The senior horse population is growing and with it our knowledge about its health and welfare. | Photo: iStock

Hot topics include digestion, metabolism, soft tissue injuries, and inflamm-aging

If you’ve got an old-timer out in the field, you’re one of the millions of horse owners worldwide benefiting from improved equine preventive care techniques and a better understanding of conditions seen in older horses. These advancements, along with a heightened appreciation for the horse as a “family member,” have led to a significant expansion of this golden-age demographic.  

You’re also likely eager for fresh information on how to care for your equids over 20, hoping they will live as long as possible but with a good quality of life.

Researchers are responding to the call, focusing on aging equines’ particularities—metabolic and hormonal issues, tendon and muscle weaknesses, feeding and exercise regimens, and lung and airway diseases, to name a few. So what’s new and exciting in senior horse research? We turned to the individuals actively studying these horses to find out, and we’ve compiled a list of important senior horse studies conducted over the past year