How to Take Care of an Older Horse

Video Transcript

"When caring for an older horse, it's important that you make a few adjustments. You want to make sure that the food that you're feeding is going to provide enough fat and nutrition for your older horse who has changing needs. This is something you can consult with your vet about. It's also important that you have regular vet exams for your horse. And they include things like checking their eyesight, which can change as the horse gets older. It's also still important that your horse gets turn out, but if your horse was living outside, it may not be that great of an idea to have your older horse living outside, depending on their health issues. All horse issues when they get old will have the health issues. If your horse starts to have sight issues, having him outside is probably not safe anymore. Also if you live in a cold climate, having them live outside can be a little bit harder on your horse. And you will definitely want to make sure that you have blankets that can help your horse as they start to get older and their bodies slow down a little bit. As your horse gets older, you'll notice that their muscles start to decrease a little bit, and their backs start to drop. It's good to keep working them to keep these muscles going, but you may find that lightening their load is a good way to maintain their health and soundness."