Advice please on keeping my old man healthy!

Jill Crewe

Jill Crewe

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Hello all

I've got a PB Welsh Pony who is now 25. He lives out all year round and has always been a really good do-er. If there is grass anywhere, he will find it. I think he could stay fat in the desert!

He had a very close call with laminitis back along so we are always careful to not let him get too fat. I have never had to give him any concentrate feed and over the last couple of years I haven't done a lot with him, but I am going to start riding him a bit more now.

He hasn't had any health problems but I want to make sure that I keep him as healthy as I can in his old age without lettig him get overweight. I've recently started feeding him Spillers Senior Maintenance Mix and was wondering if this was suitable for his needs and if anybody had any suggestions of anything else that would be helpful for him.

As I have never had to give him much extra feed I'm not too hot on what's on the market!

Thanks in advance
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I wouldn't be feeding him concentrate feeds unless he looks as if he needs it. Mixes usually contain to much starches for a pony prone to laminitis.

If I were you I would leave things as they are and keep weigh taping him. If you want to add a little something in either use a balancer or feed something like Dodson & Horrell Safe & Sound which is safe for Laminitics and closer to the fibre only diet he has been on.

Well done with him & good luck for a happy & healthy future x
 
I wouldnt feed a course mix (or any cereals) to a laminitic because of the starch it contains, too risky. I would stick to fibre based feeds such as dodson and horrell safe and sound or badminton fibre complete nuggets, which can be soaked down if his teeth start to get dodgy. If you are not feeding the recomended amount of these it would be wise to add a vitamin and mineral supplement to make sure he is getting enough vits and mins to help keep him healthy.
 
Thanks for the advice
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Tbh, he doesn't look like he needs it - I just can't believe that he doesn't! We've been so lucky with him really; he lives out all year round so no stabling costs either.

I think I'm just starting to worry now because he's getting older; I've had him for 14 years and he's been such a good boy and I want to ensure that I make his more elderly years as good as they can be.

I will have a squizz at the D&H Safe and Sound. What about things like cod-liver oil supplements for his joints?
 
several companies do oldies feeds nowadays. my oldie does well on spillers veteran condition mix, shes 14hh and gets 5 lb a day split into 2 feeds.
 
I have a 31 year old Welsh A who has previously had laminitis and the Safe and Sound as mentioned above is brill. He also gets some Kwik beet which is also suitable for laminitics. He now finds hay difficult to chew so gets three feeds a day of this but is really well and healthy on it.
 
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