feeding an older horse? :)

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wiloafiz

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hi my horse is a 20 yr old 15.1 irish cob type thing ;) we've had him since he was 3 and hes always been a good doer, hes had a busy life ODE SJ hunting etc but is far too nosey and would rather watch the builders or play with his water than eat! now that hes getting older he doesnt seem to keep weight on as well, and IMO is looking a little poor coming into winter his teeth are fine etc hes ridden nearly everyday still lightly competed and fine in himself still spooks jumps jogs so i dont think its health we had him tested for cushings which came back as No but maybe slightly into the grey area... but the vet wasnt worried however this links to my feed question as i am looking for something to condition add a little energy but cant contain sugar as this affects maybe potential cushings and not fizz and not break the bank! sadly i cant afford blue chip types so if anyone has any ideas i would be greatful :)
thanks
 
What are you feeding him at the moment and how much? How many feeds a day does he get? Does he live in or out? On good grazing or not? Does he get hay or haylage at the moment, and if so, how much does he get?
 
I used to feed my elderly horse Alfa-A Oil (Dengie) and Sixteen Plus (Dodson and Horrell). Alfalfa is a plant that is naturally low in sugar and starch and is therefore suitable for horses and ponies with Cushing's disease. Theres also the Alfa-Beet & Alfalfa Pellets. There not too costly either. Around £10 a bag. I noticed a different in my horses condition using both these feeds within a month or so she managed to keep her weight on too through the winter..x
 
TGM said:
What are you feeding him at the moment and how much? How many feeds a day does he get? Does he live in or out? On good grazing or not? Does he get hay or haylage at the moment, and if so, how much does he get?
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thanks for the replys
atm hes on high fibre nuts and alfalfa (normally hifi original as he prefers it?!) one feed a day scoop of the nuts big handful of chaff, as hes out- 24/7 thru the summer he'll come in october at night time, then be on 2 feeds, grazing is pretty good in a 3acre field to himself that was cut for hay now just lush grass :) hay when he comes in to be ridden - stays in for 2hrs after with lotsa hay while i go to work then turned out, he was on poor quality haylage last year and looked awful thought that could be the link to cushings cos of sugar and improved dramatically when put back on hay (cicumstances changed for the better!) but as i said b4 hes not a gr8 eater in the field he likes to stand and watch which is why id like to find a suitable hard feed as he always eats his bucket grub
thanks
 
You could just swap the Original for A Oil if he will eat it ( does smell very good!) and give him two feeds a day. Adding Speedi-beet would be good too.

I wouldn't give 16 plus as its got too much sugar and starch. Fast Fibre is another good feed. I'm all for fibre based feeds not mixes
 
I've a 24 year old who isn't a great doer and not fussed for his food either - he's currently on a scoop of molichaff alfa A oil (he didn't like the dengie equivalent) scoop of Bailey's no 4, 1/2 scoop spedibeet, 2 measures equijewl all that twice a day and then out at night and in during day still with ad lib hay which has been wetted
 
I agree with swapping the Hi Fi Original for Alfa-A Oil, which will give him more energy but release slowly so as to be used for weight gain rather than jogging & spooking! Mainly though, I think you need to be feeding more: a handful of Hi Fi Original weighs just approximately 400g, and as an energy feed you need to be giving 2-3kg a day.
For older horses I always, always recommend a digestive supplement (i.e. Dengie Yea-sacc or NAF Pink Powder which will help him to utilise the nutrients in his food and get the most out of it. I think you'll see a huge difference in his condition over time. If you use the Dengie feed as your horse's main energy feed then you just need to top it off with a balancer or vit&min supplement and you're dandy! The handful of cubes that you're currently giving won't be providing him with all the vitamins and minerals, nor the energy, that he needs so you may as well change it to a balancer or supplement which will be far more beneficial to his health. I know that balancers seem initially very expensive (especially Blue Chip I agree, despite it being worth its weight in gold!) but because you feed only a small amount per day (400-500g for your gelding) it works out to be very cost effective.
Keep a close eye on his teeth as well as fibrous feeds can be quite laborious to chew and when his teeth start to deteriorate you'll need to change the consistency of his feed.

I hope this helps :)
 
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My 43yr old is on a new diet ( see my other thread) and she id doing very well

I suggest splitting feeds into lots of little ones if this is possible

Beauty has 4 scoops ready mash extra, 2 scoops sugar beet, 1 cap full of codliver oil all in a big trug that I soak for 24hours then split it up and feed her as and when.

She also has mollichaff veteran mixed with chopped hay ad lib

Hope I helped
 
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