Old toothless pony

[steph1975]

Hiya folks looking for tips and I apologise if this thread is a bit long!! I have an old Dales x who is in his thirties with denture issues..basically not a lot of teeth left. He is an exceptionally good doer but has to have hay replacer as struggles with hay/haylage. Luckily he copes with a soft short chop chaff still which he has alongside a fibre mash.
He is in at night now as struggles with our wet and wild winter nights. I have three slow feeder troughs the parallax ones which I cram with his chaff to make it last longer so not without food for too long but being a piggy I worry he eats it all too quickly. Anyone out there with a similar situation that has tips on slow feeders that can be used with chaff or mash that makes them work for it? I have tried the vita munch blocks and nets which I soak but he struggles with nets as front teeth very short as well for grabbing yes I know out is better which he is from about 630 in the morning to the evening but due to age he struggles this time of year. Looking for ideas that I may not of thought of....thanks xx

 

[GypsGal1718]

I don’t have experience on this so I can just wish you the best of luck in finding the right solution, I have heard a lot of people make their own slow feeders.

 

[rabatsa]

Horses are designed to have a period overnight where they do not eat, so I would not worry too much about his forage running out before breakfast time.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Mine has damp Graze On mixed with soaked sugar beet, half a ration of soaked hay cobs, around 4kg of Silvermoor Veteran haylage (can't feed hay) and a bundle of normal haylage on the side just in case. In the morning he gets a bucket of the Graze On/sugarbeet mix before he goes out. Seems to be keeping him looking good.

 

[SantaVera]

My oldie did well on soaked mash with soaked chaff added as soaking makes it softer.

 

[Annoyed horse lover]

I would also recommend Silvermoor Veteran Haylage but if you get a bag you think doesn't smell right, go back to your supplier and phone Silvermoor with the batch ID. My 32 yr old started quidding the hay so I tried it and he loves it. He still likes to have hay thrown outside but he leaves a lot of it.