Feeding the senior horse

Thanks everyone for all the info....a lot to chew on!!

Al's ribs are not as noticable now as they were one month ago. He def has put on some lbs. We are going to start him on a joint supplement this week.

We are so pleased with how he looks and acts. He is a totally different horse than when we bought him. He is happy, interested, and feeling a lot better. He was low guy in a pasture with many horses. Round bales were tossed out as feed with the alpha guys getting most of it. He had nip marks on his beautiful bay coat. And one nasty bite.

Right now he is on Nutrena Safe Choice, 2 scoops a day with pasture 5 days a week and we turn him out on the weekends. Also, three hay feedings.

Take away the stress of having to fight for his food, he is coming around very well.

I wish I had found him years ago.

Then why change? He sounds like he is doing great! Slower weight gain is healthier for the horse than packing him full of carbs/fats.

I would keep doing what you are doing, and think about changing feeds only if I noticed him not thriving.

Yep, we are really satisfied. Just want to be sure we are doing the best for our guy.

We are keeping the food the same and have just added a joint support supplement. Want to keep him feeling good in those joints that can get achy.

Thanks for the responses!

If you don't have a hot horse then triple crown is awesome! On the other hand if your horse is hot I prefer vintage senior which works almost as well for weight gain without the added "spice"

I use a feed called Copra. It is the dried "flesh" of coconut, and is remarkable in helping horses gain weight. I feed it to our 34 year old pony, who was returned to us after being starved for 12 months, and it is the one thing that has helped him get the weight back. You have to be careful though, as it is very rich, and can cause founder. But I would definitely recommend it!