Diet for Older Horses

Caring for an older horse takes a little more thought than just throwing him out to pasture. Older horses have different needs than younger horses, as their body functions are less efficient. Less body fat means less heat generated, fewer teeth means he may have trouble eating simple grass. Finding the right diet for your older horse will keep him healthy even longer. Always consult your veterinarian before starting a new diet regime for your older horse.

  1. Water

    • Water is the most important aspect of your horse's diet. It doesn't matter if your horse is a yearling or a 30-year-old. The average horse drinks five to 10 gallons of water a day, but older horses can drink more. Keep the water clean and available at all times. Even during the winter months water should be kept free of ice. Heaters come in all shapes and sizes and range in value, but they are worth the money to keep your horse hydrated all year long.

    Pasture

    • Horses need the roughage of pasture grass no matter their age. It helps keep them full all day long. Older horses with teeth issues sometimes have trouble nipping off the blades of grass. Do not try and help them out by giving them grass clippings. These can cause a horse to founder. For many older horses pasture is not enough to sustain their weight, as they need extra calories to keep them in a healthy weight class.

    Hay

    • If an older horse is unable to keep his weight on grass alone, hay may need to be added to his diet. Most horses today are given hay whether they need it or not. "Hay" is a catch-all term for any leafy legume that has been harvested, dried and stored for later use. This can be alfalfa, grass or a mixture of both. Grass hay comes in a variety of kinds: Timothy, Orchard and Ryegrass are just a few. The type of grass hay that is available will depend on your region.

    Solids

    • Sometimes the mixture of hay and pasture is still not enough to keep an older horse in good condition. In these circumstances, introducing extra supplements into your horse's diet may be needed. These extras may include grains in whole, cracked or rolled forms, sweet feed, which are grains mixed with molasses, or pelleted and cubed feeds. There are bagged feeds formulated for nearly every stage of equine life.

    Salt

    • Consider placing a salt block in with your horse. Salt helps promote drinking and the blocks come in both regular and a mineralized version. There are small one-pound blocks for individual horses as well as 20-pound blocks for herds.