Senior horse living an active lifestyle
Dermot is a 26-year-old Connemara who, despite being in his senior years and having pretty rubbish teeth, still lives a very active lifestyle.
Dermot has poor dentition; various diastemas and having had around ten teeth removed means he struggles to chew hay effectively and now requires a total forage replacer ration when he is in overnight.
Dermot has a mixture of Healthy Hooves Molasses Free, Hi-Fi Lite and Alfa-Beet. He has 3kg of Healthy Hooves Molasses Free, which provides him with the vitamins and minerals he needs for a balanced diet as well as added biotin and MSM for hoof health and joint support.
Hi-Fi Lite and Alfa-Beet is then used flexibly alongside with the quantity fed increased or reduced according to how long he is in for. Over the winter, he is currently out in the field for around 8 hours so he has been having 2kg of Hi-Fi Lite and 1.6kg Alfa-Beet. In the summer, he is out grazing for longer so the quantities are reduced accordingly. His forage replacer ration is split over 3 to 5 meals depending on how long he is in for.
Dermot’s healthy and active lifestyle just goes to show that using a forage replacer ration is no bar to health and performance, no matter their age!
