.
Feeding according to weight and dental condition is also an additional consideration for horses and ponies with Cushing's and laminitis. For those that maintain weight easily a low calorie, low sugar and starch product, like Dengie Hi-Fi Lite is suitable. Dengie Hi-Fi Lite combines alfalfa and straw with a low sugar coating and is approved by the Laminitis Trust. On average Hi-Fi Lite has around half the sugar level found in hay and can also be used as a hay replacer for horses and ponies that struggle to chew hay. For those that struggle to maintain weight Dengie Alfa-A Oil, Alfa-A Lite, Alfa-Beet are all suitable feeds. Click here to read our article on coping with the Cushing's horse.
If you need further or specific advice for your veteran call our feedline on 0845 345 5115.
