When your old horse is thin or losing weight, it can cause a lot of stress. Of course, you want to get your horse back to normal body weight as soon as possible. But how can you support senior horses’ body weight through their diet? And what to look out for senior horse feed?

Weight Gain for Senior Horses

Putting weight on a thin horse often doesn’t happen as quickly as an owner might like. To help your horse maintain its weight, it’s important to provide at least 1–1.5 kg dry matter of roughage per 100 kg of body weight, or even better, ensure unlimited access to roughage. If the horse can no longer chew hay or haylage, consider chopped roughage or easily chewable roughage mixes specially developed for older horses such as Hartog Senior.

Roughage vs Concentrates

If you notice your horse losing weight, it may be tempting to add more concentrates to their diet. Although your horse may find it easier to eat concentrates than hay or haylage, relying on concentrates to stimulate weight gain is not advisable. Standard concentrated feeds provide energy through sugars and starch. This quickly-release energy is not suitable for the needs of older horses. Thus, concentrates should only be used to supplement any nutritional deficiencies in the roughage, such as vitamins, minerals, or extra energy for performance. If a horse receives too much concentrated feed relative to its workload, the risk of metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance (IR), increases.

Senior horses benefit more from slow-releasing energy, which does not cause spikes in blood sugar levels and provides a steadier energy release. Sources of slow-releasing energy include fats (oils) and fibers (roughage). Moreover, during fiber digestion, the bacteria in the horse’s large intestine also generate warmth, which the horse can use to maintain body temperature. Therefore, a horse that receives enough roughage spends less energy to keep warm. Nonetheless, roughage is the primary food source for all horses, including older horses, and sufficient roughage is crucial not only for maintaining weight but also for gastrointestinal health and overall well-being.

Roughage Replacement

Senior horses also have a higher protein requirement as their bodies become less efficient at absorbing dietary protein. Therefore, lucerne can be an excellent addition for older horses as it is rich in protein. For senior horses with dental issues, chopped roughage is a good source of forage as it has a finer structure that makes it easier to chew and eases nutrient absorption. Moreover, beet pulp can also be a suitable roughage source for older (thin) horses; however, some horses find it less tasty.

Hartog Feeds for Senior Horses

From Hartog’s product line, examples of chopped roughage include Lucerne Mix, Grass Mix, Compact Grass, or the specially developed Hartog Senior. Grass Mix, Compact Grass, and Hartog Senior can be fed to older horses without any restriction. Hartog Senior in particular is a complete feed designed for senior horses and horses with dental issues based on roughage. It is enriched with a balancer specially formulated to meet the vitamin and mineral requirements of older horses. It can be given as a full forage and concentratesreplacement or as a supplement to the ration.

In addition, roughage pellets, including Grass Pellets and Lucerne Pellets, can also be fed dry or soaked to help older horses with severe dental issues maintain their weight. Grass Pellets and Lucerne Pellets are high in fiber and protein, making them a valuable, easily absorbed, fiber-rich addition to the diet. Similarly, roughage mash, such as Hartog Haycobs, can be a perfect addition to senior horse’s diet as it is high in fibre and soft to chew.

Grazing for Older Horses

Unlimited grazing has its advantages for older horses. For example, grazing provides movement, which promotes gastrointestinal health. Plus, due to their declining dental health, older horses need finer roughage, yet they are often still able to effectively chew and digest grass. Grass has a dry matter content of around 15%. Because of its low fiber content, it’s easily digestible and generally nutrient-rich. Thus, older horses find grass easier to chew than hay or haylage. Similarly, haylage can be tougher to chew for older horses than hay. Nonetheless, as a result, older horses often lose weight in winter when they no longer have access to grass and rely on the feed provided in the stable.

Preventing Overweight

If you have successfully helped a thin horse gain weight, you may need to adjust the diet to prevent fat accumulation. In such circumstances, it’s recommended to reduce fat intake rather than fiber content. Moreover, to minimise stress on the older horse’s digestive system, avoid sudden changes in the diet and make adjustments gradually. Keep your horse’s diet as consistent as possible. Like with weight gain, maintaining weight is best achieved by keeping sugar and starch content low in the diet for older horses.