Valuable collaboration between De Paardenkamp and Pavo

'The Day of the Older Horse' is on the program again this weekend at De Paardenkamp in Soest. As usual, Pavo is here again. Being present at these events is only a small part of the many years of cooperation between Pavo and De Paardenkamp. The foundation played a crucial role in the development of Pavo products aimed at the older horse. IJsbrand Muller has been a familiar face at De Paardenkamp since 2004. "I don't know any other way than that we're working with Pavo. That goes back at least 25 years. That it works so well is a matter of trust." 

In total there are 120 older horses at De Paardenkamp. All horses with their own needs, one still has relatively good teeth whilst the other has to make do with only a few small 'stubs'. "We notice that people say goodbye to their horses later and later. In the past, a horse went to the butcher when it was perhaps still quite good but no longer suitable for the purpose for which it was purchased. At least then he was worth some money. Now such a horse is used as a leather horse, or companion horse. In addition, there is much more attention on the quality of life." 

A component that is of great importance in the nutrition of older horses is the state of the teeth. "There's a lot more attention on teeth these days. From a young age, the horse dentist already checks the teeth regularly, so problems are detected much earlier. The feed a horse receives depends to a large extent on their teeth." 

De Paardenkamp played a crucial role in the development of the muesli Pavo 18Plus. "We were asked if we wanted to help with the testing and further development of this concentrate for older horses. We have to be very careful about requests such as these as we do not want to become a test farm. But because it is good for the health of the older horses, that there is a good concentrate tailored to the needs of the older horse, we thought it was important to cooperate. As a result of our experiences, a number of things have been adjusted in a second variant." 

The idea of Pavo SeniorFibre also comes from De Paardenkamp. "We chop some of our grass and let it dry artificially. Due to the short stems, it is easy to absorb and digest for horses with a less good dental function. When it is dried, it is pressed into bales", says Muller. To ensure that not only the horses of De Paardenkamp, but all older horses that need it can eat short stemmed roughage, Pavo started producing Pavo SeniorFibre.  

Muller indicates that in general more attention should be paid to the roughage of older horses. "We often get people on the phone who want advice. We notice that they often have no idea what is in their roughage and whether it is suitable for their old horse. They have different needs than horses that are in full training. I often advise to firstly have a Pavo Roughage Quickscan done so that we can  see together what the horse needs. In any case, it is wrong to think that an older horse needs less feed than a horse in full training. The needs of an older horse are different, but that doesn't mean they need less." 

On Saturday 17 June during ‘The Day of the Older Horse’ in Soest, a wide range of speakers are on the program. For anyone with an older horse, this day is a must. On behalf of Pavo, Rob Krabbenborg will give a lecture about feeding the older horse.  

Further information and registration can be found here.  

Want to know more about taking care of your old horse? Read our special.