How to Choose a Senior Horse Feed
What is the best horse feed for seniors? What ingredients should senior horse feeds list on their feed tags? What age should a horse be fed senior feed? Our equine nutritionists at Nutrena® break down some of these most frequently asked questions about how to choose a senior horse feed (and when), so you can feel confident that you are providing a nutritionally balanced diet for your horse’s specific life stage and activity level. Because here at Nutrena, we believe what’s inside counts®.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Key factors for choosing senior horse feed include activity level, weight, dental health, and nutrient absorption.
- Senior horse feed is crucial as a horse ages due to changing nutritional needs.
- Signs your horse may need senior feed are weight loss, reduced energy, and difficulty chewing.
- Nutrena offers options like ProForce® Senior and SafeChoice® Senior, which are high in protein and fiber.
- Look for easy-to-chew textures and digestive support ingredients in senior horse feed.
When to Feed a Senior Horse Feed
One thing is true for all animals – as they get older, their nutritional requirements change. That is why most feed companies offer a senior feed option in their product lineup. But what exactly makes a “senior” horse feed different? Senior horse feeds are designed specifically for older horses and challenges older horses often face. The key word being “often”.
It is important to remember that just because your horse is 15-20 years old, does not mean age is the only factor to consider. Other factors to consider when finding the best grain or supplement for your senior horse are:
- What is your horse’s activity level?
- Is your horse overweight/easy keeper or underweight/hard keeper?
- How are your horse’s teeth?
- Does your horse have access to and the ability to eat quality forage?
- How well are they absorbing nutrients?
- Are there any other lingering health conditions or metabolic concerns?
If you’re unsure, you can schedule a virtual consultation, and one of our equine nutritionists can help choose the best feed for your senior horse.
Diet Recommendations for Senior Horses
Some signs your horse may need a senior feed are difficulty maintaining or gaining weight, loss of topline muscle, reduced energy or stamina, stiffness in their gate, diminished coat quality, quidding or struggling to chew forage, graying muzzle, or decreased muscle mass. These are all indications that your horse may be losing its ability to digest certain nutrients in their current feed and instead should transition to a senior horse diet instead. Some of the main diet recommendations for senior horses are:
- Caloric Intake: As horse’s age they are less efficient at absorbing nutrients and maintaining their body condition, which is why many senior feeds have a higher fat listed on their guaranteed analysis. This provides extra calories along with the benefit of added Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids. However, if your senior horse is overweight or an easy keeper and can still eat hay, a diet balancer may be a better option.
- Highly Digestible Fiber: The best senior horse feeds are also easily digestible and high in fiber to efficiently extract nutrients and avoid stressing the digestive system. In addition to looking for higher
- Controlled Starch: Check the Guaranteed Analysis to ensure maximum starch and sugar levels meet your senior horse’s dietary needs. Some senior horse’s may need a lower NSC level.
- Quality Protein: Like people, it becomes harder to maintain muscle as horses age, so quality protein is critical for senior horse diets. In addition to higher Protein on tags, the blend of Amino Acids is equally important to maintain topline and muscle. The best senior horse feeds offer a balance of amino acids including Lysine, Methionine, and Threonine, which are the most limiting in horses. That’s why Nutrena adds Topline Balance® Technology to all of our premium feeds, including our senior feeds, to ensure our formulas support healthy topline throughout all life stages.
- Easier to Chew: It is necessary to consider feed texture as horse’s teeth wear down with age. A dental-friendly feed, whether that be a senior feed like ProForce® Senior or a softer, easy mash pellet like SafeChoice® Senior, can make it easier for your aging friends to chew and swallow. If your horse is not able to chew quality forage, make sure you are selecting a “complete” senior feed, meaning it can be fed with or without hay.
- Gut Support: You will also want to look for a senior feed that supports the entire digestive tract from foregut to hindgut . Check your feed tag to see if your senior feed includes ingredients like prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, and calcite, or pick up a bag of SafeChoice® Senior or ProForce ® Senior, which include Digestive Shield™, a proprietary blend of all of these ingredients.
Find Senior Horse Feed Near You
Nutrena® offers a few different options depending on your senior horse’s needs. The most popular go-to feeds for senior horses are:
- ProForce® Senior (14% Protein | 17% Fiber | 11% Fat)
- SafeChoice® Senior (14% Protein | 16% Fiber | 8% Fat)
- SafeChoice® Senior Molasses Free (14% Protein | 16% Fiber | 8% Fat)
Visit our Dealer Locator to find senior horse feed near you.
Sources:
Coverdale, J.A., E.D. Lamprecht, P. Kropp, I. Yoon, J.L. Lucia, K.N. Winsco, A.E. Hanson, and C.M. Warzecha. 2013. Influence of prebiotic and probiotic supplementation on apparent digestibility in mature geldings at maintenance. J. Anim. Sci. 91(E-Suppl. 2)
