How to Feed an Old Horse
Meeting the needs of elderly animals can be a challenge. Horses especially must be carefully cared for in terms of diet, as their bodies cannot handle being over or underfed in their increasingly delicate state. Because horses are unable to vomit, when they become sick with the horse equivalent of the stomach flu, colic, this is serious enough to end their life. Older horses often develop problems with their teeth, making it important to feed them the correct kinds of foods that they are able to chew and digest.
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Instructions
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Make sure your horse has regular dental care. Horses chew their food in such a way as to wear down their teeth unevenly. Typically, a veterinarian should float a horse's teeth at least once a year. If your horse has had irregular dental care, make sure that it begins having more consistent dental care in its elder years, or finding food that the horse can chew will become a trial.
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Monitor your horse's eating habits. If it looks like he is having trouble chewing hay (a normal occurrence in elderly horses), you may need to put him on a chopped hay or pellet diet, one that gives a horse his necessary roughage in an easier to eat form. Products such as Equine Senior or Wendland's One'n'Only are popular among those with elderly horses.
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Supplement your horse's diet. A mineral salt block can be purchased at any local feed store, and will give your horse his necessary minerals. This applies to young horses as well as old.
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Be sensitive to your horse's weight. If your horse has a heavy winter coat, you may not be able to see a significant weight loss. It is common for old horses to become leaner in their old age, but if they are losing weight rapidly, they may not be getting enough food. Often it is helpful to feed a horse three small meals during the day, as opposed to two large meals in the morning and evening.
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References
- Photo Credit horse image by Penny Williams from Fotolia.com
