It’s a bit ironic when people say that older horses are “long in the tooth” because the fact of the matter is that their cheek teeth are actually getting quite short! Horses have hypsodont teeth which mean that they develop into a certain length and then erupt out tooth throughout the majority of their lives until the tooth has been worn down through attrition. When a horse is about 5 years old it may have a tooth that is 4.5” long, but when it is 25 years old, that same tooth may have worn down to only 0.75” long by the everyday action of chewing forage. When a cheek tooth begins to “cup out” or has “expired,” the occlusal or chewing surface of the tooth can no longer grind dry long stem forage such as hay into the short fiber lengths that the horse’s digestive system is designed to digest and convert into energy. If only long stemmed hay is continued to be offered to such older horses, they will undoubtedly loose weight and body condition.

The solution to feeding the senior horse is…”pre-chewed” food! We don’t actually mean “pre-chewed,” but rather feed and forages that have been chopped or ground up so that the shorter fiber lengths have more surface area for the bacteria in the hind gut to attach to and digest. The short fiber lengths and ground feed do not require the chewing that long stem hay, whole oats, or corn kernels require. Today there is a vast array of “Complete Senior” feeds available that have a higher amount of fiber in them compared to the typical concentrated feed that a younger horse would receive. However, many horse owners often fail to realize is that the flakes of hay or round bale that their horse is receiving is still not providing enough nutrition to compliment the senior feed. In these cases, we also offer hay cubes or hay pellets. Cubed and pelleted hay products or more easily digestible however they must be soaked to the point of complete saturation in order to prevent choke in older horses. The pelleted hay is best for a senior horse because the hay is completely ground into powder, however some horse’s seem to be picky and prefer only hay cubes. While not ideal, it is still better than flakes of long stemmed hay.

The best method that we have found for providing feed is to have a large shallow tub in the paddock or stall where a mixture of the hay cubes or pellets and senior feed can be mixed together and left for the horse to eat until their next feeding. The hay pellets or cubes should be gradually introduced as some horses do not find them to be as palatable initially. The logistics of this are quite easy with a small group of horses needing a similar diet, however, with a large mixed herd this can be very difficult to accomplish. After a thorough exam by a KEVDS veterinarian, we can help determine what type of feed and hay your horse may require and provide guidance for how best to keep your senior horse in top shape!