Grass feed replacement for geriatric horse.

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Hi, just wondered if anyone had experience of feeding grass replacement for old horses. My old boy is struggling to chew his hay and haylage. He has been checked by my vet but he is 30 and his teeth are just failing him. Am I better with redi grass or are there other types and how do you trickle feed them or do you just give them a few scoops and leave them to it? Many thanks for any info!
 
My friend kept her old boy going till he was about 37. She fed him Allen and Page Calm and Condition and use to soak it into a crumbly mash. She would leave him with a large bucket twice a day and he would nibble at it. I don't think he had many teeth left at the end! But he always looked well and would enjoy going out with the other oldies she had. In my opinion readi grass is even tougher than most hay so think he may struggle with that.
 
Hi, yes that was what i was thinking. He is on the equilibrium senior twice a day at rate recommended by the company but he is loosing a bit of condition with this weather. Problem being he would eat as much as i will feed him! Need to find a way to give it to him gradually through the night... will maybe give the calm & cond a try- thanks
 
My friend is currently feeding her 34yr old arab x welsh on huge tub of readigrass, two scoops of Allen and page fast fibre (you soak it into a mash) and a bucket with two scoops of hi fi senior, one scoop of Alfa beet and half a scoop of baileys veteran mix. She looks amazing and hasn't lost any weight yet this winter. She copes with it all fine as she can't eat hay or haylage anymore xx
 
Allen and page fast fibre can be used as a total hay replacer and is great for older horses as you soak it so it's easy to eat and is full of vitamins
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I feed Simple Systems - a total fibre based diet which is all fed soaked. It is about the consistancy of sugar beet and the horse can have it as a total replacement for hay or haylage. Give Jane a call at Simple systems and she will suggest the best diet for your oldie.
 
Great I will give that a go and introduce it gradually. Considering we are on to week 3 of snow covered fields i need to do something!
 
Hi
my oap,has fast fibre,sugar beet with soaked high fibre nuts in 2 trug buckets,she has this has her haynet alternative and i just leave her with it,and its always gone by moring.
 
The 37 year old here also has a trug of Mollichaff Veteran to munch on. It is really soft and has mint, nettles and linseed oil and all sorts of other things in it. He munches his way through loads of it and looks fantastic! We just put the bucket in his shelter and fill it up as necessary.
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There is an oldy on our yard who lives on soaked grass nuts which seem to suit him. Its only £8 for a 25kg sack as well which is cheaper than some. They are the northeren crop drier ones.
 
Ditto others-
Grass nuts
Alfalfa nuts
Unmollassed sugar beet
Allen and page fast fibre
(all soaked)

Calm and condition is not a hay replacer but could be used to supplement the above, as could any conditioning cube soaked. I would avoid mixes, even soaked
 
mines on dodson & horrell just grass. She gets a bit tub trug of that & some hay. At the moment shes given more hay & she wolfs down too but i think thats the lack of grass outside. Usually shes too fussy to bother with it & tucks in to her Just Grass. Shes 25yo but seems to be losing teeth at a rate the tooth fairy would dispair at!!
 
Just a warning on Readigrass/just grass, I won't ever give this to my horse dry again since he choked badly twice on it. It was a horrifying sight and he was very shaken by the experience to the point where it put him off eating any sort of chaff for some time. I have fed it steamed with success and it is great for oldies or where forage is lacking.
 
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