Senior horses from late teens onwards require a balanced diet that is highly digestible.
Raw grains are not well digested by the small intestines – over half the amount fed passes into the caecum where it ferments – yielding acid, heat, gas and ammonia, low digestibility in the small intestine predisposes horses to loss of appetite, colic, diarrhea and laminitis – as well as reducing fiber, energy, protein and mineral absorption.
Recent veterinary research has found that processing of grains by crushing or cracking does little to improve digestion but that steam extrusion – and advanced process that improves, advances and supersedes older methods of grinding, boiling and pelleting – increase digestion to 92%.
Oats whether whole or crushed – are only 45% digested in the small intestine; whole, cracked or crushed corn only 29% digested and barley only 21% digested. Steam extruded grains are over 90% digested.
Protein for the older senior horse requires between 12 and 14 percent in order to maintain better muscle and body condition.
Omega 3 oils have been found to benefit blood oxygen levels and reduce the incidence and severity of arthritis and inflammatory skin conditions in senior horses. A small amount of omega 3 oil per day could provide benefits for the blood and immune system in older horses.
Extremely aged. old horses, with little or no teeth, can sometimes be maintained by soaking hay and grain to make a mash.
Hay cubes and beet pulp soaked in warm water for an hour or so before feeding become very manageable for the older horse to eat. Pelleted grains can also be soaked to make them much easier to chew.
Choosing soft, leafy hay with a higher concentration of legumes is also a good idea, as the older horse may have trouble chewing and digesting a stemmy, fibrous grass hay.
A second cut grass hay is also soft and leafy if you can’t find legume mixed hay. And if the older senior horse has trouble maintaining his weight, especially in the winter months, the addition of some vegetable oil to the diet can provide him with more energy and calories.
Horse Moms Life Stage complete health and nutritional supplements has been able to take the guess work out of feeding and supplementing your horse by analyzing the different activity stages of horses and provide supplements with nutrients specific to each life stage and activity.
Plus providing total body support with additional ingredients to support your senior horses’ skeletal system, digestive system, immune system, skin and coat, muscular system, nervous system, circulatory system and respiratory system.
At Horse Moms, biochemists, equine nutritionists and veterinarians combine their fields of knowledge and expertise to design and formulate the proper complete health and nutritional supplement for Senior horses.
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