Feeding the Veteran Horse - Part Two. The Good Do-er.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆.

They hold their weight well (whilst not being overweight) and are still enjoying ridden activities with ease. In fact, the owner probably hasn’t really noticed any difference, but just has an awareness that their horse is getting older and is wondering if they should do anything differently.

If your horse fits into this category there are still a few things you can check. Firstly, is he receiving the full quantity of the manufacturers hard feed? If not, that is not a problem as he may not require the additional calorie intake, but look to add a balancer that will make up for the short fall in necessary vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Owners often underplay the importance of receiving the correct levels in the diet, but it is very important, and a balancer is a great way to achieve it.

Following on from that specifically for the older horse there are balancers available which may provide some additional joint support through the inclusion of ingredients such as glucosamine and MSM. Some may even contain additional probiotics and prebiotics to support continued digestive health. Do remember however that these are not always added at a suitable level to make an impact so check with an independent nutritionist to ensure you are not throwing your hard earned pennies down the drain.