18
TheHorse.com THE HORSE September 2018
SARAH EVERS CONRAD
PHOTOS BY PAULA DA SILVA/ARND.NL
I
n barns across America horse owners are talking about their
senior horses. They're posting photos of them on social me-
dia platforms and asking questions about their care in online
forums. Meanwhile, veterinarians are noticing an increase in
senior patients in their practices, and researchers are discovering
an upward trend in senior horse population numbers.
With all the old horses out there, it's important to recognize the financial obliga-
tion involved with owning one, because, as horses age, health care needs and their
cost can increase depending on what conditions arise. Armed with an understanding
of the array of health problems that can crop up and how to monitor for and man-
age them, owners can mitigate the costs and enjoy their senior horses well into their
golden years.
In this article we'll review senior horse research studies and hear from veterinar-
ians about what conditions these horses face and how husbandry requirements
change across their life span.
Defining Old Age
First things first: What is a senior horse? Mary Rose Paradis, DVM, MS, Dipl.
ACVIM, associate professor emerita at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veteri-
nary Medicine, in North Grafton, Massachusetts, says researchers around the world
disagree on the age a horse is considered old.
Various researchers in England and Australia have completed studies with senior
horses starting at age 15, while others have used horses age 20 and older.
Paradis has been studying younger horses and comparing their health data to that
of older horses, looking for trends in disease progression. In one of her studies she
surveyed U.S. owners, asking them when they thought their horses were starting
to show signs of aging—the average response was 23. Researchers in England and
Australia reported seeing early degenerative changes most frequently around 18 to
19 in some, but not all, study horses.
As a guideline, Paradis suggests considering your horse aging around 18 to 20
years and having your veterinarian get health baselines for future reference.
The Price of
Longevity
Owning a horse over his lifetime can be rewarding, but be
prepared for specific costs related to his care
