When is a horse considered a senior?

Question

I have 3 horses 1 is 13 years old. When should I consider him a senior? Should I change is food to a senior feed? All 3 of them are on Nutrena Triumph Pelets.

He is a Walking horse/Paint. He has been fine as far as health. No problem with keeping weight. He is still very playful. Jumping, Bucking Rearing, Etc.. with the other horses. He shows no sign of his age at all. He has not been worked hard. Just regular riding every now and then. Not everyday.

Answer 1

Horses age at different rates than other equines. Some horses may show the signs of old age as early as 15 and some as late as 35. I would check with your vet before you think of switching feeds- because senior feeds are specially made for when a horses metabolism slows and they need the extra protein to speed up cell growth and keep their bodies immune, respiratory, and digestive system healthy.
I have a 25 year old mare still running barrels and she's still doing fine on her regular feed.

If your notice your equines body condition depleting I would consult your vet. He will be able to tell you what you need to feed and how you need to care for your aging equine.

Answer 2

I have 2 Arabians who COULD be considered Seniors, although I don't think of them that way. My younger horse is 18 going on 19 and he still is in great shape. My older horse is going on 26 this year - he still runs, bucks, rears up, does sliding stops, blows and whistles while trotting across the field with his tail up. His sire, Khemosabi was bred until he was almost 30 and put down at 33 due to colic.

My opinion is that it varies from horse to horse. Some horses get arthritic at an early age while others never get it - sort of like people. It's all a matter of the proper care.

My horses are fed an orchard grass/timothy/brome hay which we grow and sell. They get 4 flakes each in the morning and 3 flakes each in the evening during the winter along with one scoop of Equine Senior and a scoop of vitamin C. They are in excellent shape - not too fat nor too thin (except they DO need to be ridden more IF the weather would just cooperate).

My opinion is that proper care is the key to any horse's longevity.

Answer 3

I have a 14 year old Paint mare and she is showing no signs of anything but a bit of arthritis, but I am 36 and have it too. I think that it varies by horse. As long as your horse is still holding weight well and showing no signs of slowing down don't change your feed or routine. If you notice changes in weight add some type of supplement to the feed before going right to the senior feed.( make sure you research it or ask your vet for advice) Horses are living longer these days, just like people. The fact that your horse is doing well is a testament to the good care you have given it. Senior is a state of mind. If they don't know it they won't act it. We had an old Paint live to around 40 and he was as ornery in his late 30's as he was at 10. In fact, if he had not slipped on ice and broken a hip I think he would still be hanging around charming the ladies and pushing the youngsters around. Good luck to you and your horse may he/she be around for many long years to come.

Answer 4

Horses compete at the Olympics at ages of 10-14. Does that tell you anything? An aged horse can vary with each horse but the general rule of thumb is that the work level of horses should slow considerably when they turn 24. Having said that, some horses are just fine for pleasure riding or light work long after that. Much depends on the amount of care, the quality of the nutrition and overall health the individual horse receives.

Answer 5

It depends on the individual horse.

Every breed is different; and every horse is different depending on how hard it has worked throughout its life and whether it has ever had any health problems etc.

A Thoroughbred is usually considered as a senior once it reaches about 10-12, and this is because they are bred to mature quicker, and in the Racing Industry, they are usually under saddle before they are two year olds. Because they are raced while they still have very vulnerable growing limbs, they usually break down and are due for retirement at a younger age. A thoroughbred over the age of 15 who is still suitably sound of limb and wind for riding is doing extremely well!

Other breeds, especially the pony breeds and derivatives, tend to age slower and are usually considered as seniors once they reach the age of about 15-16.

I like to think that a horse is a senior once you start needing to make some kind of changes to his routine to make him comfortable, whether that be an increase in food or a decrease in workload, or when he starts showing physical signs of aging.

Just a couple of examples, I had an Andalusian cross gelding who was fed an ordinary ration (no special senior feeds) and ridden actively right up until he was 25 years old! I have a crossbred pony mare who is just on a diet of grass and hay, and is still used for sporting events and she is 20 years old!

But I have also had a couple of Thoroughbreds, and they needed specialised feeds and extra hay to maintain their body weight, but started get soundness complications at the age of 10 and 12, and one was completely retired from being ridden at the age of 15.

Bigger horses, especially the warm and hot bloods, require increased feeding at some stage of their life to maintain their weight. This doesn't mean that it is essential to use special feeds just for the purpose. It happens at a different age for every horse, so all you can do is observe him closely and as soon as he starts to drop weight, increase his protein and roughage levels. Do this also if you intend to increase his workload, but try to limit his grain/concentrate intake.

Hope this has helped!

Answer 6

If your horse is active, healthy and quick to respond it is having no problem at all. If it keeps losing too much weight or gets bad legs or something maybe change it's feed to suit it more.
It's good your concerned as too many people are feeding their horses the wrong things.

Answer 7

for me after the age of 10 i start to give them seinor feed, a higher protein. if i have a horse with tendons or joint problems i will give them supplyments to add to there feed so they dont have to hurt all the time. but depends on my horses if they get to 13-15 is when i start to slow down there work out. by the age of 15-the end. they really are just for my little sisters and younger kids to ride. and they are pasture horses. this will mean that the work out is cut to the very minium.I WILL NOT BREED A MARE THAT IS OVER THE AGE OF 14, SO THERE LAST FOAL IS OF THE AGE OF 13. MY STUDS I BREED TILL THEY ARE 16 AND THATS IT. if you have any ?'s email me at [e-mail]

Answer 8

as you can see by the answers you are getting the opinion of senior is varied,in my personal experience if the horse is doing well and thriving on the feed you are giving don't change it,kind of a if it isn't broke dont fix it idea,as your horse gets older his nutritional needs will obviously change,if you are an observant owner as i am sure you are you will see it,he will start to look a little "off" it is then time to change his nutritional needs,if you are really concerned it wont hurt him to change to a senior feed,or to add senior supplements to the feed he is getting now

Answer 9

Generally horses are considered aged when they reach ten years of age. An individual horse only needs special feed if he is having trouble eating or maintaining his weight. Other health problems like arthritis in the joints may need special feeding as well. If your horse is healthy, don't change his feed. Best wishes.

Answer 10

Your horse is not a senior yet, they are not considered old until they are 16. I'll include a link to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine that is about aging in horses for you. I hope it helps. God bless ya!