Does everyone with seniors feed a senior feed?

[Limitless]

Currently, my fussy, 24 year old is eating Purina Strategy GX. It was what he was eating where he was previously boarded. Apparently, they don’t feed senior feed there, but I didn’t own him at the time, so I don’t know what is up with that.

Anyway, he’s a bit of a fussy eater, has been his entire life. I spoke recently to his previous previous owner, and she reported same. He’s been with me a couple of months, and I’ve been afraid to make any changes to his feed until he’s settled in, and also since he does eat the Strategy. My vet who saw him in September was okay with the Strategy, and while she noted after his float that his teeth are also 24, he does still have them, so as long as he’s eating okay, status quo is fine. My main issue is getting him to eat hay ever, and also breakfast. Whatever he doesn’t finish for breakfast, I’ll give to him either when I get home from work, or if I ride him, he’ll get it along with his dinner. It can be a lot of grain all at once, but it seems like it takes him all night to eat it, which is why he probably doesn’t eat much breakfast.

We had a perfect storm of stressors that happened at the same time a few weeks ago: he had a changing of the herdmates, his shoes got pulled and he’s barefoot, he grew a winter coat and then it got crazy hot and the bugs appeared, and the steroid that the previous barn/owner had him on (for appetite!) vacated his system. With all that, he lost a little weight, so I started him on Purina Amplify to add a little more fat to his diet. Thankfully, he likes it for now, as much as he likes anything.

I’m wondering if it’s time now to switch him to a senior feed, especially in light of the fact that hay is not his favorite thing in the world, and the added fiber might be a good thing. Also, although he seems to chew fine, he does dunk his hay, which is fine with me, although makes me wonder if it makes it easier for chewing, or just his preference altogether.

[candyappy]

The 2 seniors I had ( in their 20’s)never had a senior feed. They did fine on what I was already feeding and had no issue eating their hay and keeping a good weight. They both had good teeth.

If I had noticed any of those things changing I would have gone to a senior feed.

[Manni01]

my 23 year old pony eats grass, timothy hay, oats, grounded flaxseed, vit/min supplement and looks perfectly fine…

[newhorsemommy]

My older (22-23) gelding gets a small amount of Sr. feed to hide his supplements in. He is a SLOW eater but currently has no physical issues eating hay. He’s just slow and always has been. My mare, who is about the same age hoovers up all of her hay in 30 minutes and only gets a ration balancer because otherwise she would be enormous. So it really depends on the horse and their needs. I anticipate a day when the gelding may have to be switched from hay to Sr. feed because he is developing some teeth issues. I’m not looking forward to that day because he will only it soaked and only with the EXACT right amount of water added. Too much or too little water and he won’t eat it. Although I suppose if he were hungry enough he might get less picky in a hurry!

[Highflyer]

I usually go by the vet/ dentist’s recommendation, but no there is no age where they automatically need to be switched.

[cutter99]

I have a 21 year old and 19 year old who are technically seniors, but they show no need for senior feed at this point. They keep very nicely on a pound of Triple Crown 30% Supplement and pasture only 9 months out of the year, and in December, January and February I supplement with hay.

I have 15 years of experience in feed industry sales, and always told customers if your horse does not show a need, like loss of condition or issues with maintaining weight, there is no need to use a senior feed. The industry definition of a “senior” horse is anything 15 years or older, but many that age show no need for senior feed until much older.

[Obsidian_Fire]

Can he have alfalfa? Some horses that aren’t keen on their grass hay will eat alfalfa just fine.

[SuckerForHorses]

@cutter99

I have a 21 year old and 19 year old who are technically seniors, but they show no need for senior feed at this point. They keep very nicely on a pound of Triple Crown 30% Supplement and pasture only 9 months out of the year, and in December, January and February I supplement with hay.

I have 15 years of experience in feed industry sales, and always told customers if your horse does not show a need, like loss of condition or issues with maintaining weight, there is no need to use a senior feed. The industry definition of a “senior” horse is anything 15 years or older, but many that age show no need for senior feed until much older.

This is also my routine, almost exactly.

I have a 21 year old Arab mare and a 19 year old paint gelding who are both maintaining just fine on TC30% ration balancer and 24/7 turnout on pasture (24/7 hay in winter when we have snow). Unless and until they can’t chew properly or they need additional calories to maintain a good weight, this is what they will eat.

A vet in our area is notorious for recommending senior feed for any horse in it’s teens, even the easy keepers. The paint gelding at my place is a super easy keeper - I can’t imagine what he’d look like if he received all those additional calories from eating the minimum recommended amount of any senior feed on the market.

[SuckerForHorses]

@Limitless

Currently, my fussy, 24 year old is eating Purina Strategy GX. It was what he was eating where he was previously boarded. Apparently, they don’t feed senior feed there, but I didn’t own him at the time, so I don’t know what is up with that.

Anyway, he’s a bit of a fussy eater, has been his entire life. I spoke recently to his previous previous owner, and she reported same. He’s been with me a couple of months, and I’ve been afraid to make any changes to his feed until he’s settled in, and also since he does eat the Strategy. My vet who saw him in September was okay with the Strategy, and while she noted after his float that his teeth are also 24, he does still have them, so as long as he’s eating okay, status quo is fine. My main issue is getting him to eat hay ever, and also breakfast. Whatever he doesn’t finish for breakfast, I’ll give to him either when I get home from work, or if I ride him, he’ll get it along with his dinner. It can be a lot of grain all at once, but it seems like it takes him all night to eat it, which is why he probably doesn’t eat much breakfast.

We had a perfect storm of stressors that happened at the same time a few weeks ago: he had a changing of the herdmates, his shoes got pulled and he’s barefoot, he grew a winter coat and then it got crazy hot and the bugs appeared, and the steroid that the previous barn/owner had him on (for appetite!) vacated his system. With all that, he lost a little weight, so I started him on Purina Amplify to add a little more fat to his diet. Thankfully, he likes it for now, as much as he likes anything.

I’m wondering if it’s time now to switch him to a senior feed, especially in light of the fact that hay is not his favorite thing in the world, and the added fiber might be a good thing. Also, although he seems to chew fine, he does dunk his hay, which is fine with me, although makes me wonder if it makes it easier for chewing, or just his preference altogether.

FWIW, my mare was also a super picky eater when she had ulcers. Since he’s been subjected to a fair amount of stressors lately, including moving barns, I’d maybe see if he feels better and eats with a little more gusto after trying a week or two of ranitidine.

[Mango20]

I switched a pony to senior when he started looking a little poor at age 25, and it made a huge difference. His teeth also started to go shortly after that, so it became even more important as his intake of hay and grass decreased. He looked great until near the end of his life at 33.

I currently have a 24 year old who is NOT on any senior feed. She is still doing great on a ration balancer, a pound of pelleted feed, and hay. I’ll continue to feed her the same until she shows a need for something different.

I used to be a skeptic of senior feeds, thinking that it was just a marketing ploy to get you to spend more on your feed. I became a believer after seeing the remarkable change in my senior pony once I made the switch, and wouldn’t hesitate to use it again when a horse shows a need for it. I used Triple Crown Senior.

[2DogsFarm]

As others & notably @cutter99 says “Senior” at 15 is meaningless unless horse shows signs of needing an enriched feed or supplements.

My 27yo TB did fine - vet verified - on orchard grass/timothy hay, whole oats (4# in 2 feedings) & very little (4 TBSP daily) BOSS.
My 20yo WB needed added fat in Winter so he got 1/3 of his grain ration as Nutrena Boost.
Current herd - 15yo TWH, 17yo Hackney Pony & 3yo Mini - get just the oats. BOSS & a probiotic.

Ask your vet if he thinks your horse’s condition warrants adding anything.

[Magicboy]

My special 19 year old PRE has great teeth and is still schooling 3 and 4th…he gets hay, alfa
renew gold and boss.

[TWH_Girl]

@2DogsFarm

As others & notably @cutter99 says “Senior” at 15 is meaningless unless horse shows signs of needing an enriched feed or supplements.

My 27yo TB did fine - vet verified - on orchard grass/timothy hay, whole oats (4# in 2 feedings) & very little (4 TBSP daily) BOSS.
My 20yo WB needed added fat in Winter so he got 1/3 of his grain ration as Nutrena Boost.
Current herd - 15yo TWH, 17yo Hackney Pony & 3yo Mini - get just the oats. BOSS & a probiotic.

Ask your vet if he thinks your horse’s condition warrants adding anything.

Awww, totally off subject, but I have a 15 yr old TWH too. No senior feed here either. He’s an easy keeper and gets about a pound if grain, Dynamite for his vitamins/minerals, a joint supp, and flax. I’ll keep it this way until he has trouble maintaining his weight.

[walktrot]

I have a 23 y.o. Paint gelding who is doing really well, teeth fine and being ridden 6 days a week. He doesn’t need senior feed but he needs more calories, so I put him on Blue Seal Sentinel LS which is high fat, high fiber, an extruded feed cooked like their senior. He gets about 3 lbs plus vitamin E with selenium, and biotin. He’s boarded outside and has free choice round bales. I’ll keep him on that combination as long as he’s doing well. Whether and when he gets senior will depend on how he is maintaining weight and his teeth. It’s not necessary to switch to senior feeds based on age. Body condition is what counts.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

My horses did not do well on a senior feed fed at one barn years ago. Neither did the other boarded horses nor the BO’s horses.

At another barn, mine did well on a very cheap feed made by Purina.

[Janet]

My 35 yo has been on Senior about 10 years
But my 31 yo has only been on Senior for a couple of years, and mostly only in winter. This is the first year she has been on Senior year round.

[atr]

I switched my 30 something to Senior a year ago as he’d got decidedly uninterested in much hay of any variety. He looks much better since I did so.

[lifeishorsesarelove]

My picky eater that needs her grain is much less picky with a better appetite since treating for ulcers with Nexium (cheaper and easier to obtain than pop rocks, there is a thread here on it). Ulcers may be something worth investigating first.

For me, I go to a senior feed when I have a horse that needs “cool calories” - more calories but not more energy. My picky eater mare wouldn’t eat the two types of senior that we tried without dousing them in molasses, but that was before we treated her for ulcers. She’s doing well on her Cadence Ultra (moderate performance feed) so I haven’t bothered to try senior again.

Senior horse =/= needing senior feed by default. If I put senior in front of my 14-16yo pony, he’d be a whale. Technically he’s the only one in the barn that “should” get senior, and he definitely doesn’t need it. He gets only a ration balancer.

Re-reading your post, I’m wondering if you’re soaking/wetting his grain? If he’s elderly, even with his teeth being maintained (good job), he may still be having trouble getting it all in there. I always soak with warm/hot water. If he is disinterested in just water soaked, you can try soaking with various ratios of apple juice also.

Senior may be worth trying, it certainly isn’t going to hurt him, especially if you live in an area that experiences winter like I do! You may also be able to feed a little less of it by volume, making thing easier for him. I would also consider adding soaked alfalfa/timothy or straight alfalfa cubes. If he’s having a hard time with hay, this will get more fiber into him and is more calorie dense than grass hay, plus properly soaked cubes are easy to munch on. He will probably like these, especially if he’s dunking his hay anyway.

If this were my horse, I would do the following:

1. start soaking his current meals if you don’t already. Use apple juice to make the soaked grain more palatable if he isn’t interested in it when soaked with just water. If this is a new thing for you, do this before you try switching any feed types, and don’t change anything else until he is eating this consistently.

2. treat for ulcers. Treating is cheaper than diagnosing. Use whatever treatment you like best. I have had success with the 3 pills of Nexium a day protocol.

3. gradually switch over to a quality senior feed. I’m in Canada and my options are different than in the US, so I won’t bother with specific suggestions. If he starts gaining more than you want him to, drop the Amplify.

4. start offering a small-ish portion of soaked hay cubes nightly. If he’s cleaning that up nightly, gradually up the portions to whatever you’re both comfortable with. He may end up wanting to just eat soaked cubes over regular hay.

[mmeqcenter]

No, not every senior eats or needs senior “grain.”
However if your senior horse is not interested in eating or unable to eat hay, then they should be on a senior feed. Or getting hay pellets or cubes.
The main point of senior feed is that is a complete feed, meaning it contains enough forage as well as cereals (grains) for it to be the horse’s sole source of nutrition if necessary (missing teeth, unable to chew hay, etc.)

[findeight]

When my Hunter was still showing over fences in late teens and early 20s, it was on Senior feed. Also, when first retired on Senior…basically because it was easier for the layup/retiree BO to feed as few different feeds as possible and even if not needed wouldn’t cause anything but a few pounds around the girth of a retiree.

Last 4 or 5 years it’s been on a generic all ages feed under the local feed mill’s label. Will be going back on Senior with the next delivery due to teeth starting to look like those of a near 30 year old, don’t want to wait until pounds start dropping, Hay is decent quality alfalfa mix, pretty good grass in pastures April to August and the go to if the need a boost is soaked alfalfa cubes in small quantities twice a day to avoid choke in the oldsters.

I know people who tried a feed I believe is from Wal Mart or similar discount brand? They are still feeding it because they read the content analysis and observed the condition of their horses instead of being blinded by fancy brand names and pretty pictures on the bag.