Managing Dental Issues : No Teeth, No Problem!

Emily Galdway contacted Sarah Rushby back in 2020 for feed advice for her horse Boo, who was struggling to maintain her weight due to her teeth being very worn.

Forage First

When feeding forage this normally takes the form of grass, hay and haylage, however there are instances when feeding hay or haylage is not possible, such as for older horses with poor dentition. It is still important that these horses receive a minimum 1.5% of their bodyweight as forage, or 2-2.5% in horses that may need help to maintain their weight. Sarah worked out how much hay Boo was actually eating by weighing the amount that she was offered & then weighing how much much was left the next day. It was found that she was only eating 3kgs per day, which means she wasn’t getting the minimum 1.5% in forage required on a daily basis. In these situations we recommend feeding a forage replacer. This will help to increase the horse’s fibre intake, provide additional energy (calories) for weight gain and condition, as well as ensuring they maintain good digestive health.

Boo's new diet

In order to increase the amount of fibre that Boo was eating on a daily basis, a partial forage replacement ration was provided that was based on soaked Super Fibre Cubes, Sugarbeet and chaff. Boo is now 1 year into her retirement and is still on the Super Fibre Cubes to add additional fibre as well providing the vitamins & minerals for a balanced diet and the ultimate shiny coat.

Example forage replacement rations