Caring for the Old & Gray: Care Tips for Your Senior Horse

When it comes to purchasing a horse, sometimes it’s in your best interest to purchase one that has been around the block more than a few times.  It doesn’t hurt to start out with a horse in his teens or older as a first horse.  In fact, it never hurts to start out with an older horse no matter what level of horseback riding and training ability you have.  It’s always nice to be able to go out to the barn, saddle up and hit the trail on a horse that is older and dependable.

Whether your horse is still raring to go or if he prefers to spend his time in the pasture retired, your senior horse has special needs.  Technically, a senior or geriatric horse is one that is 20 or older.  These horses begin to need special care about this time simply because their bodies aren’t what they once were.  As you get older things start to wear out and your joints begin to get a bit arthritic.  Things don’t just work like they used to.  The eyes, teeth, gut, liver and kidneys all begin to lose their functionality some and these are the areas that you need to pay attention to as a responsible horse owner.

Older horses may have a variety of ailments.  One is that their breathing is not as good anymore and they can have a hard time getting around.  Arthritic joints and slow going can make walking back and forth from the barn to the pasture difficult for an older horse.  This means you want to provide your horse with ample water sources in the pasture and not just in the barn.  Without additional water sources, a senior horse can become dehydrated easily.

As the gut begins to wear out, these horses simply have a hard time absorbing nutrients.  This means you need to consider switching to a senior horse feed that has a higher nutrient content.  You also want to feed them very leafy hay that not only is an ample source of protein, but is also easier to chew.  A senior feed and a good leafy hay is also good on those deteriorating and worn down teeth.  Most senior horses will lose weight because they aren’t able to chew very well.  A senior feed can also help to prevent this.

Although your horse should always be dewormed regularly, it’s even more important now.  This can prevent parasites that might try to take advantage of an older horse and will help keep their digestion and heart healthy.

Everyone is afraid of colic occurring in any horse, but senior horses are particularly prone to it.  Colic is often the result of the older horse not drinking plenty of water.  Additionally, older horses tend to suffer from choke.  This is because they don’t always get their feed and hay chewed properly.  You can add water to their feed or you can place rocks in their feed trough to make them slow down and chew.

The senior horse also needs his feet taken care of properly as well.  You may not have him shod anymore, but proper trimming is a must.  Senior horses are prone to tripping and you don’t want them to trip because their feet are too long.

Finally, keep up with your horse’s vaccinations as well.  Also, if your older horse is living with youngsters, make sure that the younger guys aren’t treating their elder poorly.  Young horses have a tendency to steal feed and hog the water trough.  If your senior horse is being abused by his pasture mates, he may need to be separated for his own safety and health.