The Ageing Horse: Altered Needs and How to Deal with Them

The ageing horse: altered needs and how to deal with them

As horses age their bodies undergo changes in dentition, degenerative disease and altered gut absorption, all of which impact on providing adequate nutrition. Weight loss is one of the most common issues, which may be due to disease and this this needs clinical investigation. It is also important to initially evaluate the horse’s diet as the weight loss may be due to poor nutrition because of owner ignorance or neglect. In general terms, horses that are mismanaged will eat food when offered, whereas diseased horses will often not eat when food is available. However, some diseased horses will eat and still lose weight and this may be attributable to poor absorption and or/excessive loss or metabolism of nutrients.

There is conflicting reports in the literature on age-related changes in digestive function; for example, Ralston reported a decrease in protein and phosphorus digestibility in aged horses (> 20 years) compared to young horses (<10 years). This decrease was attributed to changes large colon function, possibly due to chronic parasitic damage. However, subsequent studies have shown no difference in digestibility between young and older horses, and it has been hypothesised that differences are associated with chronic parasitism and poor dentition rather than the age of the horse. Consequently, older horses that are in good health, with no dental issues receiving regular anthelmintic treatment can be fed in accordance with normal adult horse requirements (Siciliano, 2002). […]