29-year-old, 16hh gelding, Fritz, owned by Gwen Findlay from Glasgow for 24 years, has been a faithful companion – a real golden oldie. Over the years, Gwen and Fritz have enjoyed having a go at a variety of disciplines and in later years have had some success at veteran showing, with Fritz qualifying for the Scottish Supreme Veteran Final at the Ingliston Grand Slam showing event in 2014, having been placed Reserve Champion at a local qualifying show. He has kept his good health despite his age and is still ridden four times a week and just this year he won the In-Hand Veteran class at Gwen’s local show.
However last winter, Gwen noticed he was struggling to chew long stem forage and was sometimes quidding (balling up the forage in his mouth and spitting it out). Fritz had his teeth checked regularly by the vet and there was not a problem apart from the age and wear of his teeth, so Gwen decided to put him on to a chopped fibre source to supplement his forage and grazing.
She opted for Mollichaff Veteran – a high fibre forage mix that has been specially formulated for older horses and ponies but it is also a great product for those that are unable to consume long forage and require a partial hay replacer.
Many equines, particularly as they get older, have loose or missing teeth and cannot chew long stemmed forage such as hay or haylage. If you notice bits of partially chewed forage dropping from your horse’s mouth or scattered on the floor, this is a tell-tale sign that he is struggling to cope.
Mollichaff Veteran is made from chopped ingredients so it is easy to manage and is very palatable too, making it great for fussy feeders.
It is made from a balanced blend of dried grass, dried alfalfa and high quality oat straw and is topped with a unique dressing combining linseed and soya oil with a small amount of low sugar molasses and added vitamins and minerals, plant-based antioxidants, biotin, mint, nettle and salt.
Linseed oil is a rich source of amino acids and essential fatty acids including Omega 3. Antioxidants from a plant-based source are included to help combat free radicals and maintain your horse in good health and nettles are naturally high in vitamins and minerals.
Mint contains flavanoids that act to relax the digestive tract and most horses also find the aroma and taste of mint to be particularly appealing; and salt provides two important electrolytes – sodium and chloride. Mollichaff Veteran also contains added limestone to provide additional calcium and biotin for healthy hoof growth.
Said Gwen: “I am delighted at how well Fritz is doing on Mollichaff Veteran. Several people on the yard have commented on how well he is looking. Despite his winter coat coming through, he has retained a lovely shine which I put down to the linseed and soya oil in Mollichaff Veteran. No need to buy separate linseed oil this winter! I am sure even the fussiest of feeders would not be able to resist this highly palatable feed. Fritz has a large double handful in each feed and has no issues with chewing it, as it’s a lovely soft mix of grass, alfalfa and straw. He cleans his bowl every time!”
