There are a number of great hay replacement options available to horse owners. Seniority® is an excellent hay replacement feed for situations where forage is limited/not available or a horse is not able to eat adequate amounts of hay or pasture. Seniority® offers high levels of quality fiber and nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to adequately replace forage in a horse’s diet.
As horses age, their teeth will naturally wear. Many horses will experience worn teeth to the point that they can no longer adequately chew forage (hay or pasture). Because forage is the largest and most important part of their diet, it must be replaced in order to support the horse’s health and well-being. This is when complete feeds, or senior horse feeds, become paramount. These feeds are formulated with high levels of fiber to replace hay or pasture.
Traditionally, horse feeds high in fiber are the most commonly recommended feeds for senior horses, but it truly depends on whether or not the horse can still eat hay. Many aged horses have no issues eating hay, in which we recommend the best feed for their individual needs. Not sure what to feed your senior horse? We can help!
A senior horse feed, sometimes called complete feed, is simply a horse feed that contains at least 15% crude fiber levels, which allows it to be used as hay replacement, if necessary. Many times, senior feeds are appropriate when hay quality is poor, so horses of all ages can be fed senior horse feeds.
Senior horses traditionally require more nutrients than younger horses because as horses age, they become less efficient in digesting and absorbing nutrients. Additional amino acids to support muscle maintenance and recovery are more important than higher percentages of crude protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are the structures that horses actually absorb. Some senior horses may require more fat, but not all will. If a senior horse does need additional calories, we typically recommend more fiber and fat to safely increase calorie intake. Not sure what to feed? Let us help!
While senior horse feed seems to have a reputation for containing higher calories and all of the extra good “stuff,” it’s not actually or entirely true. In fact, traditional senior horse feeds are lower in calories (on a per pound basis) because they are designed to be fed in high quantities in order to replace forage. However, there are higher calorie senior feeds available, such as Senior Sport®, for horses that need to gain weight.