As winter sets in we need ensure our older horses maintain their health and condition and go into spring in a healthy way.
Ideally, we want our horse going into winter in a good to moderately fleshy condition and in light to moderate activity and recommend assessing its condition score and weight, click here.

Protection from the elements is important for older horses. The wind and rain we get in Australia can require up to 10-20% of additional energy trying to keep themselves warm.  Some simple solutions are to provide shelter away from wind and rain as well as water proof rugs.  Remember if you do rug your horse make sure you regularly check their condition and that the rugs are not rubbing them. 

When looking at ensuring your fussy older horses keeps eating over winter be prepared to be flexible and to keep a close eye on its condition. 

If you are currently feeding, continue to monitor your horse’s condition and adjust your horse’s diet accordingly.   If you generally are not feeding and are relying on pasture / hay as a majority of your horses feed intake, find a suitable feed, such as Barastoc Senior.  If they are a fussy eater perhaps try a few different feeds to find the one most palatable to your horse.  This may mean trying pellets like Barastoc Senior or a sweet feed such as Barastoc Complete Performer. 

Watch Dr Peter Huntington’s YouTube segment for more information.
 

Source: written in conjunction with Barastoc

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