Is Chopped Hay Good For Senior Horses?

Easy Chewing for Seniors Older horses need highly digestible sources of protein and calcium to make up for these losses. Short chopped forage fills this need by making it easier to chew and digest than common long stem hay.

What hay is best for older horses?

Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment. The small intestine loses some function – Older horses find it harder to digest protein in the small intestine.

Can senior horses eat hay?

Older horses often have difficulty eating hay because their teeth are either worn down or missing. The high fiber content in senior feed is of value when you have to reduce or eliminate hay (long-stem forage) from the horse’s diet.

Should you soak chopped hay?

Be sure to wet hay cubes, pellets, and chopped forage before feeding to prevent the risk of choke and increase the ability of your older horse to chew and swallow.

How do I keep my senior horse healthy?

Make sure your saddle fits properly as your senior horse’s topline changes. Feed your horse a high quality diet that meets all their nutrient needs. Watch for early signs of cancer or Cushing’s syndrome for best treatment outcomes. Keep senior horses up-to-date on vaccines and deworming to prevent infection.

Is chopped hay good for horses?

Chopped forage is quality hay and forage that has been high-temperature dried and cut into smaller, more manageable lengths. This process locks in the nutrients of pasture while making it easy for horses to chew and digest. The length of the hay is cut to 2-3 inches, making it an optimal length for digestion.

What can I feed my senior horse to gain weight?

Consider adding a supplement

• Inexpensive and Easy: Vegetable Oil.
• Easy but Expensive: Top dress with a high-fat supplement to add more calories to your existing feeding program.
• Effective yet Time-Consuming: Add beet pulp or alfalfa pellets/cubes to your horse’s diet.

How much should you feed a senior horse?

Senior products are designed to be fed as a sole source of nutrition for our senior horses, but you’ll often be feeding them between 8 – 15lbs a day. If you can get your horse to consume other sources of hay or forage, you might not need to use that much.

At what age is a horse considered a senior?

By age definition “senior” horse has been defined as 15+ years of age. Due to improvements in veterinary care and nutrition, horse routinely live 25-30 years of age, some into their 40’s. It is not uncommon to see horses in late teens and twenties performing at high levels.

How do you soak hay for older horses?

Soaking for a horse with metabolic conditions
If you’re using warm water, you’ll need to submerge the hay (again, a hay net makes this easy) for 30 minutes; if your water is cool or cold, soak the hay for 60 minutes. In that time, the potentially harmful sugars will leach from the hay into the water.

Can horses choke on chopped hay?

Common physical forms include: pellets, cubes and chopped (chaff) products. Misconception: Horses will choke on forage pellets or cubes. Fact: Horses, as well as humans, can choke on any food or feed that is not properly chewed prior to swallowing.

What happens if cut hay gets wet?

Hay that has been cut and then rained on can lose quality in four ways. These include: 1) leaching of soluble carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, 2) increased and prolonged plant respiration, 3) leaf shattering, and 4) microbial breakdown of plant tissue.

How long do you leave hay after cutting?

Time your mowing around the most reliable weather forecast you can find. It basically takes about three days of good weather to cure hay. This can be a challenge in late May or early June. A good strategy is to mow just before or right after a rain, because of the likelihood of good weather for the next few days.

What should old horses eat?

Lucerne/alfalfa hay and good quality, soft meadow/pasture hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fibre to ferment. High energy ‘super fibres’ like sugarbeet pulp and soybean hulls are also excellent sources of fibre for older horses as they are very easy to ferment in the hindgut.

What do underweight senior horses eat?

Common alternate forms are hay cubes, hay pellets, chopped forage, and beet pulp. Senior feeds often include some type of alternate forage like alfalfa meal, soy hulls, and/or beet pulp.

How can I improve my older horse’s topline?

Answer. Providing a balanced diet with high-quality protein and amino acids can help support topline development and reduce muscle wasting as horses age. Mature horses have relatively low dietary protein requirements; however, protein quality can be a limiting factor when feeding grass hay.

Can you feed horses fresh cut hay?

In perfect conditions — where the hay has been baled at less than 12% moisture and is very dry — it is safe to feed straight away, but this isn’t often the case, as Tim Moxon of TM Agri Services Ltd explains: “The main reason for allowing a period of anywhere between two and eight weeks before feeding freshly made hay

What cut of hay is best for horses?

The most common choice of hay is second cutting, but first cutting is also good for horses, plus it is usually cheaper than the other two. Choose hay that is soft, green, and leafy, with thin stems, so it is easier for horses to eat.

What is the most nutritious hay for horses?

Legume Hay for Horses
Alfalfa, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are common types of legumes, with alfalfa being the most popular choice. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A.

What to feed an old horse who can’t eat hay?

Alternatives to Traditional Hay
Adding beet pulp to your horse’s morning meal is one popular way to help them maintain their weight and control their rate of grain consumption. Beet pulp is available with or sans added molasses and its soft texture makes it easy for toothless horses to consume.

How can I help my senior horse gain muscle?

One way to increase an older horse’s ability to build and maintain a topline is to increase their protein intake. While a horse will get protein from hay and natural pasture, additional protein will enhance their performance and muscle building ability.