Hi, I have a senior horse who is dropping weight (yes, hes been seen by vet and dentist). Im going back and forth with care decisions. First one, blanketing. hes got a great haircoat, I haven’t seen him shivering or anything. Comes in stall at night, has a run-in shed during daytime turnout. Has 2 pasturemates but he is BOSS, so nobody pushes him out of the shed or off the hay. But…hes losing weight. Im thinking of throwing a blanket on him to conserve calories, but at the same time I wonder if the blanket would make him cold since it’ll flatten his hair. Another question…part of his diet includes beet pulp, it gets soaked, he HATES “wet” food, he thinks Im trying to poison him or sneak meds in his feed if it’s “wet” with anything (VERY PICKY eater!)!! Ive seen beet pulp based senior feeds (like purina) that don’t need to be soaked…why is that?? the shreds in the feed just look like they’ve got a huge coating of molasses but otherwise are still shreds. Im wondering if I HAVE to soak beet pulp…and…if it really “does” anything other than make them feel “full”. So…opinions on blanket a thin senior horse with good hair or no. And…beet pulp…does it really do anything or does it just make ME feel like Im doing something?? thanks
Dry beet pulp carries a little more risk of choke. It is a lot of volume for not a lot of calories compared to other feeds. What else is he eating? I’d switch the beet pulp out, especially if he hates it and his teeth are good enough you don’t have to soak his feed. Replace it with more senior or alfalfa pellets. Could you add fat for calories?
My senior, also was losing weight, so as @IPEsq said, I increased his Triple Crown Senior (beet pulp based) up to 6 lbs/day and increased his straight alfalfa hay. It helped fill him out within weeks. I do still soak his pellets so as to prevent choke which he’s had before. They get used to soaking if you keep it up.
If his kidney and liver tests are ok, I might switch him from senior to a more calorie dense concentrate. I switched my old mare to a grain formulated for lactating mares. Helped quite a bit.
I recommend putting on a blanket and monitoring whether he is too hot under there. Avoid natural fibre blankets like wool, fleece, canvas because those are the ones that squish the coat. I’ve been told that senior horses can be less effective at thermoregulation so they can get cold even if they have a heat coat. My herd is only seniors and they can be a challenge. Good luck!
I would blanket him, though I’d suggest using at least a medium weight so it’s providing some insulation.
Then I’d stop the beet pulp. I’d switch to either alfalfa or Timothy pellets and then also give him some sort of high calorie feed. I like purina ultium, it’s nice and high in calories and also has a lot of fiber, but you could also choose pretty much any senior feed on the market. The senior feeds will have on average about 300-500 less calories per pound than the ultium, but they will still have more than the beet pulp.
I too have a senior horse who was dropping weight this fall after the pasture began to go dormant. He’s gotten 6lbs of Triple Crown Sr 2x/daily and free-choice hay for years and has always looked great.
He has a great coat, but I have been blanketing him pretty aggressively this year, and I added cocosoya to his feed and he’s gained back everything he’d lost.
Where do you notice he’s dropped weight? Ribs or topline?
I switched my senior who was hovering around a 4 BCS from 9 lbs Triple Crown Senior to the same volume (I haven’t weighed it but I suspect it’s less) Triple Crown Senior Gold. Took about a month to see a difference but she has really filled out! I actually decided to reduce the amount just earlier this week because now I just need her to maintain, not gain weight. The Gold has about 300 more calories per pound than the regular.
Another thing to try if you want to feed soaked feed - try warm to hot water. Makes it much more palatable.
Also, be careful with the blanketing. Even though she’s a super senior and on the thin side, my mare runs way hot. A couple of days this week the real feel temp was low 20s and she was toasty with just her 100 gram blanket on. The takeaway of course is that even though your horse is a senior, blanketing may not be what he needs.
Another vote for the Triple Crown Senior Gold.
I blanket my old guy aggressively. He’s got a full wardrobe 0g, 50g, 100g and 200g of fill.
I also give him a hefty amount of straight alfalfa hay in his stall.
Thanks for all the replies. Seems a lot of you like the Triple Crown senior…and seems like you don’t have to feed a TON of it or mix a bunch of other stuff in it either. I read the Purina senior tag that has a LOT of beet pulp and a lot of molasses, and for it’s feeding instructions, he would be getting half the bag twice a day!!! that just seems excessive. I’d be worried he would gobble that much grain down and colic or founder or something! I know it’s meant for toothless seniors who cant eat hay, he can stll eat hay but Im sure he would prefer all that molasses coated goodness to plain old hay!!! thanks again for all the replies
You don’t mention if he’s been tested for Cushings, which can make them look gaunt as they lose muscle tone. Maybe something to consider before an overhaul of diet.
I fed the regular triple crown senior for years. I feed the gold version currently as it’s a bit more calorie dense and it has an enhanced gut support package.
As far as bagged feeds, I’ve always been pleased with the triple crown products. They are pretty comprehensive. The Senior has goodies for hooves and tummies included and is relatively low sugar. It seems to be pretty tasty as I’ve not had anyone that wouldn’t eat it. It’s high fat and fiber too! I think the daily ration is 5/6 lbs per day for average horses. It weighs a little over a lb per quart so easy to give a traditional 3 qt scoop am n pm to start. My oldie eats ~10 lbs daily so 5qts am n pm. I’ve fed it wet and dry without issue. If your horse has a history of choke, I’d go with wet though.
Good luck!
just curious- for those who have oldies w/winter coat, at what temps do you start blanketing?
In previous years I started blanketing at anything below 50- because of poor circulation in feet and legs due to founder. So he didn’t grow as heavy a coat w/ blanketing. This year I’ve held off as it hasn’t gone below 45 YET. His coat is longer and thicker this year and I think the delay in blanketing has helped. But we’re due to get some 30’s soon and I think I’ll cave and blanket especially if it’s damp or windy.
My oldie has a bit of a winter coat. It’s not yak thick or anything. I start blanketing around 50 degrees. With a light blanket mind you. Earlier in the season his ears n flanks were cold on a 60 degree cloudy day with a cool north wind so popped a sheet on him then.
NW FL area for reference
That amount is for feeding it without forage ( hay).
Fed with the appropriate amount of hay will get you in the normal feeding range of other feeds.
You have to choose the weight of blanket that replaces what he’s lost with some hair laying down, and adds the extra warmth which is the reason for the blanket in the first place.
What are your average day and night temps now, and in another month?
I agree that blanketing is a good idea. A horse doesn’t have to shiver to need help, he may be burning calories staying warm, calories he needs for weight. If we know roughly where you are, your temps, whether you’re pretty dry or wet, we can make some suggestions on weights.
beet pulp by itself is pretty darn dry. It doesn’t inherently cause choke lots of people feed it dry without any issue at all.
Feeds that are textured and have some beet pulp as part of that texture are “wetter” than plain dry beet pulp. A lot of people will swear up and down you HAVE TO soak beet pulp, but then feed a textured and pelleted feed where the beep is part of the texture, like Triple Crown Sr, without soaking it.
Beet pup is a “super fiber”. It’s high in very fermentable pectin which helps with a healthy hind gut, which can help them get more out of their food.
I wouldn’t just go adding beet pulp since as IPEsq said, the bang for the buck when it comes to calories, is small. If you need to add a forage, use hay cubes or, if you have to, pellets.
I’m curious what the kidney and liver have to do with a more calorie-dense concentrate?
Triple Crown Sr Gold is 1800 cal/lb 
But you’re right, most are in the 1400-1500 cal/lb range
It still comes down to the individual, as some ancient horses never need blankets.
But my 31yo has been fine for years until things like - a flat out temp down into the 20s, or a windy or rainy 30s, or a rainy 40s. But I’m bumping all those temps up around 10* this year, so he’s got a medium weight on if it’s below 35*-ish, or below 40 with any wind or dampness, etc.
Im in NJ. temps right now are ALL OVER the place lately!!! 65 last weekend. 22 last night. I think tomorrows daytime is supposed to be about low 50s and night low 30’s. I think in the next week we will settle into normal winter temps which tend to be mid 30s during the day and down to 20 sometimes into the teens at night. Eventually we will get a bad cold snap mid January where daytime temp is 20 and night can hit single digit…but that lasts about a week or so. I know the blanketing thing is the never ending debate…some swear by it, some swear NOT to do it…so it’s hard trying to do what’s best for the old man, especially since they cant tell you in exact words. he’s always been a wooly bear in winter and in summer he sheds out so slick you’d think he was body clipped. I appreciate reading all this info though!!
Isn’t the bag 50#?
Great responses from other posters.
Just wanted to point a couple of things.
Are you boarding, or is he at home?
Makes a difference because what you want to do is sometimes difficult if you board.
It’s probably too late to test for Cushings right now.
But if it’s a possibility then you’d want to make sure his feed and hay are low in NSC .
I don’t care for Senior feeds myself because you have to feed so much of it. Most older horses can’t eat all of that in one feeding.
I’m a proponent of adding alfalfa or timothy/alfalfa pellets. They don’t need to be soaked.
I’d also increase his hay at night . Alfalfa is the best, imo, But 80/20 is also good of you can get it. Yes. Its expensive. But to me better in the long run than extra feed.
Blanketing is such a personal thing. I know someone who had 6 blankets for her horse. And a color coded chart for the barn worker s
.
Unless the horse is clipped, 40s is actually a horses comfort zone.
I think it’s better for a horse to be too cold than too hot. If they got overheated with blankets they have no way to cool down.
If they get too cold , if they can they will move closer together, or I’d they are in stalls they will sometimes lay down in the bedding
Horses put out a great deal of heat.
This comes from my own experience and observation.
Hope this helps.
Once you start calling them senior horses, they do have a lot of trouble regulating their heat. I would strongly consider an appropriate waterproof blanket. It is hard to say too much more because you haven’t stated location or temperatures that your senior is dealing with. The key is to determine your horse’s “Lower Critical Temperature” or LCT. LCT is simply a fancy way of saying the temperature at which your horse can’t keep itself warm.
The LCT can be between 30 and 50+ degrees Fahrenheit. That is a broad range, and why everyone seems to have his or her own opinions. Because every horse is different, everyone gets a different experience of when they may need to blanket a horse.
Some of the key concerns that change LCT:
- Rain
- Age
- Body Condition
- Health Issues
- Availability of Forage
If your horse is wet, 50+ degrees can be very cold.
The older a horse gets, the less able they are at keeping themselves warm, for may reasons, but one is the loss of some ability to digest forage. This leads to the availability of forage. Eating and digesting forage actually helps maintain the temperature of the horse as digestion causes heat. If they can’t stay warm, the horse will begin to shiver to help. That, though, burns calories, and can result in weight loss. This is part of the reason it is common for horses to lose weight in the winter. This is where body condition comes in. Do they have the weight to lose through shivering?
Health issues also contribute and factor in with the others. Cushings, etc. can really make it tough on horses.
Now, after all of that, my recommendation would be to buy a turnout sheet to have handy if the forecast calls for rain down to the mid to upper 30’s and below 50 degrees. And keep an eye on the horse. If they come in shivering, or they are losing weight, you will need to consider more blanketing.
