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An insider’s view on the life and management of the mature horse...
As told to Dr Teresa Hollands R.Nutr
Who am I?
This is a photo of me. I am
a fit, young at heart male horse. I am
actually 20yrs old, (middle aged in
human terms) I like to think of myself
as 5yrs old with 15yrs experience!!!
I’ve done a bit of everything through my
life; got a bit of experience under the old
belt…… I’m sure the young fillies love
my wisdom. I am single at the moment
and always happy to spend time with
others out hacking.
Bank holidays, shows and diet
I used to love bank holidays, there was
always a show on and without wanting to be
too immodest I was usually in the winnings.
Winning rosettes meant a celebration and
often a chance to share an ice-cream with
the jockey.
Show days were great, none of this messing
about with trailers and bandages, we hacked
everywhere up to 10 miles away and if it
was further than that, we simply didn’t go.
Mind you, I’m lucky the current partner I have
realises that just because I am 20, it does not
mean that I’m not just as capable as I have
always been. We are off to a show tomorrow
and that means a bit of indulgence.
I really enjoy all that grooming and
pampering before a show.
Changes in diet
Thank goodness she doesn’t feed me any
extra just because I am competing tomorrow.
She is quite good at keeping up to date with
things and knows that Professor Chris
Proudman from Liverpool Vet School has
highlighted that changes in diet are highly
correlated with an increased risk of colic.
Staying hydrated
She has also been getting me used to tasting
orange juice in my water so that I still drink
during travelling and at shows. I get a lift to
the shows now, I’m happy to accept some
compromises because of my age!
Dehydration reduces performance regardless
of age. You should take a look at the table
below, because it’s just as relevant for the
owner as it is for the horse.
Often some of the old fogies I see around in
the veteran classes won’t drink because they
don’t like the taste of the water at the shows
and the stuff they bring with them in plastic
containers just tastes of plastic. Don’t blame
our fussiness on old age, all horses are very
susceptible to changes in taste…me I just
taste the orange juice.
11 EQUINE REVIEW
AUTUMN 2010
Figure 1:
Result of water loss on the body
Normal heat regulation and performance
0%
Thirst is stimulated, performance begins to decline,
1%
constipation and bloat
Decrease in heat regulation, worsening performance
2%
Continuing decrease in performance, muscular
3%
endurance decreases
20 -30% decrease in performance, dizziness occurs
4%
Headache, irritability, nausea, fatigue
5%
Weakness, severe loss of thermoregulation, heart races
6%
Collapse
7%
Result of water loss on the body
Clinics in sports medicine 13, 235-246 (1994)
% bodyweight loss
PART 1
OF A TWO PART SERIES
this is me...