Do you every feel behind the eight ball in keeping up with senior horse issues? Seems like every time I think I have a handle on a certain medical condition, I find out that I actually don’t have all the answers.
I might get into a groove, thinking I’ve got this management thing down. I’m patting myself on the back. And then, well, something changes with my horse. What I was doing before isn’t garnering the same results. Now I’m back to square one. Trying to figure it all out.
This leads me to the thought that I don’t think there’s ever too much we can learn about horses. That’s true of any age steed. But maybe more so with the older set.
Within the last twenty years since I first became a horse owner, there have been many advances in senior horse care. Much is available to help us care for our senior’s needs now. But it all starts with each individual owner’s awareness of what to watch for as our horses age.
My own ability to recognize that something is off with my horse is paramount. Ditto for my own knowledge of various horse diseases/lameness issues, especially ones that are more common in older equines.
Of course, reading about an issue and actually identifying/managing it in real time are two different things. I don’t always get it right. The application of knowledge can be a messy endeavor. From one horse to another. From one condition to the next. But I do think that acquiring “head knowledge” is at least a good place to start.
So I was excited to come across this section of Canada’s University of Guelph website titled “Senior Horse Care Challenge Tools.”
The website contains multiple resources for senior-horse owners. It includes an interactive quizz about senior horse care as well as free, downloadable PDFs and videos.
I read about senior horse issues all the time, but found the quiz and their PDF’s to be particularly informative and helpful. I haven’t gotten a chance to take in all their other resources yet, but I definitely like what I see so far.
Want to check it out for yourself? Go to
https://www.equineguelph.ca/Tools/senior_horse.php
The Backyard Horse Blog 
Thanks for the share! It’s all so singular too, like Amber and Whisper and so different. Not just in age but in reasons/needs/situations for what care they need. It’s crazy how some things are similar but so different! It’s really changed what I’m going to look for in a second horse. I’m lucky Amber has been pretty steady in her needs!
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It IS interesting how each one needs the same basic care but yet some of the details are best adjusted for each individual horse/mule/donkey. It certainly keeps me on my toes at times. 🙂
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Guelph is a great resource. It is about an hour from where I live and I have had horses in the veterinary hospital there and although that is never a fun time the staff and vets were always so supportive and the horse care was excellent.
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Guelph certainly has an excellent reputation, but it is good to know that you have had good personal experience with them. That can bring peace of mind to live close to such an excellent veterinary resource. Although we always hope our horses will never actually have to visit . . .
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