What does everyone feed their oldies?

katie_southwest

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Ok so Iv recently rented some land off someone for my cob and an elderly companion who I have on loan.
At the moment they are fine, I have about 3 or 4 acres of decent grass. He came to me very underweight as he had probloems with his teeth etc which is a whole other story....
He has put weight on nicely now having gradually let him have grass, but looking ahead to the winter (I know I know) months ahead yet...
My cob literally has a bit of chaff all year round just for her supplemnents so she will stay the same.

Just wondering what sort of thing people feed them throughout winter, he is about 30 years old, doesnt chew *that* well so Im thinking something Ill be able to soak to make it easier for him?


Thanks - Ice lollies all round for anyone taking time out of this lovely sunny day to reply :D
 
Yes, you're probably going to be looking at something soakable (like a cube) that's high in calories.
 
I feed my elderly TB 16+ cubes. They can be soaked to a mush and he does really well on them.

Pilib x
 
In winter, my 26 year old with poor dentition and Cushings gets

Ad-lib haylage and ad-lib grass

Fast Fibre
unmolassed beet
unmolassed hay chaff
balanced minerals
lysine
yea-sacc
mixed herbs depending on need
micronised linseed
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
2000iu vitamin E

May - mid August he is happy to just stay out 24/7 and he is keeping his weight fine on the grass so far.
 
Thanks guys,

I was thinking along the lines of some sort of chaff and sugar beet/ fast fibre.
Ill have to play it by ear - they are both out 24/7 and will be unless my cob gets mud fever which she got a couple of winters ago.
Oldie can come into the shelter/stable for his extra feeds etc like the pampered little pony he is :D
 
Through the winter my boyfriends mare is on fast fibre, veteran vitality (both soaked and 2 scoops of each - dry so it doubles when soaked) and alfalfa a chaff (just a handful) - Twice a day

Through Summer she gets a handful of chaff, some veggies and garlic supplement when she has been ridden. We have very good grazing at our yard.

This was her last night - she is 26 years old and an Anglo Arab:
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Thanks.

She went out on loan last November to a lady we brought a youngster off, thought she would be fine as we knew her but we were so wrong! She came back to us after a month and was ribby/underweight and covered from head to toe in lice :(

It's took us until a few weeks ago to get her looking half decent.. She's had the last few months off as her part loaner had an operation and boy she's way too full of energy!!
 
Oh no :( my boy was also covered in lice and couldn't eat due to having never had his teeth looked at ...EVER! :(
She certainly looks better now, thank god Shes back now x
 
I used to look after an elderly mare who couldn't chew grass so she would have a bucket of readigrass or something similar (was about 6 years ago) overnight. Her evening and morning feed would be a senior mix, a good amount of sugarbeet and some chaff mixed together so it was a bit sludgy and she could eat it more easily. She had grass all day in the field. We did have to clean her teeth a few times a day as sometimes she got grass/feed stuck in places and couldn't swallow more food but other than that the above kept her looking very well - she was late twenties.
 
probably not helpful to you but my friends elderly ponio only gets a handful of chaff and a parsnip, carrot or pear to mix in her meds as she won't have them on their own, and she's in during the day on soaked hay because we have too much rich grass and she has balooned! this was her in janurary. she's 15.2hh and 33years old :D
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thank you :) she has become a demanding old lady now, and still has plenty of energy to drag us to the field, she does her ''old lady on a mission'' walk :D
 
Yep my oldie tries to push the gate over and escape from the field shelter - even when I shut him in to keep the porker from stealing his food...soon as he's finished he's out!!
Dont think they ever lose their personality!!
 
My 21 year old mare has just grass and hay all year round for the past three years as she wont eat any tea so ob she is happy with that :D
 
mine gets a small amount of veteran vitality in the winter and hay but this yr ill be swapping to fast fibre as VV isn't supposed to be good for horses with cushings and it looks like she might have that now?! All Allan and Page food is really good as it soaked to a mush so doesn't matter if they have rubbish teeth.. shes 27

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Grass. We have six oldies and all look amazing. The only thing we "add" is a mineral lick.
 
Wow thanks everyone all your oldies look great!! Fingers crossed I can work it so the grass lasts most of winter but if his chewing goes downhill I'll give him some slops to make up for it :) just happy for him that I can look after him properly now for however much longer he's around :)
 
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