old horse

Question
We are caring for a 26 year old Mare. She has lost alot of weight recently.  She has a hard time eating grass/hay People call it cudding she eats it into a ball then basically spits it out.  Our concern is what we can do to help  what kind of grain should we give her and What is the best grain and vitamins.  they are going to have her wormed that part is not an issue  I have a 11 year old that really wants to see her gain back weight and wants to help out  could you just point us in the right direction of feeding ideas   Thank you

Answer
Hi Jessica,  Well, if your horse is dropping chewed hay/grass it probably means she doesn't have a lot of teeth left.  So, I would put her on a senior grain, about 5-6 quarts 2 x day, and soak it to soften it as this will make it easier to chew.  You can also add rice bran or corn oil as a fat supplement to her grain, about 1 cup of corn oil 2 x day or 2 cups of rice bran 2 x day.  You may also want to add soaked beet pulp as this is a good source of fiber especially if she's not eating her hay successfully, about 2-3 quarts soaked 2 x day.  I would also try the bagged compressed alfalfa/timothy  or just timothy, this is usually sprayed with molasses so it softens it and it's tasty.  You may also soak her hay to soften it even more.  You can also try alfalfa cubes and soak them as well before feeding.  Good luck with your mare!  Jessica