Senior Horse Management and Wellness

May 14, 2026 64 view(s)

by Vicky Johnson, DVM, CVMMP from Cleveland Equine Clinic

Caring for the Aging Equine

Whatever you do, don't ignore the senior horse. Proper care, nutrition, and exercise will help your horse thrive.

A quick response to ailments, injuries or a decline in fitness can keep your older horse from having a serious or prolonged setback.

SENIOR HORSE PRESENTATION

Get the full seminar experience by watching the video and reviewing the presentation.

Main Topics

The Aging Equine: life changes
Common woes
Endocrine diseases
Nutrition
Prevention and care strategies

The Aging Horse

In the past 50 years, the average age of a horse being considered "old" has increased by almost 10 years
Most recent studies suggest that 11% of the US horse population is over 20 years old, and 25% of that population is over 30 years old
Shift from focus of short term usefulness to longevity and adapting career
Care has improved across the board

Biggest Aging Changes

Soundness/Condition

Older horses are prone to be more symptomatic for long-term ortho conditions. Decrease in body condition limits use.

Dentistry

Expiration of teeth requires massive diet change to meet horses’ dietary requirements.

Physiology

Things don't work as well as they once did. From tendons to the GI Tract, connective tissue loses quality. Endocrine diseases progress.

Disease of Old Age

Things such as colic, choke, infections, etc are more commonly associated in aged horses due to a variety of factors.

Soundness and Condition

Diseases such as PPID decrease collagen quality and can predispose to soft tissue injuries
Degenerative joint disease - progressive, therefore worse over time
Dentition and metabolism can contribute to "hard keeping"

Dentition

Horses teeth only have a small portion (crown) in the mouth at one time
They constantly erupt their teeth (reserve crown) over their lifetime
Eventually they run out of crown and the teeth "expire"

Geriatric Teeth - When the crowns reach the end of their reserve, they become smooth and short. This is not ideal for grinding forage and other foods.

Floating the Aged Horse

Depending on conformation, previous dental care, dental anatomy - some things can be caught and corrected
Other problems that can occur in the horse’s mouth require long-term management, but cannot be "fixed"
Some conditions like periodontal disease are going to predispose the horse to tooth death or sinus infections
We recommend (at least) annual, sedated dentals with a veterinarian - assess teeth, periodontal health and diet to make ongoing recommendations for management

Eotrh

Disease of older horses that affects the incisors (front teeth)
Only treatment is extraction
Management depends on the horse

Physiologic Changes

Body function changes with age
Collagen/connective tissue decreases in quality (can also be associated with PPID)
Certain tumors are more likely with age (melanomas, lipomas, fibromas)
Endocrine diseases (its own section - stay tuned) are common in older animals

A General Comment on Orthopedic Disease

DJD commonly gets worse in aged horses
Lameness that was once "career limiting" can become quality of life limiting
Especially if degree of lameness worsens
Hind end lameness can contribute to "down" horses, or horses that cannot rise on their own
Some support exists for chronic lameness
Lameness itself does not often lead to death, but can be a consideration for discussions of quality of life
Some types of lameness can lead to neurologic disease that happens later in life

Diseases of Old Age

Cushing's (PPID)
Equine Metabolic Syndrome
Colic-specific types
- Certain types of colic are more represented in older horses
- Strangulating lipomas are the most common
- Impactions (both large colon and cecal)
- Enteroliths
- Displacements (especially with underlying predispositions)
- Neoplasia associated colic
Recurrent airway disease (Asthma)
Ophthalmic disease (cataracts, uveitis)
Neurologic disease (sidewinders, etc.)

Endocrine Diseases

Cushing's Disease (PPID)

Disease of the pituitary that causes dysregulation of many hormones that regulate body systems.
- Degeneration of parts of pituitary cause loss of regulation of dopamine
- Causes increase of ACTH, which causes an increase in cortisol
- Symptoms: hair, muscle loss, potbelly, decreased wound healing, EMS, recurrent infections

Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Disease of the prcoesses that regulate metabolism, insulin, blood glucose and body fat.
- Biggest symptom: insulin dysregulation
- Can also occur in younger horses
- Occures in a high percentage of horses with PPID
- Most likely to occur in fat horses, but can also occur in skinny horses
- Sometimes no outward signs
- Symptoms include sheath swelling, increased thirst/urination, fat deposis, laminitis

Cushing's Disease (PPID)

Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Nutrition

Considerations for a senior diet include calories, fiber, dentition, grazing and concurrent endocrine/metabolic diseases
Humble opinion: start with teeth to determine base of diet
Consider body condition to determine supplementation to base
Consider overall health for macronutrients
Fiber via forage = base

Calculating Diet Requirements

“Church fundraiser” technique:
- 2% of ideal body weight in forage per day for horse with BCS 5
- 1000lb horse = 20lb forage
Determine base: chopped forage, senior, pelleted forage
- Factors to consider: teeth, cost, labor, feeding interval
Example 1: Healthy, 1000lb horse, BCS 5/9, good teeth, easy keeper
- 20lbs good grass hay and 2lb ration balancer
- This diet provides total forage requirement of 20lbs, with ration balancer to add in nutrients that may be missing in grass hay
Example 2: Older (24 yo) 800lb horse, BCS 3/9, bad teeth, hard keeper - at spring dental appointment, vet said should be 1000lb, BCS 5/9
- 10lbs fortified senior grain and 10lb chopped alfalfa
- This diet provides total forage requirement of 20lbs, with the fortified senior being higher in calories and the chopped alfalfa providing a "graze-able" forage

Example 3: Older (35 yo) 800lb horse, BCS 3/9 bad/no teeth, hard keeper - at spring dental appointment, vet said should be 1000lb, BCS 5/9 - because of lack of most teeth, recommended "mush diet"
- 15lb soaked fortified senior grain and 10lb soaked alfalfa cubes/pellets
- This diet provides total forage requirement of 20lbs, with the fortified senior being higher in calories, and the soaked alfalfa providing a calorie-dense but digestible forage. Total amount higher than 20lb to facilitate weight gain

Prevention Strategies - Maximizing Health

Habits and Routine
Careful Monitoring - Know Your Normals
Established Relationship with a Vet - Yearly Appointments
Baseline Monitoring
Aggressive Treatment/Modifications

Habits and Routines - Allows horses to thrive

Try to follow a reliable routine for horses, including turnout, diet and exercise
Small changes for younger horses can be big changes for older horses
Acclimation to new friends and environments
Monitoring eating habits
Monitoring daily water intake and manure output
Have familiar caregivers or barns that can monitor body condition, eating, and behavior

Careful Monitoring - Both you and your vet

Get to know normals for your horse (vitals, habits, etc)
Veterinary monitoring = dentals, blood work, screening ACTH and insulin for symptomatic horses
- This is recommended every 6-12 months
- Discuss sensitivity testing for conditions that are not easily diagnosed on baseline
Avoid high-risk situations - remember endocrine diseases can develop - one negative test does not mean negative forever!
Fecal egg counts

Treatments - Older horses have a lower tolerance

Often older horses need more aggressive/timely treatment of diseases
- Decreased immune function
- Decreased tissue healing quality/quickness
Simple conditions can become more complex quickly
- Ex: choke and aspiration pneumonia
Older horses often need more supportive care to avoid secondary problems
Knowing their baseline can help you catch problems earlier

IN SUMMARY

Horses can Live Longer than ever! And we are here to help them do that.

Keep up with Geriatric Management