Kentucky Performance Products: Senior Horses and Weight Management
Senior horses may have trouble maintaining weight — here are some ways you can help manage them.
Adobe Stock/Petra Eckerl
The capacity of the gastrointestinal tract to absorb nutrients becomes less efficient as horses age. Many older horses are unable to maintain acceptable body condition on a normal grain ration alone, so at this point adding a fat supplement into a senior’s diet becomes beneficial.
Fat is a concentrated energy source: it increases calorie consumption and improves body condition without having to feed large grain meals. A small meal size facilitates digestion. The more efficient the digestive tract becomes, the more nutrients a horse absorbs. Research has shown that high-fat diets reduce the risk of the metabolic disorders.
Older horses often need additional vitamin E and direct-fed microbials to remain in good condition. Natural vitamin E has the additional benefits of helping older horses maintain a robust immune system, and protect muscle and nerve cells from the oxidative stress that is part of aging. A healthy microbial population enhances digestibility and produces vitamins.
EndurExtra from Kentucky Performance Products is a high-fat supplement that contains a whopping 50 percent fat, along with direct-fed microbials and natural vitamin E. Since EndurExtra is concentrated, you can feed as little as eight ounces a day and get great results.
About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:
Equi-Jewel® Rice Bran
Challenge: Winter weight loss.
Solution: Equi-Jewel® high-fat rice bran.
Equi-Jewel® rice bran
Fight back against a winter energy crisis that can cause your horse to lose weight.
Equi-Jewel® is a high-fat, low-starch and -sugar formula developed to safely meet the energy needs of your horse.
Whether you have a hard keeper that needs extra calories to maintain his weight in cold weather, or a top performance horse that needs cool energy to perform at her peak, Equi-Jewel can meet your horse’s needs.
The fat found in rice bran is an extraordinary source of dietary energy. In fact, fat contains more than two times the energy that carbohydrates and proteins do, thereby fueling horses more efficiently. Fat is considered a “cool” feedstuff because it does not cause the hormone spikes that lead to excitability. Avoid a winter energy crisis in your hard keeper and start supplementing with Equi-Jewel today.
The horse that matters to you matters to us®.
Not sure which horse supplement best meets your horse’s needs? Kentucky Performance Products, LLC is here to help. Call 859-873-2974 or visit KPPusa.com.
