There’s no getting away from it – autumn has struck with cooler nights, shorter days and more rain. This is a good time to get some weight off horses that have become a little bit, er, chubby shall we say, over summer. For many however, it means additional feeding is needed. Older horses may be having trouble chewing enough forage to hold their weight. If your older horse did not gain as much weight as usual over the summer on grass, take this as a warning he may drop weight when you need to feed hay. Old teeth have shallow roots and are just not as strong as younger teeth. They may all be there and your dentist will make sure there are no sharp bits, but the hands of time keep on turning and if your horse is less inclined to chew for as many hours as before, or is not chewing his feed sufficiently to digest it well, he will drop weight. Read more