Teeth first: the check that matters most
Of all routine care, dentistry changes a senior horse's life most. Age wears his grinding surfaces unevenly, teeth loosen or are lost, and gaps open where fibrous food packs and rots. An annual examination with a speculum and good light is the floor for an older horse; twice-yearly checks are the sensible rhythm once wear is advanced, teeth are missing, or he has a history of choke, quidding or weight loss. Between visits, your early warnings are dropped balls of half-chewed hay, slow or one-sided chewing, feed dribbling, bad breath and undigested fibre in his droppings — any of those earns an appointment rather than waiting for the scheduled one.
The general vet check, once a year at minimum
Book a full health review at least annually, ideally combined with his vaccination visit so nothing competes for the diary. For a senior, ask the vet to cover what age puts at risk: heart and lung sounds, eyes, skin lumps, joint flexion and movement, body condition, and blood work where the vet judges it worthwhile — older horses commonly develop hormone and organ changes that show in blood before they show in behaviour. This visit is also where you raise the small things you have noticed over the year, which is why written notes beat memory.
Checks you run yourself between appointments
Professional visits are snapshots; you hold the film. Monthly, run the same simple routine: feel his ribs and topline, watch him eat a handful of hay from start to finish, pick out and inspect all four feet, look at his droppings, and watch him walk away and turn. A senior in steady state changes slowly, so anything that shifts between one month and the next — eating speed, weight, stiffness, thirst, coat — stands out against your own baseline and is worth a phone call rather than a wait for the annual visit.
Make every appointment earn its keep
Arrive at each check with your notes, not your impressions: the month he started dropping hay, the week his eating slowed, the photographs of his condition in spring and now. Ask the dentist to tell you the stage his mouth has reached — which teeth are worn, loose or missing — because that forecast decides whether next year's interval should shorten. Before the vet leaves, agree the actual date or trigger for the next visit rather than a vague 'see him in a year', and write down what you were told to watch for in between.
When 'routine' becomes 'now'
Some findings should never wait for the calendar: choke, colic signs, a suddenly dropped appetite, rapid weight loss, a hot swollen leg, eye cloudiness or discharge, or a wound near a joint all need a vet the same day. Loose or broken teeth found at a routine check may also bring the next dental forward. The thread that makes all of this work is a record that survives changes of vet, dentist and yard — and his dental charts, blood results and visit notes sit together in one portable packet in KinsLe's Pet Passport, ready for every appointment.