Old pony - poor condition

[oliviacharley]

Right - well my pony has done better this year then any other year since she past the grand old age of 28 - now she is 30.....however taking her rug off today she seems to have lost alot of weight and although not ribby does look thin....She doesnt seem very happy either and is slightly stiff....she is not off her food and does tend to sleep and eat most of the day - the yard owner tells me which is pretty normal for an old pony....
I really want to buy her a good supplement which will make her feel a less old and not as stiff...all the supplements I have been using make her loose and then she is miserable....
any suggestions would be fab....

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

This is the time of year when most horses are probably at their lowest condition wise. The winter has about finished, there is nothing in the paddocks but the grass is about to start growing again. For the best advice email the feed companies....Dodson & Horrell, Spillers etc all have help lines & they will give you quality advice for free & they don't 'rubbish' other companies products. Good Luck

 

[kellyeaton]

there is a good suppl;ement by global herbs called old age that ment to be a good pick me up. try a product with glucosium in for his joints. you say he has lost weight is his teeth and worming up to date? maybe get a course of bloods run? what is he feed?

 

[TGM]

What are you feeding her at the moment? How much hay is she eating? How big is she? What supplements have you given her that have made her loose?

 

[hellybelly6]

Oh bless her!

You could try Allan & Page's Old faithful, sugarbeet that type of thing and there are supplements out there for veterans. I have found redigrass great for putting on condition.

For stiffness, try devil's claw or Cortaflex or similar.

She is a lucky girl to have your care.

 

[oliviacharley]

thanks everyone - I think she kinda knows ill look after her as she walks to nearly a stand still bringing her in at night, however when im doing her food she comes arunning!!
I did have her on the global herbal and that is what seemed make her loose.....it did smell like curry!!
I have been feeding her alfa-a oil, sugarbeet, did have her on old faithful but didnt seem to do much so she is now on spillars senior conditioning mix....seems to be working....however I do just want something to give her a boost...thinking top spec senior but seems to be very expensive....
she is 12.2hh, wormed 1 week ago - done 4 times a year seasonally, has been having half a bale of hay in the cold weather but she is not eatting any hay at the mo - grass coming through.....so she is now on a section in the morning and in at night has another slab and a haynet which she never finishes....

 

[hellybelly6]

How are her teeth? A dose of pink powder may help her absorb her food better.

I have found a lot of global herbs smel of curry!

 

[Archangel]

I give my two oldies a boost at this time of year with a course of Restore (for liver function) and they are on 50ml supercodlivine joint oil to keep a spring in their step (sometimes a little too much spring - neigh!). Have never found them to affect the digestion.

My Pony occasionally goes through a few quiet days then bucks up - I think he finds it quite an effort to change his massive coat and grow his sleek summer one.

A bit of sunshine will perk her up!

 

[TGM]

It is possible that the reason she is not eating much hay could be down to her teeth - most horses of her age have compromised dentition of some sort, even if they are receiving regular dentist visits, which I'm sure your pony does. Might be worth getting the dentist out to check that there is nothing like a broken or loose tooth, but I would also give her a big tub of hay replacer overnight alongside her hay. There are all sorts of things you can feed as hay replacers for old ponies - if the teeth aren't too bad then short chop feeds such as Happy Hoof or dried grass products such as Graze On, Readigrass etc are good. (Grass products will be higher in calories than things like Happy Hoof, so probably best choice for your pony if she is losing weight.) Alternatively, if short chop feeds are a problem, then something like Fast Fibre or soaked High Fibre cubes or soaked grass nuts are a good solution.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I think the spring grass will do the trick for you!! All the horses and ponies here look a bit lack lustre at the moment but nothing the spring won't sort out with grass and sunshine!! Have used the Restore as well and is very good.

 

[MontyandZoom]

Monty has the top spec leisure time balancer now and has devils claw and glucosamine for his stiffness. He was on the senior but it is ALOT more expensive than the leisure time and he gets glucosamine any way. I also give him a couple of buckets of readigrass in the morning (he seems to have trouble eating readigrass with his dinner coz it mixes with the sugarbeet).

 

[hollyandivy123]

blue chip work wonders on the old one i have who is 30