By Dodson & Horrell's Head of Nutrition and Compliance, Dr. Stephanie Wood.
Keeping older horses mobile is vital to their wellbeing as movement encourages the passage of food through the digestive system, helps fluid to move around the body, and generates heat which helps to keep them warm in winter. Promoting movement is easily achieved through turnout or exercise, with in-hand exercise being ideal for those who are no longer ridden. Ensuring your horse isn’t carrying extra weight also helps to reduce wear and tear on joints and makes moving easier. Feeding Glucosamine, MSM (methyl sulphonyl methane) and omega-3 fatty acids provides nutritional support for joint health, with these ingredients being most effective when fed every day. The addition of herbs to the diet can also be beneficial, with Dandelion and Nettle being ideal for those who have puffy legs, whilst Celery and Devil’s Claw are known for being soothing.
You probably hear a lot about supporting your horse’s digestive health to reduce the risk of issues such as colic or gastric ulcers, but digestive health is about more than this. A healthy digestive system is vital to ensure your horse can extract the nutrients it needs for all activities it performs, from basic biological functions to performing at the highest level of competition. It makes sense that the feed it eats directly impacts on the health of the system processing it. A diet founded on fibre is the starting point, with a variety of fibre sources promoting hindgut stability more than feeding just one fibre source. This is easily achieved by feeding a multi-fibre chaff as part of the bucket feed alongside hay or haylage. Feeding prebiotics and probiotics also benefit most horses through their actions within the digestive tract. Prebiotics provide a food source for the beneficial microbes within the gut and contribute to immune system development. Probiotics are live microbes that support digestive stability and efficiency, helping your horse get the most out of their feed. Another way of ensuring your horse gets the most out of their feed is to keep bucket feeds small and feed more of them. This allows feed to be digested and nutrients to be absorbed in the right parts of the digestive tract, which also helps to reduce digestive upset. Only giving feed that is within date and is fresh and free from mould, also reduces the likelihood of digestive issues.
