Older horses in hospital settings or on stall rest for weeks or months at a time have special requirements and considerations. Nicola Jarvis, BVetMed, Cert AVP (EM), Cert AVP (ESST), MRCVS, head of veterinary care at Redwings Horse Sanctuary, in Norfolk, U.K., explained how to keep these horses comfortable and stimulated and what to watch for while caring for them.
First, she said, house the horse in the largest stall possible, with deep bedding banked against the walls. “Older horses can take longer to stand up after they’ve laid down,” she said. “For a good night’s sleep, it’s super if they can lie down in lateral recumbency for at least part of the night. When they stand, they might take several attempts at standing up. They need to be able to roll backward and forward, so having that extra space is important.”
Jarvis also recommended allowing horses on box rest to see and interact with other horses, either over stall walls or by going on hand walks. If the horse doesn’t have a lameness issue or laminitis, once- or twice-daily hand walks and hand grazing can also make their day more interesting.
If the horse has pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), he or she will drink and, thus, urinate more than normal. “They may drink up to 10% of their body weight per day or more,” said Jarvis. “They’re going to urinate out a lot of liters, so you’re going to need extra bedding to absorb that or you’re going to need to scoop it out more regularly.”
On the plus side, she said, stall rest allows you to observe your horse closely and pick up on issues, such as quidding (dropping balls of partially chewed forage, which is a sign of dental issues), that you might not otherwise notice.
Related Reading
- Quality of Life Tool for Monitoring PPID Horses
- Meet Snow White: A Senior Shetland Pony
- Colic in Senior Horses Video
Sign up for My Senior Horse’s FREE newsletter to get the latest information about equids 15 years and older delivered straight to your inbox!
