When I was a teenager, it was common knowledge that a 20-year-old horse was old. And we all knew what that meant. The horse would get progressively skinnier and no amount of food would fatten him up. He would cost a fortune to feed. It was only a matter of time before he died.
But things have changed a lot since then. We know a lot more about dental care; we have softer foods for horses that have started to lose their teeth and foods with a better nutritional balance for this group. We know how to keep them properly hydrated so they are less prone to impaction colic and we have better medications to ease the aches and pains of those old guys and gals with arthritis. We have medications that can help treat age-related conditions such as Cushing’s Disease.
The horse in the photo is Bear. Bear was a severely malnourished horse when we obtained him at the ripe age of 27. He had a body condition score of 1 (a weight and condition index that ranges from one to ten). He also had severe rain rot and a rough coat that indicated that he was loaded with parasites. Today, he is 38. Bear has very few teeth and thrives on a diet of soupy senior mix. We put a lot of water in his food because, if it is a mash consistency, he will choke on it. Bear receives regular dental work because, otherwise, the teeth that are opposite of those he is missing (and there are many) will not wear down and will become sharp and uncomfortable. But while all of this is important, none of it is difficult, expensive or time-consuming.
Some horses, like some people, just have good genes when it comes to aging gracefully. But nearly all horses need a little help from their friends to keep them comfortable. Bear loves people, especially children, and his girlfriend Lily. He has a good life and with a little help from us, should have a long one.
For more information about the care of senior horses, please visit our friends at Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary at: http://www.equineelders.org/
3 comments:
Just to add to Jorg's post. We have a number of 30 and 40 year olds, including Rodney our oldest inhabitant at 47. He's in good health, eats like a horse (LOL) and, as you would expect, a cumudgeon.
Wow that is amazing!
These old guys do well as long as you can maintain their diets and control any pain issues that they have if they are arthritic. It's really important to keep their dental work current, too. I've been wondering, though, what people do for their old family cows. Most don't keep them through their seniority, but some people do (and we will). Alex, I know you have a lot of experience with cattle. Do you know anything about caring for seniors?
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