Horse Senior Welfare: Dental Care, Cushings, and Retirement

Overview of welfare management for senior horses including Cushings, dental care, and retirement welfare.

Key Facts

Senior horses often require soaked feed as dental wear reduces chewing efficiency
PPID affects 15-21% of horses over 15 and requires medication and monitoring
Retirement welfare requires appropriate social companionship and appropriate exercise
Foot care in retirement is essential as older horses may develop laminitis risk
End-of-life planning including euthanasia requires welfare-focused decision-making

Welfare Considerations

Senior horse welfare requires integrated management of multiple age-related conditions including PPID, dental wear, laminitis risk, and locomotor problems. Dietary management adapts to dental capacity, with soaked feeds enabling adequate nutrition in horses with significant tooth wear. Retirement welfare planning should ensure appropriate social companionship, exercise, and monitoring. End-of-life decision-making is a welfare obligation that requires regular quality of life assessment.

What You Can Do

Arrange annual or biannual dental assessment for horses from age 15
Test horses over 15 for PPID and manage appropriately with veterinary guidance
Plan retirement welfare thoughtfully including social companionship and appropriate exercise