Calling all owners of senior minis!

[jacks'thunder]

Well I have a great oppertunity to give a nice mare a loving forever home. She's around 20. All of my minis are 6 and under. I have a few questions for all of you with older minis..

Is she concidered a senior at 20?

What type of extra special care should be given to her?

Is there anything I should watch for because of her age?

What can I do to give her an easy transition to my home?

What age do minis live to?

I just want to give this wonderful young girl a place to relax and enjoy for the rest of her life. :bgrin

Thanks, Leya

All info and tips appricated!

 

[willow29]

:aktion033: GO FOR IT! The oldsters are so wonderful!!! I have a rescued 28 year old mini and he is still going strong, and also 3 big mules and a horse all in their mid 20's, with one mule being over 40. You would never know Solly the mini gelding is that old except for the gray on his face. Each older horse is different as to condition of teeth, Arthritis, etc. I would consider your mare a senior. I'd get info from the current owner such as what feed she is on, if she can eat hay, if she has arthritis, or other old age related problems and go from there. The more you know about her, the more you can keep things similar for her so the transition is easier. Maybe start her off with one other mini that is not aggressive and slowly transition her into the herd so she isn't chased or picked on. Good luck with your new girl! The older ones are so full of wisdom. I've learned so much from mine! Thanks so much for giving her a forever home! Jill/Ohio

 

[MiLo Minis]

When introducing an older horse into the herd you do it just the same as a younger horse - gradually. Let them make friends through the fence first and once it seems like they are accepting you can bring them together. Keep a close eye on them for the first while to make sure that everyone is getting along and no one is being bullied. An older animal tends to be the bottom of the pecking order so you want to make sure that they are getting their fair share of food and rest. Their teeth need to be floated more often than a younger horse so you need to watch for food dribbling out of her mouth or loss of body condition. There are special pelleted feeds for seniors (which a horse over the age of 18 is considered) that will ensure she is getting the correct balance of fat and protein, etc for her stage of life. If they are really well cared for over their lives they can live into their 30's and occasionally into their 40's. There are a few diseases that tend to affect the elderly horse more such as Cushings so keep an eye on her health and condition and contact your vet if you see anything developing such as a ragged coat that doesn't shed properly in spring. I am glad that she has found you and just know she is going to live out her life in peace and comfort - something they all deserve!!!

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

I have two girls who are older than most here. Candy, a black sabino, is coming 19. Cherokee, a sorrel tovero, is coming 15. I'd consider Cherokee coming senior and Candy for sure.

I do take precautions because of their ages. Altho our horses can go in & out at will, I bring those two into stalls if it's even looking like being nasty weather overnight or even in the day. I want to make sure they have shelter, and sometimes the younger ones decide these girls should stay out. Uh-uh. They get their own stalls. I guess they kind of get treated like weanlings overall.

Keep an eye on her weight, by running your hands on her body, not by just looking. Winter coats can hide a lot of problems.

Watch for arthritis and similiar conditions. I'd say have a vet check her over when she comes home...just a general health exam, including the teeth. It could alert you to anything you might have to deal with. I wouldn't bother with special food/rations until the need is shown for such. A multi-vitamin is always good.

Right now, our older girls are BOTH pregnant. They've always been excellent broodmares & never had any problems conceiving or foaling. But if they show ANY sign of problems, they will not be bred again & just go into retirement as much loved members of the family. I've had Cherokee since she was a yearling & Candy since she was 5. They are part of us.

Just an aside, I find the older horses can be Sooooooooo much smarter than the younger ones. They have had much time to learn so much more. Just like humans, I guess! I'm so glad you're considering an older horse -- they can be great to live with!! I love the older ones.

 

[Marty]

She will need to be on a senior feed, like Purina Senior.

Be sure that you buy hay that is palatable that she can chew easily.

I would also get her on something for arthertis right away wether she shows outward signs of it or not she most likely has it. There are a lot of choices out there to use. Try looking at

www.jeffersequine.com

for ideas. Good luck with your senior mare.

 

[Kim]

Just wanted to say that it's not the chronological age of the mini that determines whether or not they should be treated like a 'senior', it's their general condition. There are many 20 year olds that stay fat and healthy without special treatment like Senior Feed. Keep a close watch on her condition--don't just start her on Sr. Feed because of her age, otherwise she might get too fat and then she runs the risk of founder as well as a greater risk of joint problems if she has to carry around a whole bunch of extra weight. Also make sure that you get her teeth checked twice a year. If she is having trouble keeping the weight on, we have great luck with Manna Pro Senior feed, and if you decide to use a joint supplement, Corta-Flx RX is great.

 

[Stephanie]

We have a 24 year old gelding that is fantastic. He's a wonderful babysitter for our weanlings. He's also my husband's favorite driving horse. Apache gets his feelings hurt if we go out driving and he's not the horse doing the driving. He goes to all the local parades and absolutely loves it. We have to slow him down when we hook him up to the cart because he loves to go. In his younger days he set a record of 24 mph in a roadster, we have the newspaper clipping somewhere. He's also been in the Rose Parade 4 times. He's a grand gentleman and he'll be here until the end. No one knows by looking that he is an old horse. In fact he doesn't know he's old. He's boss of the turnout and he protects his babies better than the mares.

 

[Loess Hills]

We have a wonderful senior mare who is 23 this year! She is just a treasure in her personality, easy to care for, and as Little Wee Horse Farm, stated SOooooooo much smarter than the younger ones. We do give her senior Strategy but she has NO health problems and has given us two healthy beautiful fillies the past two years, and we plan to breed her in the future as long as she remains interested in the stallion. She has wonderful manners and "talks" to us everytime we are out in the barn or dry lot. It has just been a wonderful experience to have her on our farm. Here she is, Hemlock Brooks Amber Lace at 22!

 

[countryrose]

I have a 24 year old stallion here. He came along as a package with a 2 year old. I really wanted the 2 year old boy and old Topper needed a home also as the gal was selling her farm. He had been Patches babysitter for 2 years.

Patches at 35.5" became to rowdy for this little 29.5" old guy so I put him with my yearling. The yearling and two year old are now together and Topper is babysitting my weanling filly for a few months.

He does have problems. Was underweight and has arthritis in back legs. Vet did work on his teeth as he could not chew hay. I put him on Purina Senior, keep him warm with a coat as he does not develop a good winter coat. He is now eating much better and a happy camper.

Has been very important to feed him his beet pulp and grain separately so he does not have to fight for food.

He is so good with the young ones, teaching them manners as he gently puts them in their place.

They just need to be watched more closely to make sure they aren't being stressed and kept warm and happy.

 

[LeahMurray]

Hi, Leya!

Two of my three geldings are now in their early twenties, and I am treating them as seniors to the extent that I make sure they get their dinners separate from everyone else at least every other day and every day if I can arrange it that way, I bought them winter turnout blankets and raincoats this year for the first time, and I fuss about their water intake a lot, making sure that they have lots of water to hand every day all day, as they tend to get dehydrated quicker than they used to.

Also, I get their teeth checked and floated twice a year, but don't give them senior food (haven't needed to yet.

Otherwise they are happy little campers, still going great guns, and still keen to be in the harness and show ring whenever there's one going. I tend to take them out for the fun stuff only these days, though: although they aren't showing any signs of souring on their respective areas of expertise (one of them is just nuts about driving, and the other one adores being in the shows for halter, conformation and in-hand), I am looking at them as retired pets now, so make sure they get enough time i their "work" to make them still feel interested and useful and proud, but not so much that they are ever over-tired or stressed by it.

My youngest is doing a lot of training this year, and so is his bosom buddy, the mini donkey, but the elder two are just having fun three or four times a year.

Leah M.

Well I have a great oppertunity to give a nice mare a loving forever home. She's around 20. All of my minis are 6 and under. I have a few questions for all of you with older minis..

Is she concidered a senior at 20?

What type of extra special care should be given to her?

Is there anything I should watch for because of her age?

What can I do to give her an easy transition to my home?

What age do minis live to?

I just want to give this wonderful young girl a place to relax and enjoy for the rest of her life. :bgrin

Thanks, Leya

All info and tips appricated!

 

[Bess Kelly]

Main thing is to watch for problem areas -- as others have stated. My gals are great and I find that if I feed them together, they do fine (all eat slowly so no issues) but, if fed with the younger ones you have to be careful that they are not shoved away, stressed, or just not allowed enough feed because they DO eat slower and others get more than their share. I also find that they adore their beet pulp!! Let's face it, it is a great replacement for some of the hay and easier for them to digest. Making sure they do have an area of protection from the elements is very important as it is not a time for them to expend energy reserves to fight extreme cold, wind, rain, etc. and in a run-in, sometimes there are animals who are "forced to stand outside". Let's face it, most of the time they just don't WANT to fight anymore, so are easily at the bottom of the heap.

I have just put up another large run-in which will be designated "for seniors only"....and the elder mares will be using that for their evening housing & feeding area, and it has a nice small pasture. Then allowed to go into the larger pasture with the others unless it's extreme weather. They are already used to pasturing with them and no issues. In fact, many of the younger ones were raised up with these gals. Some are daughters or grandaughters. They won't be isolated, only guaranteed a no hassle time.

Hey, I can relate -- love that grandbaby but, some quiet time is nice.

:

 

[jacks'thunder]

Well I just want to thank everybody for all the kind and very informational words! My hubby and I want to look at her last nite and just fell in love with her! Stupid me I brought my camera but did not even think to get pictures untill after we left. But anyway she is just a doll! She's got beautiful big eyes and she just let me scratch her hind end for the longest time. I just cant wait to get her home. Today I'll get her spot all ready for her and then try and find her a new pink halter for the trip home!

Thanks again for the support and info!! :bgrin

 

[Beccy]

We have a lovely mare who will be 24 in August. We bought her at 21 partly because we have always liked her since seeing her two owners ago, and partly to give her a permanent home for the rest of her days. We didn't really mind whether she ever had a foal for us or not, but last year she presented us with the frame overo colt in my avatar pic!

We have not really had any difficulties due to her age, but with two senior large horses that lived here till they both passed away at 30 years of age, we found we had to really monitor their teeth more as they got older. Both had difficulty keeping weight on as they aged, one had always been a lean build anyway, and the other the vet felt was just age related. After trying different products, the best results we had at getting a bit more weight on them, was with high fat high fibre pellets. The equine nutritionist at the feed store explained that it is very digestible, and that you can feed a fair bit of it with very little concern about colic.