The Best Thing For My Horse?

I have 2 questions.





What is the best thing I can do for my horse to asure that he has a long, happy life?





Right now he is 26 %26amp; he is not showing any signs of artherits. His back is not swayed %26amp; his feet %26amp; teeth are in good condition. Over all he is in great health. I was wondering what I can do to prevent artherits %26amp; if he ever did get it what I could to to ease the pain?

The Best Thing For My Horse?
I love natural products, they work wonders.





Keep him off of sweet-feed. Horses don't need candy. It will not bode well for his digestion track or teeth (It doesn't for people either!)





A fabulous replacement for sweet-feed is black oil sunflower seeds.





http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/produc...





I get mine from this sight and I like them a lot. My horse does too :-).





It sounds like you are doing a great job! For an old horse like that to not have a swayed back and have such good feet is fabulous! Keep up the good work :-)





Something I've noticed about animals is that they tend to live longer if they have a good relationship with their human :-).


My bird lived three years past what she was supposed to, and I think it's because we had such a good relationship. It sounds like you and your horse and doing wonderful :-).





Obviously no heavy work, but a nice stroll down the street or if you have access to a trail would do him good too :-).





Enjoy your old pal, they're the best.
Reply:You can put him on a supplement and feed for senior horses. Also, make sure he gets plenty of exersice but dont work him too hard. Good Luck
Reply:Ride him often, but don't ride rough. Just a good exercise. Make sure you walk him and cool him properly after you ride. Feed him lots of apples and throw in an orange every now and then for a lil something different. Love him and pay attention to him. That will help most.
Reply:you should give him a joint supplement just in case.....www.horse.com has tons to choose from. If he ever does get artherits then give him some bute or horse asprin.





****whenever you ride him wrap all 4 of his legs in polo wraps.....It protects his legs and I also heard that it helps horses from going lame. I know it's a lot of wrapping but doing this (and putting on special shoes) has helped my mare (who had leg problems) so much that I can barrel race her!
Reply:I would stop the sweet feed and just use the senior feed along with good hay. You can stop all that outer stuff when you are feeding a good quality senior feed. I do put a salt/mineral block in the pasture. They know instinctively if they need it.


You cant stop the onset of arthritis . If we could I would jump all over that for myself! But once he shows signs of it , you can use a supplement for his joints and inflammation . Talk to your vet about it after his next visit. Have him watch your horse walk out and ck his weight. Its good to have another set of eyes once in a while.
Reply:I have two 26 year old horses. The best thing to do is keep updated on all the usual, teeth feet and shots. Also keep using them not hard but make sure they have a job, it keeps them interested in life. I make sure they have a buddy, but only in their own age group. A younger horse can get too carried away with play and that is when injury can occur. The final thing is to keep an open mind and when the time comes they are going down hill, let them keep their dignity and make the choice to euthanize them.