feeding help for 19year old gelding please

[juevans]

Im having a 19 year old exmoor type gelding back tomorrow

cant wait.....had him on loan a few years ago and he went home but came up free to good home so am having him back. Anyway since having him last time he developed an allergy and so has to be fed haylage which is fine as thats what i feed, but just wondered wether i need to feed him a senior mix now so that he gets all vits and minerals and if so what recommendations or a feed supplement instead with a small amount of chop. As hes a reasonably good doer i dont want him to get fat due to bucket feed and haylage as i give my horses ad lib haylage so he could make a pig of himself. Also he has done quite a bit of sj and eventing previously so am bothered about his joints too even though wont be doing much work with me and defo not any of that!! all suggestions welcome thanks

just to add he looks fine at the moment slightly unfit but thats it, no lumps bumps or creaks going on and hes on hi fibre cubes and alfa beet but not ad lib haylage just 2 (what i would call small) nets a day.

 

[GT_02]

TBH, if he looks well on what he's on at the moment, I wouldn't change anything for the time being. You may want to increase his energy intake as you start doing more work with him, but I'd play it by ear. Supplement-wise, you could always get a cheap-ish broad spectrum one but I wouldn't worry too much about one. Most horses don't need one anyway so I'd probably save my money!! Just make sure he's getting plenty of fibre and his teeth are in good nick.

Hope you have lots of fun with him! x

 

[amandaco2]

i would also keep as he is if he is looking well on it.the only thing would be to add a balancer.you may find on more haylage, the bucket feed will need reducing!
my 19yo gets adlib hay, happy hoof, fibre cubes and sunflower seeds, plus some topspec comprehensive(she doesnt get receomended amount of happy hoof)