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Senior Horse Care

Senior horse care has made many advances over the past few decades. Many horses now live to be in their thirties! Since one year of a horse's life is equivalent to three years of a human's life, a thirty year old horse is no spring chicken! Below, we will list some important tips that, if followed, can help to extend your horse's life expectancy considerably.

One of the more important health aspects to consider is that of dental care. Older horses should get a check up every six to twelve months to ensure that tooth loss or tooth breaks are kept to a minimum. If your horse does begin losing some of his teeth, you will need to adjust what you are feeding him so that he will still be able to chew and swallow his food. Nutrition and digestive health are equally important to your horse's health. Senior horse care is a little more involved when it comes to nutrition. An older horse's digestive efficiency is tremendously decreased. There are, however, quite a number of senior feeds on the market that compensate for any nutritional losses that your older horse might experience. Additionally, there are a few books that are geared specifically toward the care and feeding of geriatric horses. Reading one of these will help you to better understand exactly what your aging horse's dietary needs are.

To combat the effects of arthritis, you may want to provide joint supplements as a daily part of your senior horse care. If arthritic problems become too severe, your veterinarian may recommend injections to help with the problem. Leisure activity will also help to keep your horse healthy. Older horses will reach a point where they should not be ridden anymore, but keeping them in a pasture where they can leisurely graze keeps them moving, and this is an essential part of good senior horse care.

Another problem that you may have to contend with is that of aggressive horses. If you have other horses, besides your elder, try to keep your elder horse in a separate pasture with a buddy so that he will not have to deal with bullies. This is another important aspect of senior horse care, because your horse not only relies on you to take care of his health and fitness, but also to protect him as he grows unable to fend for himself.

Aside from the particulars already mentioned, senior horse care should also include much love and attention, regular veterinarian visits, and adequate shelter.

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