Horses are living longer due to improved veterinary care, creating a growing population of senior equines with complex needs that owners must understand and address.
Senior horses face a convergence of welfare challenges as their bodies age — dental decline limits nutrition, joint disease causes chronic pain, endocrine disorders compromise metabolism and immune function. These conditions are manageable when recognised early and addressed systematically. The welfare failure in senior horses most often lies not in lack of care but in failure to recognise the signs of deterioration until suffering is advanced. Six-monthly dental checks, annual PPID screening in horses over 15, body condition scoring every two months and proactive pain assessment are the practical foundation of senior horse welfare. The hardest part — knowing when euthanasia is the kindest choice — requires honest assessment and veterinary guidance.