My horse issues

[GldnValleyHens]

Hey, I’m an experienced horse owner and rider, and I am having trouble with my senior horse. He’s a 22 year old Arab, and on the thin side. I can feel his ribs easily, and before his winter coat grew in, they were quite visible. Not to mention a loss of muscle and fat around his flanks, barrel and withers. I recently got his teeth floated, and he was dewormed in the fall. All 3 of my boys are on a high quality hay, and have a 2:1 ratio of pelleted grain and cracked corn and tossed with oil ( soybean/canola) , twice a day.
( hay especially now is free choice all day)
Any suggestions or tips for helping my senior get his conditioning back? I was thinking of adding a weight gain supplement?
He’s a tough old guy, endurance horse who toured the world in his younger days. We still ride him on trails, so he’s still in light work.

 

[res]

At 22 years of age, it might be time to switch him to a complete Senior feed, such as Triple Crown Senior or ProElite Senior. A lot of senior horses reach a point where they just don't metabolize hay as efficiently, and especially don't metabolize un-processed grains like cracked corn. Feeding a complete feed allows his body to access the nutrition easier. Do you know how many pounds of hay and pounds of pellets/corn you are feeding daily. Not "scoops" or "flakes", but actually weight.

The oil can be helpful, but it is 100% fat, and he may well need more nutrition than just the fat that the oil provides. I often use a ration balancer on my old guys, in addition to the Senior feed, as a way to get LOTS of calories/nutrition into them with very little weight of feed.

I don't know what the climate is like where you live, but all of my seniors that require Senior feed also get blanketed. Every little bit helps when it comes to conserving calories over the winter. I would rather my old guys expend the minimum amount possible to stay warm.

If he is beginning to have dental issues that make it hard to chew or digest hay, you may also want to consider adding soaked-to-soup hay cubes to his daily ration. I prefer alfalfa, but it can depend on what you have available locally.

 

[chickens really]

Were his teeth floated by a Veterinarian? Possibly still an issue? Are the other horses forcing him away from the feed. Was wormed with the proper wormer for the time of year ?
Can you separate him so he can have all the feed he wants and put him on senior feed along with free choice hay.

 

[casportpony]

I think @Folly's place has some experience feeding senior horses.

I have some experience too. When one of my older ones starts looking a little thin I will have their teeth checked, offer free choice hay, and start feeding something like Purina Safe Choice Senoir.

Even though I'm in California, where the winters are mild, sometimes I will blanket the older ones, thinner ones because it really can make a difference in their comfort level. Just remember to check them on warmer days to make sure they aren't sweating, and check them on rainy days to make sure your rug is actually waterproof.

Edited to add:
IMO, 22 is not that old, so maybe you could have your vet draw some blood to check for other reasons that could explan the weight loss.

 

[feathermaid]

When I had Ben, my senior running QH, 19 yrs old when he came to me, I fed him the same as my other younger gelding. Ben was extremely athletic and high-strung and everyone who met him thought he couldn't have been older than 10 although he acted 2 (that was just his personality). But he dropped a considerable amount of weight and I tried everything over the course of the next year (including alfalfa and weight supplements) and the only thing that even made a lick of difference was senior feed. I labored over researching the best kind (sorry I can't remember what it was) and he did excellent on that until after I moved to a different barn...

The lady there "who knew everything" thought he was too high-strung to get any sort of grain or pelleted feed so she changed to only hay and alfalfa cubes without my knowledge, and he rapidly lost his form again. We left that barn, but it took months to get him filled out again with a complete senior feed --which he remained on for the rest of his days.

I don't know a lot about all the different types of feed and supplements, but I believe that there's a reason they make senior feed for older horses.

*edit* Because of Ben's high metabolism I never kept him blanketed (unless I needed him to stay clean for an event) because he would sweat too much underneath. I just let him grow a winter coat, but all horses are different so use your best judgement.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Excellent suggestions from everyone. I'm no Veterinarian but my first thought with the words "22" "Arab" "weightloss" is Cushings. Therefore, I completely agree with all who suggest bloodwork. Even if it all comes back normal at least you can cross that off your list.

If he is out with other horses during feeding, you might want to separate him from the others as he could just be a slower eater and doesn't get as much as he should.

Good luck to you.

 

[sassysarah]

Pictures? How often do you ride him? Do you do any lunging?

 

[GldnValleyHens]

At 22 years of age, it might be time to switch him to a complete Senior feed, such as Triple Crown Senior or ProElite Senior. A lot of senior horses reach a point where they just don't metabolize hay as efficiently, and especially don't metabolize un-processed grains like cracked corn. Feeding a complete feed allows his body to access the nutrition easier. Do you know how many pounds of hay and pounds of pellets/corn you are feeding daily. Not "scoops" or "flakes", but actually weight.

The oil can be helpful, but it is 100% fat, and he may well need more nutrition than just the fat that the oil provides. I often use a ration balancer on my old guys, in addition to the Senior feed, as a way to get LOTS of calories/nutrition into them with very little weight of feed.

I don't know what the climate is like where you live, but all of my seniors that require Senior feed also get blanketed. Every little bit helps when it comes to conserving calories over the winter. I would rather my old guys expend the minimum amount possible to stay warm.

If he is beginning to have dental issues that make it hard to chew or digest hay, you may also want to consider adding soaked-to-soup hay cubes to his daily ration. I prefer alfalfa, but it can depend on what you have available locally.

Thank you for your detailed reply!! Much to my discomfort (lol) I do not weigh my hay flakes or grain. I probably should, because I know it is a way to be more accurate with your feeding. I used to weigh my grain, but discovered the scale was incorrect, and it made me stop using that way all together. I live in northwestern Illinois, and both my large horses are blanketed. One is a TB and very sensitive, and William ( the senior) has one this year too. He came from a farm where his owners didn’t believe in blankets, flymasks, or anything paid over 30$ for your horse. But I disagree and hoped this winter it would help with the calorie burn.
One thing about our hay is that it is grassy and leafy, pretty light and not packed tight. Actually, our earlier cutting is more mature but still really nice hay. I go through at least a bale and a half a day.
I have them on a 12% horse feed right now, but you’re making me convinced Senior is the way to go.

 

[chickens really]

Thank you!! ( and aren’t Arab’s the best?)

Definitely they are. Kupid is my heart and saved me through a troubled time. He is like magic to me..
My very best friend...

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, have a blood chemistry panel run, and test for 'metabolic syndrome' / Cushing's disease. It's common in older horses, and runs in some families. Also have a fecal test run if you haven't this fall.
One of my older Arabian mares had an abdominal US at the university to help diagnose her impressive weight loss (she looked good rather than fat!) after the blood testing came up okay. Start with the blood workup though.
There are several labs that run Cushing's testing, and results can vary. I think California or Cornell were best?!? Your vet should know.
All the best!
Mary