Stubbs

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He is looking remarkably well on a much reduced amount of mix, so my current plan is to let him eat as much hay as he will, up to say 25lbs, keep the hard feeds small and feed grass nuts as required to maintain the weight. If I can remove the mix entirely I will but Spillers have a new veteran mix which is higher in fibre than the one I have been using, although slightly lower DE/kg. Follow the manufacturers’ guidelines when soaking any of the high-fibre fast-soak horse feeds. In general cold water will take much longer than hot water. If using cold water an overnight soak may be needed. If using hot water the soak may only take 15 to 30 minutes. Avoid grass based products for laminitics as they may contain high levels of water soluble carbohydrate.

He is eating more hay now, probably as the grass is reducing, but mid winter he would normally eat about 30lbs of hay a day plus a small amount of hard feed. That's a lot of hay t o chew! Thank you all for your replies, I had wondered why if grass nuts are 'just grass' why I had to be careful. My vet seemed to imply I could feed large quantities of soaked grass nuts and it was after he had gone I had wondered about the 'rugby ball volume'.

Choosing a hay replacer

We covered the whys of dental health affecting older horses at the start of this article. A basic rule is that as a horse progresses into their mid to late twenties the power of the teeth’s grinding capabilities will reduce. At the other end of the spectrum, there are dangers associated with under-feeding horses, which can be just as bad as over-feeding. Healthy Tummy is a nutritionally-balanced, pure alfalfa, high-fibre feed containing high specification ingredients to promote digestive health. The decision to soak hay should be made on the health of the horse. An old horse with COPD may need hay soaking or steaming for a very short time. A laminitic horse may need hay rinsing and soaking for a short time to lower the simple sugars in the hay to prevent insulin levels from spiking.

The suggested feeding levels are intended as a guide only. Always adjust your horse's feed ration to suit his temperament, the environmental conditions, his body condition and work load. If your horse is resting why not try one of the Dengie Hi-Fi products How Hard Are You Working Your Horse? Divide hay replacersinto a minimum of 4 meals for those without access to grazing. Try to ensure the first and last meals of the day are given as early/ late as possible to avoid long periods without forage overnight. This cookie is used by the WPForms WordPress plugin. The cookie is used to allows the paid version of the plugin to connect entries by the same user and is used for some additional features like the Form Abandonment addon. The decision to carry out scientific analysis on the grass and hay an elderly horse eats, depends largely on whether you have control over the forage eaten and the amount eaten each day. The following tables are combinations of suggestions that can be used as part or total replacement of hay and grass for a 450 – 550 kilogram horse. Note that table one is suitable for horses that are not prone to laminitis. There are fewer options for horses prone to laminitis because it is essential to keep the combined levels of starch and simple sugars under 10% in the total diet. Why do we recommend the use of straights for old horses?Adequate chewing is absolutely critical for exposing the interior of hays and cereals to digestive enzymes.

Rolled or Flaked Porridge Oats (works well with hay/grass pellets and beet pulp for the concentrated energy and high phosphorus to balance calcium) Where an elderly horse is consuming a high amount of grass then scientific testing of the minerals will allow correct balancing of the daily diet so that ratios of both major and trace minerals are optimal for long-term health. Ageing can be associated with reduced production of saliva, the normal lubricant for food. Digestion also starts in the mouth with special enzymes that are contained within the saliva, so a reduction in this means the digestive process can be compromised. Less saliva also means less buffering of stomach acid which in other species has been documented as being low in elderly animals. 3. How can stomach acid affect an old horse? If your horse is no longer able to manage short chopped fibre, look for feeds that can be soaked to make a mash. Arthritis may lead to less movement. Movement is crucial to reducing the risk of impaction and gas colics.

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The amount and kind of work your horse or pony is doing is an important factor when calculating the quantity and type of feed to give. SPILLERS HAPPY HOOFand HAPPY HOOF Molasses Freeare low calorie, short chop fibres ideal for laminitics. Dengie also do a product called Alfabeet which is alfalfa and unmollased sugar beet combined in one bag. You could substitute grass pellets and separate beet pulp with this product as long as you don’t feed more than a total of 1 kg of alfalfa per day. 9. Should you test the hay and grass your old horse is eating? Sarah-Jane Brown has fed Dengie to her horses for years as she believes it is the best fibre available. She recently represented Great Britain at the European Championships for Veteran Riders with her mare Fliss.

Conner was suffering with faecal water issues that were particularly bad after being on fresh grass or if he was stabled. Gemma also believed that Conner had ulcers from the stressful upbringing he had before she bought him. It was suggested that Gemma tried Conner on Dengie Healthy Tummy which she says made a huge difference. Caitlin O’Kane shares with us her horse’s story and transformation – from being diagnosed with grade 4 ulcers to a happy, healthy horse. Chewy is a 26-year-old, 14.hh Connemara cross, who had his first bout of laminitis when he was nine. He suffered recurrent bouts through 2010 and 2011, which lead to testing and diagnosing of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and PPID (Cushing’s).

Feeding rate

NOTE: Horses are individuals and so always adjust your horse’s feed ration to suit his temperament and condition as well as his work load.