Many horses and ponies now live and work well into their twenties and beyond, and owners of veterans often find that a feeding routine that worked for years suddenly stops working. Teeth change, appetite changes and condition becomes harder to hold, particularly through a British winter. This page explains how digestion changes with age, the management that makes the biggest difference and where supplements may or may not help. It is editorial guidance from Horse Probiotics, and any change in an older horse's weight or health should be discussed with your vet.
How digestion changes in older horses
Teeth
Chewing is the first stage of digestion, and in older horses it is often the weakest link. Redwings explains that teeth can loosen or fall out with age, leaving gaps where food becomes trapped, and that horses which have lost teeth or become smooth-mouthed may struggle to chew hay. That can lead to weight loss, choke or colic. Fibre that is poorly chewed is also harder for the hindgut to break down.
The gut microbiome
Research into the ageing equine gut is still limited. A study by Dougal and colleagues found lower bacterial diversity in the faeces of elderly horses aged 19 to 28 than in adult horses aged 5 to 12, although the overall structure of the bacterial community did not change with age in those healthy animals. It is an interesting finding, but it does not show that older horses need a supplement or that one would change anything.
Health conditions
Several conditions become more common with age and affect weight, appetite and feeding. Redwings describes pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, often called Cushing's disease) as a common condition in older horses and ponies, with signs that can include laminitis, weight loss, sweating, increased drinking and urination, a thick coat and greater susceptibility to infection. Horses with PPID need a diet planned with veterinary advice.
Management comes first
Regular dental care
Redwings advises a dental examination at least once a year for older horses, and every six months for horses that are missing teeth. Signs of dental trouble include weight loss, bad breath, dropping food (quidding), loose droppings and a snotty nose. A dental check is usually the first thing a vet will want to see when a veteran starts to lose condition.
Forage and forage replacers
Forage should remain the foundation of the diet. World Horse Welfare's guide to feeding the senior horse, prepared with input from Redwings and the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, suggests roughly 1.5 to 2.0% of bodyweight in dry matter overall. Where a horse struggles with long stems, it lists alternatives including chopped hay or haylage, soaked beet pulp, mashes, hay or grass cubes and pelleted or extruded complete feeds, divided into at least two and preferably three or more feeds a day. Grass generally needs less chewing than dry hay, so safe grazing can help.
The same guide recommends soaking processed fibre and complete feeds, which reduces the risk of choke and adds water to the diet. Redwings suggests that high-fibre cubes can be soaked in warm water if that makes them easier to chew, and recommends feeding small amounts often. If a horse relies on a forage replacer, ask the manufacturer or a nutritionist whether the amount fed supplies enough vitamins and minerals. Our vitamins and minerals guide explains how to fill any gap.
Monitoring condition
Redwings recommends regular body condition scoring and weekly weigh-tape checks, and says that being underweight should never be accepted as normal in an older horse. If a veteran is underweight despite adequate feeding, its teeth should be checked and a worm egg count carried out, and if neither explains it the horse should see a vet. Being overweight carries its own risks: World Horse Welfare notes that obesity raises the risk of lameness, laminitis and insulin dysregulation.
Adding calories carefully
Redwings notes that oils can help with weight gain but should be introduced slowly, because too much can upset digestion. It also says many older horses benefit from higher protein, often 14 to 16%, but that horses with liver disease should not have high-protein feed without a vet's advice.
Worm control
A worm burden is one of the causes vets rule out when an older horse loses weight. Redwings recommends a faecal worm egg count every few months as a way to worm only when it is needed, which also helps slow the spread of wormer resistance. Horses with a low egg count often do not need worming at all. Ask your vet or a suitably qualified person (SQP) which tests and treatments suit your veteran through the year.
Where supplements may or may not help
There is little research on probiotics or prebiotics in older horses specifically. More broadly, a review in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine concluded that the evidence for probiotics controlling disease in horses is weak, while noting that they are considered safe in healthy adults. A gut balancer may be a reasonable addition to a veteran's diet during predictable pressures such as the move onto winter forage, provided the basics above are already in place.
Format matters for older horses. Powders mix easily into soaked feeds, while pellets may suit a horse that picks through its bucket, and our comparison of powder, pellets and paste covers the trade-offs. Check the manufacturer's instructions on adding a live product to warm feeds, and see our guide on how to feed a probiotic for introduction and timing. Our prebiotics and postbiotics guide covers the non-living ingredients often found alongside live yeast, and the reviews hub assesses individual products from their published information.
If your horse is on medication or has a diagnosed condition such as PPID, check with your vet before adding any supplement.
Signs to watch
- Gradual weight loss, particularly through autumn and winter
- Quidding, slow eating or leaving hay
- Bad breath or a snotty nose
- Loose droppings or changes in consistency
- Increased drinking and urination, an unusually thick coat, sweating or laminitis
Winter is often the hardest time for veterans, and our article on winter gut health covers the seasonal switch to conserved forage.