Page 55 - December 2016

According to Gill, 70% of horses over age 20 have Cushing’s disease or insulin resistance problems and you must make sure you don’t aggravate the problem by feeding hay with too much soluble carbohydrates. She recommends, rather, feeding a lower quality hay that the horse can nibble on all day and supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
processes going on in the body.” Both vitamin C and vitamin A act as antioxidants.
Endocrine status and Cushing’s can be a big concern with certain horses. “Insulin resistance can also be related to that, to some degree. A horse that has Cushing’s is not always insulin resistant, however. Nor is the older horse or fat horse always insulin resistant. If part of your yearly veterinary check includes a blood draw to check for other conditions, it’s a good idea
to monitor insulin status as well,” says Pratt Phillips. “I always recommend that owners consult with a nutritionist about what they should actually feed after testing the hay, and start from that. You can do a pretty good job of taking care of nutrient requirements by feeding good quality hay and some good quality com- mercial feeds, but you can probably do a better job if you know exactly what’s in that hay, and then select your feeds and/or supplements to build from there,” explains Pratt Phillips.
AVOID STARCH AND SUGAR
Gill says one of the main things to watch in older horses is their sensitivity to starch and sugar. She says 70% of horses over age 20 have Cushing’s disease. “If a horse has Cushing’s or insulin resistance problems, you can’t just add calories with grain. Also, make sure there’s not too much soluble carbohydrate or NSC (non- structural carbohydrate) in the hay,” says Gill.
For a horse with Cushing’s or insulin resistance, she recommends a lower quality hay (less NSC) and supplementing with vitamins, mineral, and protein that the hay might lack. “You choose the lesser of two evils; you don’t want a horse to not have anything in front of him to eat, so you use a lower quality hay he can nibble on all day rather than a couple of small flakes of good hay.”
A healthy horse can handle better qual-
ity hay, but you don’t want to precipitate an insulin resistance problem by overfeeding starch and sugar. “You can feed a good quality low-starch high-fat-and-fiber concentrate like a senior feed. But, it’s important to realize
that even the senior feeds are not good choices for horses that are insulin resistant or have Cushing’s disease. Even though it’s a senior feed, it can still be very high in NSC. Look for a product that is low in NSC, so the total diet (forage and concentrate together) will be no higher than 10% NSC,” explains Gill.
“One of the best products I’ve seen for older horses is Triple Crown Safe Starch, a complete mixed ration that contains chopped forage (easy to chew) with pellets mixed in that contain all the protein, vitamins, and miner- als. All you feed is this bagged product. The hay is grown specifically to have low NSC, and saves the hassle of trying to figure out a diet for the older horse. Another product made by this company is called Low Starch, a pelleted
concentrate that’s easy to eat. A horse may need a combination of the two, or the forage product by itself may be adequate if the horse is carry- ing enough weight,’ explains Gill.
When making your own ration, have your hay tested and check the NSC. “If it’s too high in NSC and you don’t have any other options for hay, you can soak it in warm water for 30 minutes (then drain it and discard the water) to pull out most of the sugar,” says Gill.
DENTAL ISSUES
Shannon Pratt Phillips had a horse of her own that lived to be 30, and she has several recom- mendations for owners of senior horses. “The first thing to check is their teeth. Have a veterinary- dentist look at the teeth to see if the horse needs dental care. Also, watch the horse eat. Sometimes, even after the teeth have just been floated, they might still not meet perfectly and create problems as the horse is eating,” she says.
The horse may drop partly chewed wads of feed out the side of the mouth. This is called quidding. “The grinding surfaces may not be optimal and the horse loses food out of the mouth,” she says. A horse with tooth problems may take longer to eat.
“Older horses are often at the bottom of the pecking order, which means they won’t get their share if fed in a group. It’s best to feed them sepa- rately. Even if horses are on pasture for winter, some people supplement the group with a big hay bale. Even though the horses have access all day to hay, an older horse may still be shortchanged. The hay bale may not be the best quality for him to be able to chew and he may also have a harder time nosing his way into it because the other horses may chase him away. So, feeding him sepa- rately may be the only way for him to get what he needs,” she says.
FEEDS FOR THE HORSE THAT CAN’T CHEW
Stephen Duren, PhD, an equine nutritionist at Performance Horse Nutrition, suggests that when you start figuring out a diet, to start with
Joint Supplements For Older Horses
Many people feed joint supplements
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ing with bio-available silicon, which she feels has a beneficial effect on joints and soft tissue injuries and is a healthy supple-
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blood glucose levels. Hyaluronic acid is also useful in older horses, accord- ing to Gill. Horsemen who use herbal remedies may try joint products that contain yucca.
SPEEDHORSE, December 2016 53
EQUINE HEALTH