Question

Tamale is my 25-year-old retired Thoroughbred gelding. He weighs about 1,250 lb (570 kg), and I am having a hard time maintaining his weight. He eats about 6 lb (2.7 kg) of sweet feed (10% protein), and he has access to hay 12-14 hours a day and pasture the remainder of the time. I also give him a bran mash every other day. I’ve had him tested for Cushing’s syndrome, but that test always comes back negative. Any thoughts?

Answer

Age may be catching up with Tamale. It is not uncommon for horses in their 20s to have difficulty maintaining their weight with the same amount of feed that previously did the job.

Part of the problem could be a decrease in digestive efficiency of the intestinal tract, some of which may be related to tooth loss and inefficient chewing.

Many aged horses cannot derive as much nutrition out of hay as they did when they were younger. For Tamale, I think switching him to a senior feed would be appropriate because that type of feed incorporates some highly digestible forage to help compensate for lower hay intake/digestion. Further, protein in a senior feed is usually higher than 10% because some old horses have difficulty digesting protein. The protein in the feed is not essential for weight maintenance but is important for health of muscle tissue.

Further, if you decide to switch to a senior feed, you may need to feed more than the 6 lb (2.7 kg) per day that you are currently feeding because it is also supplying a portion of the forage in the diet. Be sure to look at the recommended feeding rates on the bag, and you can adjust to the amount within the feeding range that works for Tamale. Senior feeds are designed to be able to be fed as a complete diet, so they usually have a higher recommended feeding rate than other feeds.

If you feel like Tamale may still need more calories, you can always top-dress a little more fat to the senior feed with the addition of vegetable oil or rice bran.