Older horse - weight issues

Question
QUESTION: I have a 24 year old Arabian mare who lost quite a bit of weight this summer due to extreme heat and buggy conditions.  This happened a couple of years ago and I went through all the necessary steps - teeth float, maintenance worming, blood work (came back negative) and what I ended up doing was putting her on alfalfa cubes and beet pulp which had to be soaked.  I was able to feed her this twice a day and she did end up gaining the weight back.  Unfortunately I had to change her feed because the person feeding couldn't do it.  I have her at a different barn now and she is getting fed twice a day again, but due to not being able to soak the food always - and her history of choke.....I have her on Nutrena Life Design Sr. Feed (3 lbs) and Empower (2 lbs) twice per day plus free choice hay.  She is getting Smart Senior supplements which have the pro and pre-biotics and she is on the smart gain as well.  She is not gaining the weight back and i am concerned about her weight going into a MN winter.  I am due to have her teeth floated again this month....but don't think that's going to be the sole answer here.  She has been a hard keeper for the entire 6 years I have owned her.  Any input?

ANSWER: Hi Trina,

Thank you for your question.  Feeding older horses with weight issues can sometimes become complicated.  You appear to be taking every precaution, and doing everything right.  One of the sad truths is that as a horse ages, its digestive system begins to slow down and use feed less efficiently...a condition that is impossible to reverse.  Senior feeds should be designed to address these issues and you have taken the initiative of making that choice for your mare.  Empower and SmartGain are both quality products but I would caution against feeding too much fat to older horses.  As mentioned, the digestive system of the older horse slows down which means an especially slow digestion of fat, and undigested fat can impede further digestive function.  I would suggest instead that you stick with the senior feed and follow feeding recommendations for it.  If I understand your question correctly, you are feeding at least 10 pounds of grain a day...and that's quite a bit.  A diet too rich in grain can also interfere with proper digestive function.  I realize that cutting down on feed for a thin horse is a frightening thought but sometimes less is more.  Again, I suggest following the feeding recommendations of the senior feed.  It is unfortunate that you can't feed beet pulp as that would be of great benefit in this case.  Additionally, her history of choke keeps me from suggesting feeding a hay replacement feed other than beet pulp or hay cubes(their fiber sources can encourage choke in some instances).  Perhaps alfalfa or alfalfa/timothy cubes may help in her case.  It is possible that the forages she is consuming this year are not as nutrient rich as they normally be.  I know that the very wet first part of the growing season in our region has resulted in low-nutrient quality first cut hay.  the hay may look great, but only the lab can tell you how good it really is.  If this is indeed the case, than hay cubes will help boost the diet's energy density without the need to feed a lot of grain.

One additional suggestion:  not all prebiotics and probiotics are created equally.  The different ingredients used serve a variety of purposes...so although the Smart Senior may be a great product, it may not be exactly what your mare needs right now.  I would recommend that you try LifeForce Formula from Alltech, I think it's ingredient base may really help your mare.

I hope these suggestions help, but please keep in mind that her age can be a contributing factor.  Every horse's digestive system ages at a different rate.

Thanks, Corlena



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your input.  I have a follow up question.  You indicated that instead of the Smart Senior you recommended Life Force by Alltech.  I haven't researched this yet, but part of the reason I chose the SmartSenior was because of the MSM, Glucosamine, and Chondriton.  My Mare is starting to show some signs of arthritis as well.  Will Life Force provide that or is it just a pro-pre biotic?  If it is just a pro-pre biotic, what else would you recommend along with the reduced Sr. Feed, reduced Empower (fat), Hay/Alfalfa Cubes/Pellets, and Life Force?

One last question.  Are you familiar with EquiPride and what makes you suggest Life Force over something like that?
Thanks so much

Answer
Hi Trina,

The LifeForce will not provide the joint relief that you are getting from the MSM, Glucosamine and Chondroitin that the SmartSenior is bringing to the ration.  It is strictly a prebiotic.  Keep in mind that not all prebiotics are made from the same ingredients, and the reason I've recommended the LifeForce is that I think the specific prebiotic ingredients that it uses will certainly help your horse.  

You suggested that your horse's caretaker can not feed soaked feed, which is unfortunate because my additional recommendation would be to feed beet pulp (instead of the hay cubes...I only suggested them because I thought you can't soak the beet pulp).  Beet pulp is an excellent energy source for horses and is very easy on the digestive system.  So if at all possible, get some soaked beet pulp in the diet.

Thanks, Corlena