Older Horse Care - Giving Something Back

Older horse care - payback time! Your horse has served you (and possibly several previous owners) loyally and reliably for many years.

Now he's a veteran it's time to reward those years of loyalty and enjoyment by making sure his later years are as comfortable as possible.

Sadly, many older horses are passed from one horse dealer to another, cast off like old clothes. Often, people pass an older horse on without due regard for where he may end up, simply in order to bring in "new blood" and compete on a younger, sportier model.

Past their physical prime perhaps, but certainly not ready to be "written off" - they have so much love to give and so much experience to offer.

In these tough economic times, older horses are frequently bottom of the priority list but we have seen so many examples of them living happily and healthily into their thirties with the right care and support.

There is a mistaken view held by some, that veteran horses cost much more to keep in terms of veterinary treatment and "maintenance" than a younger horse.

Establishing a Routine Health Care Programme for your veteran horse, in the same way as for a younger animal, will prevent the onset of many problems and illnesses and provide an early warning system when problems do crop up.

Barring serious injury (which can happen to horses whatever their age) and having owned happy and healthy veteran horses ourselves, we can state with confidence that older horses frequently go on to live very productive lives without much medical intervention at all.

If you are the owner of an older horse, we recommend following our proven 3-D Approach To Veteran Horse Care which can be accessed simply by clicking on this link. It covers the key aspects of the challenges faced by older horses and includes practical solutions for older horse care.

If you haven't yet read our FAQ section for Veteran Horses click on this link to go there now. Among others, we look at what age a horse should retire and identifying the main signs of ageing. Return from Older Horse Care to our main Horse Care topic for lots more useful information.