Horses are living longer than ever due to improved veterinary care and nutrition, with many horses reaching their late 20s and 30s. Senior horse welfare requires understanding the specific conditions of equine ageing and making compassionate end-of-life decisions.
Senior horses with PPID experience a range of welfare impacts from the excess ACTH and cortisol produced: laminitis is the most serious consequence, but muscle wasting, impaired immunity, and abnormal coat growth also cause suffering. Dental disease causes pain during chewing, leading to weight loss and nutritional deficiency that compounds other age-related decline. Body condition scoring and regular veterinary assessment enable early detection of welfare decline. The decision to euthanise an aged horse requires assessment of whether good days outweigh bad days using validated quality-of-life frameworks. Horses cannot be rescued from suffering by the mere sentiment of an owner reluctant to act.