Hay pellets might be less irritating to the hindgut lining than long-stem hay and could help inflammation-associated loose manure resolve. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Q.My senior horse has always been somewhat prone to having loose manure. However, recently, it has become more consistent, despite the fact I haven’t changed anything in his diet. He currently gets grass hay and my vet recommended I feed him hay pellets instead. Why would this help?

A.Problems with loose manure are somewhat common in older horses, as is passing water before or after more normally formed fecal balls. Ideally water from the digestive tract is reabsorbed in the small colon before exiting the horse’s digestive tract, resulting in the production of well-formed fecal balls that slightly break apart when they hit the ground.

Loose manure indicates that something is not quite as it should be in your horse’s hindgut. In the best-case scenario the horse isn’t too bothered by the situation—his body condition might still be good and you might only have to dealing with a little manure in his tail and on his hind legs. However, this can becomes frustrating when tails and legs need almost daily washing to keep them clean so that they don’t attract flies. Also, the horse’s skin often becomes irritated by the manure or the frequent bathing