>>Hi,
>>My neighbor gave me a 28 year old sorrel mare quarter/arab mix horse.She is a sway back and underweight...I want to get her back in shape..What should I feed her??
>>Please help and will I be able to ride her??I rode her today and she was fine she took off running with me :P
>>~Kara~

Wow - that's a good age on a horse! I'd suggest finding a good senior feed, my favorite would be Purina's Senior but there are others that are plenty good out there. Plenty of hay if she can eat it, and if she can't you need to find a good roughage that she can eat like Denghi (?) which is chopped hay. It's not as good as the real stuff but its better than nothing. Also, have a vet out for a physical, and specifically for having her teeth checked. Bad teeth are the number one reason for weight loss in any age horse, but more so in older horses.

You'll also want to keep a close eye on her this winter. Older horses have a harder time staying warm than young, plump ones! Their metabolism isn't what it used to be and the fact that she's starting out underweight doesn't help. She might need a turn out rug for the colder days.

Good luck with her! And pat yourself on the back for making sure the ol' girl has a good place to call home here at the twilight of her life
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PH Cody
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