Four Reasons Senior Feed May Be The Right Choice For Your Horse
Do you own a senior horse? Are you concerned about their health? If you answered yes to either of these questions, feeding your horse senior feed may be a good option for you. Aging is inevitable, but with proper nutrition you can help your horse to age more gracefully and live a longer and healthier life.
As horses age, it makes it harder for them to chew and digest hay and grain. This makes it difficult for a senior horse to maintain a healthy weight. Many senior feeds are known as complete feeds, which allows a horse to get all of their dietary fiber via feed rather than through forages. When looking for a senior feed, keep these four things in mind:
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Feed must be palatable. This will be better for an older horse and will allow them to chew and digest it much easier than a traditional feed.
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Feed should be based on digestible fiber instead of grain. Fiber is extremely important for an older horse. This will allow them to get their fiber via feed rather than from forages.
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Feed is low in sugars and starches. Sugar and starch will NOT help your horse gain weight. Try to find a senior feed that is low in both sugar and starch.
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Feed is high in protein and fat. These fat calories are important because the fat adds calories to promote weight gain. The higher fat and protein formulas also provide a boost of energy that an older horse may need.
Senior feed can be a great option for your older horse. This will improve your horse’s health over the long run.
For more information on senior feeds, visit:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/34442/understanding-senior-horse-feeds
