The older horse

Age itself matters less to feeding than is often assumed. Two insights on the older horse.

A healthy senior horse digests its food as well as a younger one

In horses with good teeth, no active hormonal disease and no worm burden, digestion does not decline simply with age. Where an older horse struggles, it is usually because of a treatable problem — not 'old age' itself.

Older horses need better protein, not more

What changes with age is how efficiently the horse uses protein for muscle — and that is about protein quality (the right amino acids, especially lysine), not quantity. Supplying good-quality protein, such as through alfalfa, has been shown to improve muscle condition in aged horses.

This is general information. It does not replace the individual feeding plan your EVN vet prepares for your horse after assessing it.