|
Breeding a healthy foal
is only the beginning of the story. The aim of every
breeder is to maximize the genetic potential of the
offspring, enabling well-reared Young stock to develop
into adults with long and fulfilling lives.
Good nutrition for the
mare is vital to give the foal the best possible start
to life. The gestation period for a mare is 11 months,
this period can be divided into two stages. Early
gestation, covering the first 8 months of pregnancy and
late gestation covering the last three months of
pregnancy.
In terms of feeding for
these two different phases, during the first eight
months of pregnancy feed a good quality balanced
maintenance diet. This will aid fetal development
without allowing the mare to get fat. The only exception
to this is if the mare is lactating or if she is in
particularly poor condition, if this is the case feed a
quality stud ration.
The last three months
of pregnancy is when 60% of fetal development occurs. To
support this growth the mare’s nutritional requirements
increase. Research has shown her energy requirements
increase by up to 20% above maintenance. Protein,
calcium and phosphorus also increase as the fetus
develops. Trace element nutrition is also vital in late
pregnancy. To meet all these requirements move the mare
slowly over to a stud ration.
If you have a native
mare or a good doer they will not require the nutrition
of a stud feed. In these cases continue to feed at a
maintenance level, but make sure the extra requirements
for amino acids and trace elements are met by adding in
a broad spectrum supplement to provide the necessary
requirements for the mare and her growing fetus at this
important time.
During lactation your
mare will we working as hard as she would if she were
running a race everyday. Poor nutrition during the first
three months of lactation can have an adverse effect on
the mare’s body condition, fertility and foal growth. At
this time the stud ration can be used up to 50% of daily
intake especially if hay or grazing is poor.
Once the foal is born,
he will gain all his nutrition from his mother’s milk in
the first few weeks. After this, energy from the milk
will not fully meet the foal’s requirements as milk
quality decreases. To aid normal foal growth, and to
provide the extra amino acids, vitamins and minerals
essential for muscle development and normal skeletal
growth, a good rule of thumb is to give a pound of feed
per month of age for thoroughbreds but restricted to
half of this for smaller or slower growing breeds.
Aim for constant growth
avoiding sudden spurts, and avoid overfeeding as this
may predispose the foal to Developmental Orthopedic
Disease (DOD). |