My retired TB is starting to look old.

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

Meow!
Joined
19 July 2010
Messages
22,635
Visit site
I was watching the horses have a canter about their paddock earlier and the TB was not leading the way for a change. In fact she did a small, slow canter and then stopped and watched the others hooley about. It was't that long ago that she would rear and play before showing them how slow they are by leaving them all for dust.

She's also finding it harder to keep weight on. Does anyone have any tips for keeping condition on oldies that can't have too much sugar and crib like there's no tomorrow?

She has just recovered from a tendon injury, but is totally sound.
 
Thanks. I should have said that she was getting one feed of Hi-fi molasses free and speedi-beet in the morning. I'm going to give her two feeds a day and see if that helps. I want a magical cure that will make her 10 years younger really, even though it's not possible.
 
I would add Micronised linseed meal! Great for weight, coat, hooves, joints! I love it for my tb! (:
 
I buy mine from efeed, £29 for next day delivery and lasts moooonths! (: x it's also very palatable!
 
Our 40 year old is on:
Soaked Veteran Vitality
Weight Gain
Oats
Barley
Peas

And 29 year old has:
Veteran Vitality
Weight Gain
Few Peas and Maize
Bit of pig meal (don't ask :p)

They both look great atm and are having no problems keeping their weight on :)
Not sure about those for sugar content if you have to watch that though.
 
my 21yr old tb gelding was starting to look olkd and stiff. i have him on (supplement wise) micronised linseed and turmeric. i love the linseed! and the turmeric is brilliant for joint mobility etc and i ordered it off ebay from a herbs and spices company for really cheap!
 
Is it very recently she's been like this or has it been creeping up for a while? Just if you've only suddenly noticed it, could it be she may have had a fall or something and injured herself? My 14.2hh has done this before and turned out he'd hurt his shoulder on one occasion.

This year though is the first year he has looked old - he's 26 - he's been having funny periods where he's seemed in discomfort when moving, it's been very odd. It would come and go but I thought in himself he just started to look old. This year he's started to get white hair above his eyes!! His coat's been horrid too - it's normally stunning but this year he's started to grow a weird top coat and not carry as much weight as normal. he's by no means thin but usually he's quite plump! I am putting that down to the rubish cold weather to be honst but maybe him being off - colour has added to it.

I would have a check on yours in case she has just had a fall and made herself sore. How old is she btw?
 
She's not been ridden for years and years but she raced and P2P, then was a broodmare for a while. She is my youngsters 'nanny' and I wouldn't want to bring her back into work because of her tendon, plus she rears under saddle (vertical).

She's really started to look old when she did her tendon recently. I guess I was hoping that she would perk up more than she has once she was sound again. Her coat is very glossy and she is bright in her eyes.

She's not actually that old really as she was foaled in 1991.
 
Would she long rein out? Veteran showing? Just wondering if maybe a bit of interest would help perk her up a bit?
 
My oldie has her food soaked to make a 'smushie' which she finds easier to eat. I add full fat soya (from country store), £16 for 25kg - lasts for ages. Plus a bit of Yeasac.
 
What's your grass like? I've had my old retired WB out on amazing grazing for past six weeks and he's never looked better! I'm very tempted to get his saddle back out if he doesn't start behaving himself and looking/acting his age!
 
I agree with what others have said about different supplements particularly linseed but unfortunately, whether we like it or not, thoroughbreds tend to suddenly show their age before other breeds and types and there's little you can do about it particularly one that's had a reasonably hard life of work and breeding as she has done. All you can do is keep her comfortable and treat her as you would an OAP, perhaps rugging her before you normally would and upping her feed levels, checking her teeth regularly and so on. Hope she goes on alright.
 
I have one super-rich lush field that she isn't allowed on as she gets footy and there's no way that I'm letting her get laminitis. At the moment the horses are out on the poor quality grazing and I have it electric taped off and I move the fence each evening to give them fresh grazing. The other three horses are doing really well on it. I have offered hay, but they leave it.

ETA. Thanks Maesfen, I will be soft on her and rug if she needs it and more hard feed. Teeth are OK.
 
Last edited:
My oldie is 24 p, ex eventer tb x cob mare. She is fed quite a lot of soaked hay, nuts, bit of beet, hi fi and supplement wise, equi flex gold. Sometimes she is full of beans and sometimes she just wants to stroll. I dont worry about her just let her dictate but she is still hacked 3 - 4 times a week and looks well. Only horse at the yard ATM who is not throwing her winter coat though!
 
I've just been recommended fibrebeet for my 23yr old tb. It's low in sugar, suitable for laminitics and apparently is great for weight gain. The person who recommended it to me has a 30yr old tb (no I'm not joking) and she looks better than many 12yr olds I know. I think I'm going to give it a go so fingers crossed!
 
You could also try a one off vit and min tonic - they really helped my IDxtB when recovering from a long running virus and now he is plump and shiny.

And dont discount trying high fibre haylage instead of hay - it did wonders for coat and hooves for my chap.
 
The first thing I'd do is to change her from Hi-fi to Alfa-A, I believe that Hi-fi is straw based, so won't help her to keep weight on.
Our 30 yr old does well on Speedibeet, soaked grassnuts and dried grass chaff with linseed oil. She is having one meal in the evening atm with a morning feed of a couple of scoops of dried grass. Later in the year she will have 2 meals and a trug of dried grass to eat alongside haylage over night.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top