By Deborah Barrie

When looking at the feeding program of “Senior” horses I first look at the definition.
With the advent of dewormers and enhanced nutrition the term “Senior” begsredefining. Once slated for retirement at the age of 20 as a senior horse, some horses

are as fit and able to work as if they were 15, and may continue for another 5 or more
years. However, there are some horses that at the age of 20 do look the part of a
Senior Horse, and are Geriatric in nature. Therefore, it is important to first make sure
that you are not moving your horse into a Senior diet too soon. The healthy retired
Senior horse’s diet may not look all that different than that of a mature horse. (age 5 –
20). It is the Geriatric horse that may have significant nutritional needs.
A quick reminder the digestive system of the horse is a continual flow process which
requires the continual grabbing, chewing and ingesting of fibre sources. Chewing
causes the production of saliva, a horse will only salivate when chewing. Their small
stomach (the size of a football) empties contents into the small intestine (foregut) every
20 minutes. If left empty of new material for an extended period of time ulceration of
the stomach can happen. We must always remember that the horse is a continuous
grazing non ruminant; obligate herbivore, needing small high fibre meals due to
continuous microbial fermentation in the cecum & large colon. (HIND GUT)
“As horses age it is important to understand the changes that they undergo, the care
they require and their general health risk factors”.(Ralston, 1996, Oke, 2011, Ireland et
al, 2010) : The following chart shows most of the general issues that older horses will
experience as well as some of the common health issues.
General Issues Health Issues

The Senior horse has some nutritional needs that their younger companions may not
require.
1. Vitamin C, a valuable antioxidant, is not synthesized as readily by the Senior
horse and needs to be supplemented.
2. In some cases a history of ulcers, digestive upsets, poor deworming protocol
during their working years may have played havoc with the absorptive, mucosal
lining of the digestive tract which may slow down and limit the absorption of
nutrients. These same conditions may have also affected the sensitive microflora
environment and population, which will affect the ability of these microflora to
convert fibre sources into energy the horse can utilize.
3. Dental issues, the teeth may have degenerated or may be missing, either the
front for grabbing fibre or the molars for grinding and mixing with saliva. Teeth
may also be more sensitive to temperature. In 2010 a study of 200 geriatric
horses, 95.4% had dental abnormalities.
4. Arthritis is a common form of lameness in Senior horses. This is often caused by
general wear and tear, years of stress & injuries to the joints.
5. After a lifetime of exposure to pathogens and allergens many of the changes that
have occurred to the lungs become irreversible with time. More care must be
taken of keeping the stable environment dust free and clean. Feed dust free hay
or soak the hay prior to feeding
The objective of any feeding program does not change with Senior or Geriatric
horses, it remains to maximize feed intake to maintain appropriate Body
Condition Score and Muscle mass.
Some Feeding Recommendations:

⇒ Hay should be of good quality, ideally always available; free of dust and mold,
leafy as much as possible as the leaf is easier to chew and contains 80% of the
nutrients in hay. Even horses with poor dentition should be allowed access to
hay unless choke is an issue. This provides something for the horse to do and
encourages salivation. It is still important that the majority of the diet consists of
forage.

⇒ Alternate fibre sources, such as soy hull pellets, beet pulp or hay cubes, can be

substituted for hay (soaking with warm water for those with dental issues),

⇒ Add 1-2 ounces of salt to encourage water consumption.

⇒ Have unlimited supply of “warm water”, not icy cold due to their sensitive teeth.

Feeding our Senior Equine Companions Page 3 by Deborah Barrie, Feedstore to-your-door inc.

⇒ If Insulin Resistant or Cushings choose feed with a low starch, low sugar and low

non-structural carb (NSC). Do not feed sweet feed, this is not only high in NSC
the high amount of molasses content can have a negative effect on the
microflora in the hind gut.

⇒ When feeding grains and/or pelleted feeds for added nutrition they should be fed

in small quantities to minimize starch flow to large intestine.

⇒ Diet protein of 12-16%. As muscle loss is concern, use a high quality source of

amino acids of lysine, threonine and leucine. All 3 of these amino acids are
considered important to prevent muscle loss. A good ration balancer will have
these in the correct proportions within a nutrient dense low feeding formulation.

⇒ Use a quality vegetable fat source to increase calories – introduce slowly.

⇒ Ensure they are fed adequate vitamins and minerals with vitamin C

⇒ Add a joint supplement with Glucosamine, MSM, Silicon and Boron to support

arthritic joints. The use of oil high in omega 3 fatty acids such as Camelina or
Flax oil will also aid in reducing whole body inflammation.

⇒ Add a protected probiotic and prebiotic to the diet to aid with maintaining stability

of the microflora environment and enhancing fibre digestion
Although the diet of the Senior/Geriatric horse can look complicated there are methods
available to meet their needs in a simple manner. If you are looking to balance and
create a diet of superior nutrition for your Senior or Geriatric horse I will be happy to aid
you in the process.
Deborah Barrie MBA, Diploma Equine Science (with distinction)
Nutrition Consultant, Tribute Ambassador
Feedstore to your door inc.
Deborah’s education and training provides a background in Equine nutrition with
extensive insight into equine gut health and its importance on equine health, healthy
hoof structure, weight maintenance and performance. She has applied the principles
in this article to aid in healthy lifestyle for her own senior and geriatric horses, one of
whom enjoyed life up to ripe age of 37.