- Jul 26, 2010
- 2,969
- 3
- 171
A lot depends on the pasture, but I'd give him 8 flakes of hay instead of 5, and I'd give him something like Strategy or Ultium, which has a lot of fat. We feed our old guy about 3 lb of beet pulp (measure weight before soaking, and then soak at least 8 hr starting with boiling water to make it more digestible for the old guy) each day.
He also gets a Buckeye product called Grow N Win, a pound a day, and electrolytes.
Don't discount the possibility of mild chronic dehydration - the old guys tend to get this very easily. And it affects their appetite.
So we offer our guy a bucket of what my SO calls, 'Sweet Tea' - a bucket of water with a handful of sugar in it - the slight sweetness gets him to drink more water.
We don't keep it in front of him - we hold the bucket for him a couple times a day, so he thinks it's much more of a special treat and he drinks far more water that way.
We also keep him out of the heat or midday.
Since the old timers don't always move around much, we hand walk our old timer 30 minutes a day, during the cooler morning hours. IT's a very slow walk, but even so I think it helps to keep his guts moving and working.
I'd also have a different dentist look at his teeth, and have his teeth done every six months. I'd also blanket him when it's cold to hold in that precious body heat, as old timers often don't have very warm coats - long and shaggy may still not be warm. A fly sheet and fly mask can also help the old timer to burn fewer calories and moisture off - by keeping him not needing to stomp as many flies.
The other thing to consider is if he has any anxiety - the older horses get anxious if the routine changes. And they often need a pal to keep them company - which they may become rather attached to - in talking to friends I've found they indulge whatever quirks the old timers get as far as helping them to keep their buddy in sight and such.
He also gets a Buckeye product called Grow N Win, a pound a day, and electrolytes.
Don't discount the possibility of mild chronic dehydration - the old guys tend to get this very easily. And it affects their appetite.
So we offer our guy a bucket of what my SO calls, 'Sweet Tea' - a bucket of water with a handful of sugar in it - the slight sweetness gets him to drink more water.
We don't keep it in front of him - we hold the bucket for him a couple times a day, so he thinks it's much more of a special treat and he drinks far more water that way.
We also keep him out of the heat or midday.
Since the old timers don't always move around much, we hand walk our old timer 30 minutes a day, during the cooler morning hours. IT's a very slow walk, but even so I think it helps to keep his guts moving and working.
I'd also have a different dentist look at his teeth, and have his teeth done every six months. I'd also blanket him when it's cold to hold in that precious body heat, as old timers often don't have very warm coats - long and shaggy may still not be warm. A fly sheet and fly mask can also help the old timer to burn fewer calories and moisture off - by keeping him not needing to stomp as many flies.
The other thing to consider is if he has any anxiety - the older horses get anxious if the routine changes. And they often need a pal to keep them company - which they may become rather attached to - in talking to friends I've found they indulge whatever quirks the old timers get as far as helping them to keep their buddy in sight and such.
Last edited:
