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Dear Professor Edge:
Each year, it is getting to be a struggle with my older horses when they come through winter and look a bit thin. This year, I am having difficulty with getting my three seniors back into shape. All my horses get the full monty: teeth checked, dewormed, etc.
Signed Perplexed
Dear Perplexed: Yours is a common problem that ails a lot of senior horses. Age is a common denominator that affects us all and it’s a matter of digestion. With age, the horse gets to a point where they are not chewing their hay as well because they are just not able to. In turn, that disrupts the saliva flow and the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the molecular level. Also, in some cases, the increasing inability to chew will result in partially chewed hay to fall out onto the ground.
It is not uncommon to have senior horses loose condition, especially if they’ve been on the same diet year after year. I like to consider adjusting the diet to meet the needs of the individual horse.
For the senior horse, we are looking to ensure we are supplying a balance of protein, energy and vitamins in quantity and form that older horses can handle. A good soft cube form will avoid wastage and promote chewing, saliva production and better digestion. Age interrupts the absorption of minerals and the creation of Vitamin C (an essential component of many enzymes created by the body); therefore, not only do we look for a better vitamin/mineral mix, we are concerned about their digestibility and seek out what is called chelated minerals fully fortified with the right vitamin levels.
So perplexed, a tall order for geriatric horses and the answer could’ve been shorter as my first recommendation would be Golden Years Horse Cubes, designed for older horses (18 years and over).
Sincerely, Professor Edge.
(Professor Edge, consultant on feed nutrition for horses, Rooney Feeds Ltd. 613-258-1567)
