Horse Senior Nutrition and Welfare

Meeting the nutritional needs of older horses requires adjustments that account for declining digestive efficiency and increased health vulnerability.

Key Facts

Horses over 20 years are considered geriatric — approximately 7% of the UK horse population is aged 20 or over
Digestive efficiency declines with age, particularly for fibre digestion, increasing the risk of weight loss despite adequate forage provision
Dental disease is near-universal in elderly horses — worn, missing, or painful teeth impair forage processing dramatically
Senior-formulated feeds provide highly digestible energy sources including super-fibres and oils suited to horses with dental limitations
Body condition scoring every 2-4 weeks allows timely nutritional adjustments in ageing horses before weight loss becomes critical

Welfare Considerations

Elderly horses are at high risk of gradual welfare decline through nutritional insufficiency that is easily mistaken for normal ageing. A horse losing weight over winter may be eating normally but failing to extract adequate nutrition from forage due to dental or digestive changes. Regular weight monitoring, dental care, and nutritional adjustment are the cornerstones of welfare for the growing population of horses living well into their twenties.

What You Can Do

Have your horse's teeth rasped by a qualified equine dental technician or vet every 6 months from age 15 onwards
Introduce soaked or pelleted senior feeds to supplement forage for horses with poor dental function
Weigh or body condition score horses over 15 regularly throughout winter when nutritional demands increase
Discuss PPID screening and senior health management with your vet at annual examinations