Feeding an older pony

[curly]

Hi I'm in the process of buying a 12.2 h arab/welsh pony for my 7 year old. He's 17 years old has done a lot of pony club in the past, is a little overweight, and lovely.

He doesn't have a history of lami and passed a vetting really well. No health issues at all but I am worried as have not had a small old pony before.

What feed, supplements would anyone suggest. At the moment I am feeding him haylage at night, out during the day. At tea time he has a handful of pasture mix and nuts with a couple of carrots.

Any suggestions??

[Emily+Meg]

Our 21yr old is on (I think! as shes out on loan) pony nuts, sugarbeet, oil oil oil - plain vegetable oil. She is fine on this, a good weight, and still raring to go.

[horsey123]

my 26 yo is one chaff i hand full of pony nuts(to keep weight on) a scoop of speedy beet and 2 hand fulls of bailys
ad is going strong and still in ridden work well i meen 2 /3 hacks a week by light weight mum in walk and trot but can still have a good gallop once in a while

[julz]

feed as you would a younger horse ...ie, depending on it's workload, and health.... also keep an eye on teeth, as in older horses thay can have more problems with them. Feeding I think only becomes a problem as the health/teeth deteriots (sp)

[horsefeed]

If you pony if holding its weight well, I would proberly feed a low energy mix and chaff such as Hifi. As He is getting on a bit I would feed some Cod Liver Oil and Glucosmine to keep him supply. :-)

[cuffey]

Stick to high fibre low carbohydrate feeds. As above regular dental checks. At mid twenties one of my ponies started getting fussy about hay--needing a soft meadow hay, which I steamed to further soften it, as he got older he needed soaked fibre, soaked beet pulp, alfalfa or grass nuts, soaked pony nuts etc
If the pony is good at its job--caring for young riders it is worth spending a little extra to keep them in good health. My oldie took children to PC until he was approx 30 and could still win gymkhana rosettes although he struggled to jump except when the weather was hot and sunny to ease his stiffness!!

[curly]

Thanks for the replies. How does oil help, I have often wondered? When he is fully mine, I was planning to give him Top Spec hoof supplement and Garlic, linseed and parsley oil like I do with my other pony.

Thanks horsefeed, I was wondering about supplementing Glucosamine. I just want to keep him in as good a health as possible and with him being older wanted to make sure I could dothis with food etc. As it is he will only be used in light work anyway as 7 year old is just coming off lead rein.

[curly]

Thanks Cuffey. We have him on loan for a week and after Sunday he should be mine, well my daughters!

He is a gem. He will go down a gear and up a gear depending on who is riding. Yesterday we took him out on a 3 mile hack (my daughter's first) and he went through farms with barking dogs, coped with pheasants flying over, cars, dogs running towards him, he was a star. We met our other pony going the other way and he didn't nap to go with him. I can't see any reason why we won't get him so far, but when we do I'll implement some good dentistry and feed.