HELP YOUR HORSE AGE GRACEFULLY

Thanks to advances in management and veterinary care, our horses are living longer than ever before. Learn what your senior citizen needs to enjoy his golden years.

During your horse's twilight years, don't just turn her out to fend for herself-especially in a herd situation. Daily care and monitoring are important.

When is a horse old?

Every horse is an individual. How quickly a horse ages isn't necessarily related to his calendar years. Some horses look time-ravaged in their teens, others are vigorous at 30. Take your cues regarding when to start special care by how the horse looks and acts.

Is He Sick or Just Old?
Picture a horse standing off by himself in a field. His back and belly are sagging, ears drooping. He looks half asleep and when he does move, it is more of a shuffle than a brisk walk. Is he "just old," or is something wrong with him?

This scenario plays frequently. Truth is, it's not always easy to separate what is a normal change that comes with aging or a genuine problem that needs to be treated-especially for a veterinarian who does not see the horse every day. There's also often a fine line between an aging change and actual disease.

Your horse can't talk, so you will need to pay careful attention to all the things that signal that something is wrong. Look for changes in patterns of urination or passing manure, appetite, social interactions with other horses, how well the horse is eating, how much he drinks, and how the horse looks in general. Sudden changes are always significant, but a decline over several weeks or months may be significant, too.

It helps to keep a record of the things you observe, even if they may not seem important enough to warrant a vet visit at the time. This will give your vet a helpful timeline. Taking a picture of the horse from the front, side and back every 3 to 6 months to keep track of body condition changes can be very revealing. Yearly check-ups, including blood work, are important in identifying problems early.

Signs of Aging
Aging is a gradual process. The changes of aging are similar in all species and include:

Use It or Lose It
Retirement to a nice field may seem like the kindest thing you could possibly do for a horse that is getting on in years, but that's not necessarily the case.

As long as the horse does not have a condition that prevents him from being formally exercised, it's much better to keep the horse in some level of work.

Many human studies have found that regular exercise can largely prevent, even reverse, the muscle loss that goes with aging. Exercise also maintains bone density, improves the health of joint cartilage, and helps minimize joint stiffness. Exercise also increases intestinal motility, important to avoiding spasmodic colic or impactions. Many horses also seem to miss having regular work in their daily routine. Giving them something to do often improves alertness and general attitude.

Even horses with joint problems that prevent them from continuing to perform at a demanding level can usually continue to work at something less strenuous with the help of joint supplements and other joint care.

A horse with a problem that makes him obviously more uncomfortable under saddle may tolerate driving well. Free-longeing on a daily basis to keep the horse moving steadily for even 20 to 30 minutes a day can work wonders. However you manage to do it, maintaining the horse in some type of regular exercise for as long as possible will help keep many physical signs of aging at bay.

An older horse that has not been regularly worked for a while can benefit from restarting regular exercise, but you need to proceed slowly and carefully. If the horse has any joint or back problems, consult your vet first regarding what types of activity are best and what to avoid, (such as hard, rocky ground conditions, hills, etc.).

Muscles respond the quickest to conditioning, but tendons and ligaments are not as flexible as in a younger horse. Start by hand-walking on level ground (or lead the horse while you ride another) for about 10 to 15 minutes. If that is well tolerated, increase by 5 minutes every other day. Once the horse is walking comfortably for 30 minutes you can try adding short intervals of trotting. Always stop if the horse is showing distress, such as heavy breathing or heavy sweating.