Advanced age does not have to mean a specialist diet. Older horses in good health and good body condition do not need changes to their diet. The situation is different when a horse unexpectedly loses weight and muscle. The cause then needs to be established with blood and faecal tests. I encourage you to read the post on our blog titled “Blood tests: which ones to run, when to run them, and who should interpret them?” (👉link). It may turn out that your horse is ill with something, or that it needs worming. In addition, if you have noticed that while eating it spits out balls of hay and spills its concentrate, it is also worth checking the teeth. Weight loss is not the only cause for concern. For example, problems changing the coat can point to Cushing’s disease (PPID), and brittle hooves to vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
A feeding plan should take account not only of the horse’s health, but also of its activity. With age, and as physical work is reduced, the need for energy falls, especially fast-release energy, so the starch and sugar content of an older horse’s diet should be reduced. For the concentrate, it is worth choosing a cereal-free product, rich in crude fibre and high-quality protein, with added linseed oil. It is very important that an older horse preferably has constant access to soft hay with few stems. If the horse struggles to eat it, or the hay is poor quality, grass pellets, unmolassed sugar beet pulp and mash work very well. This extra, easily digested meal helps prevent weight loss and, because it becomes a gruel once prepared, even horses with serious dental problems can manage to eat it.
As you can see, an older horse’s diet is made up mainly of plant fibre broken down by bacteria in the gut. To improve its digestion, it is worth feeding yeast, which acts as a probiotic and helps maintain a suitable gut microflora. This increases the use the horse can make of its feed and, as we already know, metabolism in older horses is slower, so they use their food less well. Another valuable addition is linseed, which coats the digestive tract and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties. The health problems of horses in advanced age are not limited to digestive disease. Many of these horses struggle with pain in the bones and joints, so supplements that support the musculoskeletal system (MSM, glucosamine, collagen) will be very useful. Vitamin C is very important for health and vitality, and older horses find it harder to produce. It is best to choose a natural, well-absorbed form, that is rosehip, blackcurrant or chokeberry. It is also a good idea to supplement zinc and selenium.
To sum up, caring for an older horse is a wide range of tasks. It often involves several systems: the digestive system, the musculoskeletal system and, in some cases, the respiratory system too. Ageing and the health problems that come with it are unavoidable, but the right diet can reduce their effects and give the horse the best possible retirement <3