A geriatric or senior horse is typically one that is twenty years old or older. They often begin needing specialized care around this part of their life, because things simply begin to wear out. Just like humans, things start to not work as well as they once did. Their eyes, teeth, joints, liver, gut and kidneys all begin to lose their functionality. These are the areas of the older horse that you must begin to pay more attention to.

An equine vice is really just another name for a bad habit. Most of these vices are pretty harmless but maybe annoying, while other habits can seriously affect your horse’s wellbeing. Many of these vices can be ignored, while others need to be dealt with and stopped. If the vice is extremely severe all you may be able to do is try to make life more comfortable for the horse. Horses seem to develop vices for any number of reasons, but the majority appears to develop them because of boredom.

Out of all the vices, here are three that you are likely to encounter.

Aches, pains and fevers are often a part of life. They are for people and they are for horses as well. Just as we have medication in our medicine cabinet for our relief for these discomforts relief for horses often comes in the form of bute. Phenylbutazone, more commonly known as bute, is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, or pain relieving drug for horses. It is sometimes called NSAID which stands for non steroidal anti inflammatory drug. Aspirin and ibuprofen are also NSAIDs. Bute is often a favorite choice because it is less expensive than other anti inflammatory drugs. It is convenient to give to horses because it is only given once or twice a day. Bute is available as one gram tablets that must be ground and made into a powder to administer orally, in a tube (like a dewormer) ready to give orally. Both are ways an individual may give the horse themselves. Bute is also available as a drug your veterinarian can inject.

No, I don’t mean lost in a pasture or stolen in the night, although those are bad things too. I mean passed on from this world, no longer here on the planet. If you like horses enough to spend a bunch of time with them, then chances are, at some point, you might have to deal with losing a horse too. A lot of riders start out with older horses. Some older horses are the best teachers of all.

Here is part of the process that can happen:

Many of our horses live a much different life than they used to. Horses once lived on the plains traveling in herds and grazing all day. This was what they were intended to do by nature. Today, however, we like to show our horses and we like to keep them in the barn for easy access. Our horses have begun to live in stalls or small pens most of their lives and because of this they have had to adjust. Many horses have adapted to this type of lifestyle, but it has not been without any healthy effects. Colic is one of the most common health issues that horse owners have to worry about today.

Weeds can be poisonous to horses and unfortunately weed management is not as simple as killing or removing offensive plants that grow where we don’t want them to grow. If pastures are not fertilized, if they are eroded, under watered, trampled or overgrazed, the pasture becomes stressed. A stressed pasture is a haven for harmful weeds. It does not make for quality forage for grazing horses of produce quality hay. Careful management of your horse pasture must be considered to eliminate weeds. Animal impact, mechanical, or burning are non chemical weed controls to be considered.