As a horse ages, its digestive tract becomes less efficient due to decreased motility, digestion, and absorption of nutrients. In these situations, replacing whole grains with a processed feed that includes higher nutrient levels will help provide adequate nutrition to meet the horse’s needs. Equine Senior® and Equine Senior® Active Healthy Edge® horse feeds are both formulated to meet these increased nutrient requirements when fed as recommended.

Older horses may also suffer from colic due to a higher incidence of lipomas (fatty tumors), poor teeth, reduced exercise, and a higher risk of impactions. According to a study at Texas A&M University, the leading factor for increasing risk of colic is a change in hay. Making all diet changes gradually, providing adequate water, good­-quality feed and hay, and following good management practices will help reduce the risk of colic.

Working with your veterinarian to keep the horse on a proper deworming and parasite­ control program is also vital to maintain the health and efficiency of the digestive tract.