Senior Horse Care Books and e-books

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"Whoever said a horse was dumb, was dumb" - Will Rogers

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Books & e-books

Nearly 4 Million Pleasure Horses in the U.S.A.

Today's American equine population includes an historically high percentage of seniors.  We can attribute this to many factors, but it is a trend that has created a growing demand for attention by feed manufacturers, veterinarians, equine dentists, farriers, barn managers, trainers, horse retirement facilities, and all the other service providers.

Of the 6.5 million horses in the United States today, 60% are pleasure horses, according to the American Horse Council.  As the role of the horse in America has changed dramatically from laborer to recreational partner, so has the viewpoint of his caregiver.

One of the missions of Del Camino is to help horse owners find timely information that guides them through this journey.  We want to keep our seniors as fit, as active, as contented as possible, as long as possible.  It can be done.

How This Seniors Section Works        

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Articles                                                             Top of Page

American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Health articles.  They are all available as HTML documents on the AAEP website .  You can also subscribe to their newsletter if you visit their website.

These are .PDF format versions.  You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open them.

PDF Articles  Helping Your Horse Through Its Golden Years, 2002       

                      10 Tips for Caring for the Older Horse, 2002

                      Managing the Horse in Old Age, 2003

                      Feeding the Geriatric Horse, 2003

                      Wintering the Geriatric Horse, 2002

                      Senior Citizen Surgery, 2004

                      Older Horse:  Special Care and Nutrition, 2005

                     Body Condition Score

General Magazine and E-zine Articles                      Top of Page

Add Years to Your Senior's Life,10 ways to add years to your senior horse’s life. by Toni McAllister,

Riding Off Into the Sunset Years Just because a horse has reached his older years doesn't mean he has to hang up his horseshoes and be content with pasture life.by L.A. Rose

Feeds and Supplements for Older Horses by: Heather Smith Thomas
August 01 2007, Article # 10218 TheHorse.com Equine nutritionists discuss a variety of feeds and feeding practices to help horses cope with the problems associated with growing old.

Books and e-books                         Top of Page

These all pertain to seniors.  They are not in any particular order.  Due to the increased interest and awareness of the last decade, there have been significant changes in the recommendations of equine health professionals.  We've tried to list books that are timely.

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Other Resources                                         Top of Page

The Del Camino Products and Services catalog offers some horse products of interest to owners of senior horses.

The Del Camino Seniors Resources section contains pages specific to caring for older horses, from saddle fit to feed, water, bedding, dental care, footing, hauling, retirement boarding, emergencies, retirement jobs, and much more.

Horse Welfare Statistics