|
|
 Expert
Posts: 2520
 
Location: Monroe, GA | What are your tried and true feeding programs for seniors? Have a retired mare pushing 30yrs, she used to be an easy keeper and is starting to drop weight. She has had her teeth done, been wormed, etc. It may not can be fixed with a feed change, may just be shes getting up there, but want to at least try swapping her feeding around! Any tips would be great thanks!
Edited by ginger102005 2016-04-14 6:24 AM
|
|
| |
|
 Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | My grandpa has a 34YO stud that started to drop off in weight about 2 years ago. My mom asked me for some feeding advice. My grandpa is very stubborn & set in his ways & trying to convince him that any horse - even one in their 30s - might need something other than more hay or pellets or COB to put on weight is like talking to a wall, lol. But my mom prevailed, & now Hez Sweet gets senior feed, plus some alfalfa pellets & beet pulp, all soaked in hot water until it becomes a mash, then has some oil & MSM mixed in it. The MSM seems to take care of whatever arthritis he has, but he really never had any lameness issues aside from some general stiffness in cold weather. The oil really helped him bloom back out & get a nice layer of fat over his muscles & top line again. He still runs and bucks and plays when he's feeling frisky, and likes to antagonize the young stallion next door, lol. He gets alfalfa & Bermuda hay to munch on 24/7, but he can only eat the smaller leaves. Having it to chew on keeps him content though. The senior feed he's getting is the Nutrena Triumph, which in all honesty isn't the best there is as far as ingredients go, but he's doing well on it and it is cost effective. I'll try to attach the pics I took of him this Feb when I went home to AZ for a visit. Ok pics are too big & can't seem to resize on my phone, but here's a link to the Facebook pics (public album): https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpl1/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15... https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15...
Edited by Whinny19 2016-04-14 7:24 AM
|
|
| |
|
  Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | My 27 year old does alright on the Purina SR. when she eats it.... right now they pastures are nice and green so she is more interested in the grass... and she also gets Omnis cubes. They really help, and are easy to eat.
Edited by cranky B4 10am 2016-04-14 7:15 AM
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2685
| could just try adding fat to the diet, I use "vegtable oil" from the dollar store for $6/ gallon. Its soybean oil lol. I read some research that says you can add up to 2c per day to a horses diet and them still be able to digest and use the fats. Beyond that, its going to waste. ALso, for added fat and protein I use all species milk replacer. Its not cheap but it has worked wonders on the 2 horses I have used it on. One 6yo hard keeper that came from a dumb race trainer and a yearling that I acquired that was very poor. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2520
Location: Monroe, GA | Whinny19 - 2016-04-14 8:09 AM My grandpa has a 34YO stud that started to drop off in weight about 2 years ago. My mom asked me for some feeding advice. My grandpa is very stubborn & set in his ways & trying to convince him that any horse - even one in their 30s - might need something other than more hay or pellets or COB to put on weight is like talking to a wall, lol. But my mom prevailed, & now Hez Sweet gets senior feed, plus some alfalfa pellets & beet pulp, all soaked in hot water until it becomes a mash, then has some oil & MSM mixed in it. The MSM seems to take care of whatever arthritis he has, but he really never had any lameness issues aside from some general stiffness in cold weather. The oil really helped him bloom back out & get a nice layer of fat over his muscles & top line again. He still runs and bucks and plays when he's feeling frisky, and likes to antagonize the young stallion next door, lol. He gets alfalfa & Bermuda hay to munch on 24/7, but he can only eat the smaller leaves. Having it to chew on keeps him content though. The senior feed he's getting is the Nutrena Triumph, which in all honesty isn't the best there is as far as ingredients go, but he's doing well on it and it is cost effective. I'll try to attach the pics I took of him this Feb when I went home to AZ for a visit.
Thanks! I've been blessed with easy keepers, mostly alfalfa pellets and oats is all I feed, with some supplements. She just needs a little more than that. Couple years ago I was using Triple Crown Senior on my older horses but wasn't sure if there was any better suggestions to look into before buying that again! I appreciate the advice! |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2520
Location: Monroe, GA | cranky B4 10am - 2016-04-14 8:14 AM My 27 year old does alright on the Purina SR. when she eats it.... right now they pastures are nice and green so she is more interested in the grass... and she also gets Omnis cubes. They really help, and are easy to eat.
Thanks! I'll have to look into the omni cubes! She gets alfalfa pellets soaked and oats, currently. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2520
Location: Monroe, GA | RoaniePonie11 - 2016-04-14 8:20 AM could just try adding fat to the diet, I use "vegtable oil" from the dollar store for $6/ gallon. Its soybean oil lol. I read some research that says you can add up to 2c per day to a horses diet and them still be able to digest and use the fats. Beyond that, its going to waste. ALso, for added fat and protein I use all species milk replacer. Its not cheap but it has worked wonders on the 2 horses I have used it on. One 6yo hard keeper that came from a dumb race trainer and a yearling that I acquired that was very poor.
Thanks, I have fed oil before might have to add that. The milk replacer sounds interesting. Tell me more? Powder mix, liquid, how much did you use? |
|
| |
|
 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | Mine gets 2 lbs of soaked alfalfa pellets and 1 pound of Renew Gold in the morning (the pellets are 2 lbs dry, before adding water), and then 3 lbs of Purina Senior Active and one flake of alfalfa in the evenings. He looks great at 29!
In another thread I said he was 28, but he's actually 29 this year :)
Last year he started to drop a lot of weight, even though he'd always been a super easy keeper. I had to start feeding twice a day and this combo has been perfect for him.
 (Dakota 2015.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 Dakota 2015.jpg (96KB - 164 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
 On the Countdown
Posts: 2934
Location: Texas | My 34 yr old mare gets Triple Crown Senior. She didn't do so well on Equine Sr. She looks great still!!! She can't eat much grass or hay (alfalfa). |
|
| |
|
 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
 
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | I started mine on a whole foods diet with Cur-OST Plus. He gets 1lb oats, 1/2 cup flax and alfalfa and grass hay. He is 24 and still competing
 (BeforeandAfter.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
BeforeandAfter.jpg (38KB - 161 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1207
| THE Muscle Mass and Purina Amplify really turned my 28 year old around. Plus the Omnis cubes complete. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 589
| My 24 yr old is a super hard keeper, especially being 17H appendix!! I have him on 8 lbs of Purina Senior Active a day with Cocosoya Oil and THE Muscle Mass wiht joint and ulcer.... I have tried pretty much everything in the books for him and this is what I have found what works for him. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | Beet pulp, renew gold, alfalfa pellets all mixed up with water until soft and of course Animal Element Foundation DEtox for my old girl. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | Renew Gold and mega oil by Oxygen |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2685
| ginger102005 - 2016-04-14 7:24 AM
RoaniePonie11 - 2016-04-14 8:20 AM could just try adding fat to the diet, I use "vegtable oil" from the dollar store for $6/ gallon. Its soybean oil lol. I read some research that says you can add up to 2c per day to a horses diet and them still be able to digest and use the fats. Beyond that, its going to waste. ALso, for added fat and protein I use all species milk replacer. Its not cheap but it has worked wonders on the 2 horses I have used it on. One 6yo hard keeper that came from a dumb race trainer and a yearling that I acquired that was very poor.
Thanks, I have fed oil before might have to add that. The milk replacer sounds interesting. Tell me more? Powder mix, liquid, how much did you use?
I buy a brand called Ultra 24. It's an all species, non medicated powdered milk replacer. It's $60 for 25# and I give 1# a day to my OMG thin horses (I have picked him up that way in the past) and 1/2# to my "need a little extra" horses. It's 24%F and 24%P and has added vitamins and digestive support because it's for babies. It put about 60# on a thin mare for me in 10 days and I have before and 2 weeks later of a pathetic yearling that would blow your mind. Even the 7 day picture is crazy. I just won't post them because she has a brand. |
|
| |