10 Best Senior Horse Feeds for Healthy Weight Gain

Seeing your senior horse's ribs show through or watching their topline slowly disappear  is one of the most concerning things an Alberta horse owner can face. Weight loss in older horses is common, but it's rarely something you simply have to accept. With the right feeding strategy and the best feed for senior horses to gain weight, most horses can regain healthy body condition and thrive well into their twenties and beyond.

This guide covers the 10 best senior horse feeds available in Canada, plus practical tips on how to make weight gain happen as quickly and safely as possible. Whether your horse is 15 or 28, there's a feeding solution that works.

Why Do Senior Horses Lose Weight?

Before reaching for a new bag of feed, it's important to understand why senior horses lose weight. The cause shapes the solution.

·       Dental wear and loss — As horses age, teeth wear unevenly, chip, or fall out entirely. A horse that can't chew properly can't extract nutrition from hay or coarse feed, no matter how much you give them.

·       Declining nutrient absorption — The aging hindgut becomes less efficient at breaking down and absorbing nutrients. This means a senior horse may need significantly more feed volume to get the same nutrition as a younger horse.

·       Pain and stress — Arthritis, hoof issues, and other age-related conditions cause chronic stress that burns extra calories and suppresses appetite.

·       Herd competition — Dominant horses push seniors away from feeders. A senior eating less than you think is a very common scenario in mixed herds.

·       Alberta winters — Cold temperatures dramatically increase caloric demand in horses of all ages, but especially in seniors whose digestion is already less efficient. A horse that holds weight fine in summer can drop condition rapidly come January.

Key message: always rule out dental issues, deworming needs, and underlying health conditions with your vet before changing feed. Floating teeth and treating parasites first can make a dramatic difference sometimes that alone is enough to reverse weight loss.

How to Make a Horse Gain Weight Quickly in a Week

Realistically, significant weight gain takes 60–90 days. But you can start meaningful, visible progress within the first week by following these steps consistently:

Step 1 Vet Check First

Book a dental exam and deworming before anything else. A horse with dental pain or a heavy parasite load will not gain weight regardless of what you feed. This single step is often the biggest game-changer for senior weight loss.

Step 2 Switch to a Senior-Specific Complete Feed Immediately

Standard grain or sweet feed is not appropriate for seniors. Senior-specific feeds are fibre-based, highly digestible, lower in starch, and higher in fat — designed specifically for the aging digestive system. This is the most important single feed change you can make.

Step 3 Add Fat Calories

Fat provides more than twice the calories per gram compared to carbohydrates, without spiking blood sugar. Rice bran, canola oil, and flaxseed are excellent fat sources to top-dress onto any senior feed. Start with 60ml of oil per day and increase gradually over two weeks.

Step 4 Upgrade to Softer Hay

Switch to 2nd cut timothy or a timothy/alfalfa mix — softer, leafier, and easier to chew than coarse 1st cut. Soak hay or hay pellets if your horse has significant dental issues. Soaked hay pellets actually have higher feed utilization than long-stem hay, making them one of the most effective tools for seniors with dental problems.

Step 5 Feed Separately

Move your senior horse away from dominant herd members at feeding time. Many owners discover their horse was simply being pushed off the hay by a younger, more dominant horse. Separate feeding alone can produce rapid improvement.

Step 6 Feed Little and Often

Three to four smaller meals per day is far better than two large ones for the senior digestive system. The aging hindgut handles smaller, more frequent inputs more efficiently — and constant hay access (free-choice) is ideal.

What NOT to do: don't simply add more grain. Pushing corn, oats, barley, or sweet feed can cause serious unintended consequences including gastric ulcers, colic, or laminitis in older horses.

Pair your senior feed with quality soft hay browse our 2026 Timothy Hay collection at Horse Creek Hay & Feed for 2nd cut and alfalfa mix options that are much easier on senior teeth.

How to Put Weight on a 20 Year Old Horse?

A 20-year-old horse presents very specific challenges that go beyond what works for a younger senior (15–18 years).

By this age, most horses have some degree of dental wear, declining hindgut efficiency, muscle wasting along the topline, and may have developed PPID commonly known as Cushing's Disease.

PPID is extremely common in horses aged 20 and over and directly causes weight loss, poor coat condition, muscle wasting, and metabolic dysfunction.

If your 20-year-old is losing weight despite a good feeding program, ask your vet to test for PPID. Treated Cushingoid horses can regain weight and condition dramatically.

Specific Protocol for a 20+ Year Old Horse:

·       Soak all hay and pellets — remove the dental barrier completely. If your horse spits out balls of hay (quids), long-stem hay is no longer appropriate and should be replaced with soaked hay pellets or a complete feed

·       Feed a complete senior feed as a hay replacer — feeds like Hi-Pro Step 3 GenAPro or Masterfeeds Rx Roughage can fully replace hay if needed

·       Add a high-fat top-dress — rice bran oil or canola oil provides maximum calories with minimal digestive burden

·       Prioritize protein quality over quantity — look for feeds with lysine and methionine specifically listed, as these essential amino acids are critical for muscle rebuilding in seniors

·       Feed Vitamin C and E supplementation — horses over 20 lose the ability to synthesize their own Vitamin C. Look for senior feeds that include added Vitamin C

·       Increase feed by 15–20% through Alberta winters — a 20-year-old horse in –20°C weather burns enormous calories just maintaining body temperature

Hi-Pro Step 6 Senior Feed is one of the top recommendations for horses in this age range shop Hi-pro step 6 senior horse feed now.

Best Feed for Senior Horses to Gain Weight in Canada

Canadian senior horse owners face a unique combination of challenges: harsh winters that dramatically increase caloric needs, limited fresh pasture months, and long hay seasons that can mean declining hay quality by spring. The best feed for senior horses in a Canadian climate needs to tick several specific boxes:

•        Low NSC — safe for the metabolic issues that are very common in older Canadian horses, especially those diagnosed with PPID or insulin resistance

•        High fat — efficient calorie source that doesn't spike blood sugar and generates warmth through digestion

•        Highly digestible fibre — beet pulp, soy hulls, and alfalfa meal instead of corn or oats

•        Quality protein with lysine — for topline and muscle rebuilding through the riding season

•        Added Vitamins C and E — seniors lose the ability to synthesize these naturally

•        Soakable format — essential for the significant percentage of Canadian seniors with dental challenges

The 10 Best Senior Horse Feeds for Healthy Weight Gain

Feed #1 Hi-Pro Step Right Step 6 Senior 

Our top recommendation for Alberta senior horses. Hi-Pro Step 6 is a blend of pellets and extruded kibble — the extruded format is significantly easier to chew than standard compressed pellets, which matters enormously for seniors with dental wear.

It's fortified with ZinPro 4-Plex chelated trace minerals and Kentucky Equine Research micronutrients  the most scientifically advanced mineral stack available in Canadian horse feed.

Step 6 also includes Biotin for hoof health, organic selenium, and Diamond V Yeast Culture to support gut microbiome health. As seniors' hindguts become less efficient, gut support becomes more important than ever. This feed addresses the aging horse from multiple angles at once.

Best for: All senior Alberta horses aged 15 and over, hard keepers, horses losing topline. Shop Hi-Pro Step 6 Senior at Horse Creek Hay & Feed.

Feed #2 Hi-Pro Step Right Step 8 Hi-Fat Cool Energy | Best for Metabolic Seniors Available at Horse Creek

The second Horse Creek carry that belongs in every senior horse owner's arsenal — especially for horses with metabolic issues.

Step 8 is a vacuum-infused, low NSC, high fat pellet drawing fat from non-hydrogenated canola oil, flax, and rice bran at an optimal Omega 3:6 ratio. Fat-sourced calories are far more efficient for the aging digestive system than carbohydrate-sourced calories — and they don't spike blood sugar.

For senior horses with insulin resistance, laminitis history, or PPID, Step 8 is often the safest high-calorie option available. It also generates less digestive heat than grain-based feeds, making it gentler on the aging gut. An excellent choice through harsh Alberta winters when caloric demands spike.

Best for: Metabolic senior horses, horses with laminitis history, hard keepers in Alberta winters. Shop Hi-Pro Step 8 Hi-Fat Cool Energy.

Feed #3 Masterfeeds Senior Pellet | Best Low-NSC Complete Feed

Masterfeeds Senior is one of Canada's most widely used senior horse feeds and for good reason. It blends premium high-calorie digestible fibre sources with 6% fat from all vegetable sources, making it safe for horses that are very sensitive to added starch.

Ingredients include beet pulp for digestible fibre, soybean meal for quality protein, selenium yeast, and a comprehensive vitamin and mineral pack including added Vitamin C.

The pellet format can be soaked into a mash for horses with severe dental issues — making it versatile across a wide range of senior horses. A trusted and proven option from a well-established Canadian brand.

Best for: Senior horses needing low NSC complete feed with high palatability and good digestibility.

Feed #4 Masterfeeds Golden Years Cube | Best for Dental Issues

An often-overlooked gem for horses with significant dental challenges. The Golden Years Cube is a high-calorie, very digestible cube fortified with premium vitamins, added Vitamin C, and higher levels of protein and lysine specifically for maintaining body condition in older horses.

The cube format encourages chewing, which stimulates saliva production and aids the digestive process something that's often compromised in seniors.

A practical advantage: older horses frequently drop their feed (especially pellets), and cubes are much easier to pick up from the ground than small pellets or texturized feed. This reduces waste and ensures your senior is actually consuming what you're feeding.

Best for: Senior horses that drop feed, horses needing more chewing stimulation for digestive health.

Feed #5 Masterfeeds Rx Roughage Cubes | Best Hay Replacer

For seniors whose teeth can no longer process long-stem hay, Rx Roughage is a game-changer. These high-fibre, low-starch cubes are designed to replace hay as the primary forage source soaked to a soft mash, they provide the fibre a horse needs for healthy hindgut function without requiring any chewing ability at all.

They can also be combined with Masterfeeds Senior pellet and soaked together for a complete, fully soakable senior meal.

Best for: Horses 20+ with severe dental wear who can no longer consume long-stem hay effectively.

Feed #6 Beet Pulp (Plain, Unmolassed) | Best Budget Fibre Booster

Plain, unmolassed beet pulp is one of the most cost-effective and proven weight gain tools for senior horses. It ferments in the hindgut just like hay, fuelling beneficial bacteria and providing highly digestible fibre calories without adding starch.

It has a very low NSC, making it safe for metabolic horses, and it can be mixed into any existing senior feed to add caloric volume without disrupting the nutritional balance of the ration.

Important: always soak beet pulp thoroughly before feeding dry beet pulp expands rapidly and poses a serious choke risk, especially for seniors that eat quickly.

Best for: Adding digestible fibre and bulk calories to any senior feeding program at low cost.

Feed #7 Hi-Pro Step Right Step 3 GenAPro | Best Hay Replacer for Alberta Winters

Step 3 GenAPro is a complete, alfalfa-based fibre feed that can partially or fully replace hay. During Alberta winters when hay quality drops or supply gets tight, GenAPro ensures your senior never goes without quality fibre.

It's high in fibre, low in sugar and starch, and highly digestible ideal for seniors who need maximum nutrition from every bite.

Best for: Senior horses needing a hay replacer during winter, travel, or hay shortages. Shop Step 3 GenAPro.

Feed #8 Rice Bran Oil or Canola Oil | Best Pure Fat Top-Dress

Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective. Adding 60–120ml of rice bran oil or canola oil to your senior's existing feed adds significant fat calories without adding starch, protein, or feed volume.

Fat provides more than twice the caloric density of carbohydrates making oil one of the most calorie-efficient supplements available. It's also palatable, inexpensive, and widely available at any feed store.

Increase oil addition gradually over 2–3 weeks to allow the digestive system to adapt. Too much too fast can cause loose manure.

Best for: Any senior horse that needs more calories but is already eating adequate feed volume.

Feed #9 Timothy/Alfalfa Mix Hay (Soaked) | Best Hay for Topline Recovery

For seniors losing topline and muscle condition, the protein boost from alfalfa makes a significant difference. A timothy/alfalfa mix hay provides higher protein than pure timothy supporting the amino acid availability needed for muscle synthesis and body condition maintenance. Soaked or steamed, it becomes far more accessible for horses with dental challenges.

Also Check Out Our Blog about what is the difference between 1st cut and 2nd cut timothy hay

The combination of good quality hay with the right senior feed is the foundation of every successful weight gain program. Hay alone is rarely enough for a hard-keeping senior, but upgrading hay quality alongside a senior-specific feed produces dramatically better results than either alone.

Best for: Underweight seniors losing topline and muscle. Shop our 2026 Buffalo Ranch Timothy/Alfalfa Hay.

Feed #10 Purina Amplify High-Fat Nugget | Best Premium Fat Supplement

A premium fat supplement that top-dresses over any senior feed. Amplify adds fatty acids from rice bran, flaxseed, and vegetable oils for improved body condition and coat quality.

Its easy-soak pellet technology makes it practical for horses with dental issues soak it with your senior feed for a complete, soft, highly nutritious mash.

Best for: Senior horses needing a targeted fat supplement with easy soaking for dental accommodation.

Best feed for senior horses Comparison Table

Use this best feed for senior horses chart to find your match at a glance:

Feed	Best For	NSC Level	At Horse Creek
Hi-Pro Step 6 Senior	All seniors 15+	Low	Yes
Hi-Pro Step 8 Hi-Fat	Metabolic/hard keepers	Very Low	Yes
Masterfeeds Senior Pellet	Low starch complete feed	Very Low	Ask store
Masterfeeds Golden Years	Dental issues	Low	Ask store
Masterfeeds Rx Roughage	Hay replacer, dental	Low	Ask store
Beet Pulp (plain)	Budget fibre calories	Very Low	Feed stores
Hi-Pro Step 3 GenAPro	Hay replacer winter	Low	Yes
Rice Bran / Canola Oil	Pure fat top-dress	Zero	Feed stores
Timothy/Alfalfa Mix Hay	Topline & muscle	Low	Yes
Purina Amplify	Premium fat supplement	Low	Feed stores

 

The Right Feed Makes All the Difference

Helping a senior horse regain healthy weight isn't about throwing more grain at the problem. It's about choosing feeds that are highly digestible, low in starch, rich in fat and quality protein, and easy on aging teeth and pairing them with soft, nutritious hay that your horse can actually process. The right combination, fed consistently and in the right amounts, produces real results.

At Horse Creek Hay & Feed in Rocky View County, we carry the full Hi-Pro Step Right senior lineup including Step 6 Senior and Step 8 Hi-Fat Cool Energy alongside quality Alberta-grown 2nd cut timothy and timothy/alfalfa mix hay.

Every bale comes with a full nutritional analysis so you know exactly what your senior is eating. We deliver across Rocky View County, Cochrane, Airdrie, Okotoks, and surrounding communities. If you have any question then Contact us with questions