Veteran
When should I feed a senior feed? ↓
As a horse gets older his digestive system becomes less efficient so he may no longer obtain the full nutritional benefit from the feed he gets. If you notice that he’s not looking quite as good as he did on his current feed, now could be the time to step up to a specially formulated “veteran feed”. These are designed to provide readily digestible, non-heating calories so should promote a little more condition than a high fibre, low energy feed and help to give the older horse just that little extra he needs to stay looking and feeling good. If however your horse or pony is still looking good and performing well on his current diet, there is probably no need to change; you will soon know if he starts to lose weight and condition, that it is time to change.
Articles you may be interested in include:
Does My Older Horse Need a Special Feed
Older & Wiser
Products you may be interested in include:
No.15 Senior MixMy veteran has poor teeth and struggles to eat hay and/or hard feed, what can I do? ↓
Loose and worn teeth can make it difficult for veterans to chew properly, so what is swallowed is less easily digested and can be one reason why a horse is not thriving even on the correct diet. The biggest difficulty for horses whose teeth are really failing, is consuming sufficient forage and fibre to maintain a healthy digestive system. Alfalfa, and other chaffs, may be easier to chew, and can be fed as full or partial hay/haylage replacers, whilst Baileys Everyday High Fibre Cubes and Fibre Plus Nuggets are also useful and can be softened with water or soaked sugarbeet pulp for easier consumption.
Articles you be interested in include:
Older & Wiser
Forage - The Long and the Short of it !
Products you may be interested include:
No.15 Senior Mix
Speedi-Beet
Fibre-Beet
Keep Calm
Golden Chaff
Alfalfa Plus OilHow can I keep weight on my veteran this winter? ↓
Veteran feeds are designed to provide readily digestible, non-heating calories so should promote a little more condition than a high fibre, low energy feed and help to give the older horse just that little extra he needs to stay looking and feeling good. However, to promote serious weight gain, a conditioning feed, like Top Line Conditioning Mix or Cubes, is the most effective and cost effective choice as these are more energy dense than veteran feeds so will contain more calories per kilo. This means that meal sizes can be kept manageable and you will get better results than adding “conditioning straights”, like barley and sugarbeet, to your existing feed.
Articles you may be interested in include:
Feeding for Condition
Conditioned to Perfection
Not All Oils are Equal
Products you may be interested in include:
15 Senior Mix
Cooked Cereal Meal
Outshine
Fibre-BeetWhat do I feed an older horse with Cushing's Disease (PPID)? ↓
Cushing’s (now known as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID)) is most commonly associated with older horses and ponies and stems from the growth of a tumour on the pituitary gland, situated in the brain, which causes hormonal disturbances. Horses suffering from Cushing’s exhibit a number of symptoms including a coarse wavy coat, excessive thirst coupled with excessive urination, increased appetite without corresponding weight gain, loss of muscle and top line and, most importantly, they are more susceptible to laminitis.
For those with secondary problems, like laminitis, the diet must be low in starch and fructans, whilst a conditioning feed may be appropriate for those who are struggling to maintain condition, as long as there are no apparent signs of laminitis. Correct nutrition is vital to provide support to the weakened digestive and immune systems and it may also be worth considering the use of prebiotics and probiotics, especially if the animal is receiving medication. It is also important to feed small regular meals as the horse can be sensitive to surges of glucose from a large meal, which he may not be able to deal so effectively when suffering from this condition.
Products you may be interested in include:
Ease & ExcelEase & Excel Cubes
Keep Calm
Lo-Cal balancer
Articles you may be interested in include:
Does My Older Horse Need a Special Feed
All About Digestive Enhancers
Laminitis - What it is and How to Avoid it
Feeding Sugar Beet to Laminitics
Feeding Those with Cushing's Disease (PPID)
