Advice please! Feeding an Elderly Pony

[Maesfen]

As the title says!

Have got an elderly (27) pony staying over the winter and just wondering what the views are about feeding a specialized diet or just adding something to a normal feed. Thoughts please!

She is 13 hands, Connemara cross, a tubby one but very active, sound as a pound; used to be a JA and tetrathlon pony in her youth and middle age. If we had a child to ride her she could be, no problems. Her only drawback healthwise is I have to soak hay for her else she coughs but that doesn't stop her tearing round the box, she makes you giddy! Never mind, it helps keep her fit! She certainly doesn't act her age, can give the youngsters a run for their money!

They are only stabled at night (well they will be this weekend because of fireworks) although if it stays dry might try to leave them out a bit longer if I can.

Normal diet would be B's Economy Mix with sugar beet and a bit of Hifi with as much hay/haylage as she will eat (her teeth are good)

What would you do?

 

[sleepingdragon10]

To be honest Pat,if she looks good on it then all I'd do would be to add something like Bailey's Lo-Cal over the winter as the quality of the grazing drops off.
Perhaps change from Sugar Beet to Fibre Beet if she starts to drop too much condition as it gets colder.
Other than that I'd just carry on with what she's already having

Bethxx

 

[AmyMay]

If what you're doing now works - then I would change nothing.

She sounds like a little cracker!!!

 

[Maesfen]

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she sounds like a little cracker!!!

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She's that alright! Would love to have seen her in her heyday, bet she was a feisty little thing. Probably got a too big brain for her size, typical of some ponies, they think they're all seventeen handers!

Weird isn't it, if she was a youngster I'd have no problem but as she's that old beginning to doubt myself and have no idea what 'oldie' feeds there are on the market.

Lo Cal is a good idea SD, could also use it for Dolly - she's not going to waste away either, I'm sure she's stocked up for a 3 year siege!

 

[AmyMay]

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I'm sure she's stocked up for a 3 year siege!

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Sounds like a little lady I know LOL

 

[samp]

If she starts dropping off maybe give her a veteran mix as they tend to be easier for older horses to cope with. May want to add some oil

 

[BBs]

Doesnt really sound like you need to change anything atm

Perhaps giving her haylage would be better, ive just switched my old boy on to haylage instead of hay, you wont have to feed so much grain either.

If the weight drops I would perhaps switch her to a veteran mix - I currently use Spillers Senior Conditioning mix

if my boy starts to drop I will introduce Barley Rings - but i usually soak these for a bit before hand (with SB or water) to make them a bit softer

You could add oil (tesco cooking oil is fine) and just make sure shes well rugged

Shes a year older than mine, and sounds to me very similar! In August i was making arrangements for Bert to be PTS, but since taking him off all painkillers and popping coligone into his food hes put on weight and now bucks and flies round the field after winston!! a different horse

although I wouldnt say hes sound! but he looks and feels great

 

[AmyMay]

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Spillers Senior Conditioning mix

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Can absolutely recommend these as well. I had Freddy on them and he looked tremendous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[teapot]

For the oldies at the yard, they were on (probably still are) the Saracen veteran mix - and they all looked fab on it.

Smells nice too

 

[Theresa_F]

Funny you should say about no problems with feeding youngsters.

I have just been talking to Simple Systems and wanted a similar diet for Cairo who is 20 and Chancer who is 2. They said that the requirements of oldies and youngsters are very similar.

Having nearly always had OAPS into their 20 and 30s, I feed them the same as any other horse as long as their teeth are good but add more protein as they have problems absorbing it. They may need more feed than younger horses, but not in all cases.

D&H 16+ is an excellent mix and very tasty - I like the dried carrots bits best

I used to give cubes softened with water or sugar beet to our really old dartmoor pony - she lived to 38 before being pts as she was starting to get cold after cold and was very grumpy and not enjoying life as she used to.

My TB at 29 did very well on 16+, sugar beet, chaff and fibre cubes. OAPs also do well to have pre/pro biotics, something like Equimins pro-bio is excellent. Linseed is good for the joints and I also give Cairo cortaflex to keep him mobile.

 

[eekmon]

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My TB at 29 did very well on 16+, sugar beet, chaff and fibre cubes. OAPs also do well to have pre/pro biotics, something like Equimins pro-bio is excellent. Linseed is good for the joints and I also give Cairo cortaflex to keep him mobile.

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I too feed my 29 yo TB x 16+ chaff sugarbeet, but I also add TopSpec balancer and cider vinegar for joints! But as said before if all is well don't change the diet, the pony will let you know if and when a change is required

 

[MagicMelon]

Id just leave her on that diet if she stays good on it. Make sure she's on a vitamin & mineral supplement. You could add a little bit of Soya Oil or change her Hi Fi to Alfa A if she loses any condition. Sounds like she's still very healthy though! You could start feeding her NAF Superflex (brilliant stuff!) just as a maintence.