veteran vitality
Veteran Vitality by Evangaline Atterby. BSc (hons) Bioveterinary Science. Nutritional Advisor and Technical Assistant at NAF
As we start to look toward the cooler months ahead, now is a good time to assess the condition of our veterans and make changes to the diet accordingly. Wet and cold weather can lead to periods of stabling and reduced activity, during which we aim to maintain their condition and keep them out of the worst of the weather. Getting a head start on our nutritional changes now avoids surprising the gut and is the most efficient way to adapt the diet. Older horses and ponies tend to have poorer dentition, simply due to age and a lifetime’s worth of use, but poor or missing teeth can take a toll on their condition. We want them to start winter looking strong enough that they can afford to lose a few kilos and still be well. Giving plenty of high fibre feeds will help this immensely, but look for shorter chops or use pellets and cubes that can be soaked. This will still allow for chewing and fibre for a healthy gut, but they won’t face
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the same difficulties they may have with longer stemmed hay or haylage. Feeding a balancer will also help to maintain their condition, but look for gut support, a key component for older horses and ponies. Digestion will slow naturally with age, which can make it harder for the horse to gain the maximum nutrition from his diet. Gut support in the form of pre and probiotics ensure a healthy microflora, essential for good fibre breakdown, and these will support the digestive process as well as the rate of digestive transit. Vitamins and minerals should always be topped up when feeding a high fibre diet, as these are prone to breakdown during drying or ensiling, so using a balancer will be beneficial in multiple ways. Senior specific products may be of particular use, as these have been tailored to better meet the needs of a veteran horse or pony. Traditional herbs such as ginkgo or ginseng are great for mental acuity and keeping their
sparkle! If you are aware your veteran tends to drop weight significantly, consider adding oil into his diet. This will add calories without adding bulk, or the need to use starch-heavy concentrate feeds, which may not suit his needs. Oil is a slow release energy source, so you also avoid any heating or fizzing. Flax, or linseed as it is also known, is a common oil choice, but soya oils and cod liver oils work just as well. It’s no surprise that horses can start to struggle with soundness as they age and particularly in damper or colder weather you may see your horse getting stiff, so do consider adding a joint supplement into the diet. Key joint nutrients, as well as antioxidants and omegas, can really offer good support to aging joints, which have performed for the whole of the animal’s life. Even if they still seem sound, joint support can be a great way to keep them active for longer!
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