24year old mare

Question
This mare is 24 yrs old and has been losing weight since March. She gains a little then loses a little. We took her off the sweet feed when the grass greened up then she fattened up but now she is losing again. She has a 2 yr old paint for a pasture buddy. What should we do for this old mare? She is very rarely ridden and doesn't do any work.

Answer
Hi Sandra,  Sorry for the delay, I've been at a horse show for the last 5 days. I would suggest feeding her a senior feed.  Being that it is formulated for a senior horse it should help her gain weight.  Most senior feeds have beet pulp and rice bran in them which is great for weight gain.  You may also feed up to 2 cups of corn oil 1-2 times a day on her grain.  You may also want to feed her quality hay if she doesn't have lush pasture.  I would recommend alfalfa or alfalfa/timothy.  If she has teeth problems or lack of teeth you may want to buy the compressed bagged hay.  Triple Crown sells a good hay mix that is sprayed with molasses to make the hay less dusty and adds taste.  If your mare doesn't have a lot of teeth left you may also want to soak her feed before she eats it.  Only about 5 minutes before you feed it just to soften it.  Good luck, Jessica