As horses age, their nutritional needs evolve, making it essential to adapt their diet to support their health and vitality. Feeding senior or veteran horses requires careful consideration to ensure they maintain a good condition and quality of life.
This blog in, collaboration with Spillers' horse feed experts, explores the key aspects of caring for senior equines, from condition scoring to selecting the best horse feeds and supplements.
What age is a horse considered a senior?
Typically, a horse is considered a senior at around 15 to 20 years of age, though this can vary depending on factors such as breed, workload, and overall health. Regular check-ups with your vet can help determine if your horse has entered its golden years and whether dietary adjustments are needed.
How to check the condition of your horse
Monitoring your horse’s condition is vital for ensuring their ongoing health. Here are some key steps:
- Body Condition Scoring (BCS): Use a scoring system from 0 (emaciated) to 5 (obese) to evaluate your horse’s fat coverage. Focus on areas such as the ribs, withers, and tailhead.
- Muscle Tone: Look for signs of muscle wastage, particularly along the topline, indicating age-related changes or insufficient nutrition.
- Coat and Hooves: A dull coat or brittle hooves may signal dietary deficiencies.
- Dental Health: Senior horses often experience dental issues, such as worn or missing teeth, impacting their ability to chew hay or other fibrous feeds.
What is the best feed for senior horse weight gain?
When feeding a senior horse, especially one requiring weight gain, the key is to provide a diet high in easily digestible fibre, quality protein, and controlled starch and sugar levels. Consider these components:
Fibre: Essential for digestive health, fibre-rich feeds such as beet pulp or chopped hay replacers are ideal for horses with dental issues.
Protein: Look for feeds with high-quality protein sources like soybean meal to support muscle maintenance.
Fats: Adding oils or feeds with higher fat content, such as Spillers’ Senior Conditioning Mix, can provide calorie-dense nutrition without overloading the digestive system.
Trusted by riders: Spillers Senior Conditioning Mix is specifically formulated to support weight gain in senior horses, offering a balanced blend of nutrients.
Spiller's feed advice
Caring for a senior horse can be incredibly rewarding, especially when they thrive on a tailored diet. By prioritising their nutritional and joint health, you can ensure they enjoy their golden years to the fullest. For more advice, consult your vet or contact Spillers for guidance on feeding the veteran horse.
Senior horse feeds will be carefully formulated to support the changing needs which may arise with ageing. Nutrient levels are often higher than regular feeds, textures may be more suited to those with reduced dental capability, and many will have functional ingredients added for joint or digestive support.
Not all seniors are prone to weight loss! For good doers, who maintain weight easily on forage/ grazing alone, SPILLERS™ Supple & Senior Balancer is a great option. It provides essential vitamins and minerals to balance forage, along with joint support, pre- and probiotics for digestive support, biotin for hoof health, and vitamins C and E for increased immune support. The small feeding rate means it provides negligible calories, sugar and starch.
For those requiring more calories SPILLERS offers three choices:
SPILLERS Senior Conditioning Mix - designed for active seniors who struggle to maintain their weight, the Senior Conditioning Mix provides a high level of calories from a blend of cereals, fibre and oil. Added glucosamine supports joint health and live yeast support is included to support digestive health.
SPILLERS Senior Complete Care Mix - a highly palatable recipe with natural herbs. The Senior Complete Care mix includes glucosamine and MSM to support joint health, pro and prebiotics for digestive support, as well as vitamin C and a high level of vitamin E to support immune health for all-round wellbeing.
SPILLERS Senior Super-Mash - the low sugar and starch, fast soaking, high fibre choice. The Senior Super-Mash whole cereal and molasses free recipe is suitable for those prone to laminitis and it can also be fed as a total hay replacer where needed. Packed with vitamins, minerals and digestive support, the apple aroma makes it a firm favourite for 1,000s of horses!
Best forage for senior horses
Selecting the right hay is crucial for senior horses, especially those with dental challenges. Consider the following options:
Dust-Free Hay: Products like TopHay are excellent for reducing respiratory irritation.
Chopped Forage: Pre-chopped hay or haylage is easier to chew and digest.
Hay Replacers: For horses that struggle with traditional forage, soaked hay cubes or fibre-based feeds can be a suitable alternative.