Broodmare Nutrition Make a Rescue Horse Lucky in March!


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Broodmare


Nutrition During Late Gestation


With a rapidly growing un- born foal, the transition time from mid-to late-gestation can pose nutritional chal- lenges for pregnant mares


Up to 60 percent of an un-


born foal’s growth happens during the last three months of pregnan- cy. As such, late gestation can pose nutritional challenges for pregnant mares. Comparatively, unborn foals grow very slowly (approximate- ly 0.2 pounds per day) during the first seven to eight months of gestation, causing very little nutri- tional stress on the mare. “Dry mares in


early ges-


tation can be fed like a mature, idle horse,” says Karen Davison, Ph.D., Director and Nutritionist for Equine Technical Solutions at Purina Animal Nutrition. “Good quality pasture or hay along with a ration balancer or vitamin/min- eral supplement may be all that is necessary to meet the mare’s nu- tritional requirements.” However, during the last 90 days of pregnancy, the fetus gains approximately 1 pound per day and has a significant impact on the mare’s nutritional requirements for protein, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, the increased size of the fetus takes up more room in the mare’s body cavity, which may result in the mare eat- ing less hay or forage. This reduc-


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tion in forage intake, coupled with increased nutritional demands of the pregnancy, requires mares to be supplemented with a nutrition- ally-balanced feed ration to meet total nutrient requirements. “Even in situations where forage alone is maintaining mares in acceptable body condition, it is important they receive quality concentrate supplementation,” advises Davison. “While good quality forage may be able to pro- vide sufficient calories to maintain body condition of the mare, other nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals, will be deficient.”


Research


Proteins has


shown foal


birth weight can be negatively affected when mares are not fed adequate protein during late ges- tation, even when mares are main- tained in fleshy condition. “It is not uncommon to see fat mares have small, weak foals when the mares’ diets are ade- quate in calories but low in qual- ity protein sources,” says Davi- son. “Even when mares are fed high-protein forage, such as alfal- fa, the diet can still be deficient in important amino acids.” Davison


suggests supple-


menting mares in late gestation with a feed ration containing qual- ity protein sources to help meet amino acid requirements for opti-


mal foal development. Minerals


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gestation, the greatest amount of mineral retention occurs in the unborn foal. Adequate trace min- eral supplementation for the mare is critical for normal fetal devel- opment and provides sufficient minerals for the developing foal to store and utilize immediately after birth. “In the first weeks of life,


foals will not eat sufficient amounts of fortified feeds and may not have adequate absorption of dietary trace mineral sources at this early stage of development,” says Davison. “Proper mineral nu- trition of the mare in late gestation helps ensure the foal receives an adequate supply of these import- ant nutrients to use during very early growth stages.”


Thin mares It is important to proper-


ly support good body condition through late gestation to ensure the mare is in good shape at foal- ing.


“When mares are thin with ribs showing during late gesta- tion, it’s an indication the mare isn’t meeting her own calorie re- quirements for maintenance. As such, it’s likely the growing foal inside isn’t receiving adequate calorie nutrition for proper de- velopment,” says Davison. “The day the mare foals, her calorie re- quirements increase dramatically. If the mare is thin when she foals, her milk production and the early development of the foal could be negatively affected.”


In these cases, Davison ad- vises feeding a calorically- and nutrient-dense feed to supply the needed energy and weight gain without feeding excessive amounts of grain.


Fat mares


If a mare is significantly overweight during late gestation, where ribs cannot be seen and are difficult to feel, Davison says it is important to provide adequate protein, vitamins and minerals to support optimal fetal development without adding unnecessary calo- ries.


For overweight mares, Da- vison suggests a concentrated protein, vitamin and mineral sup- plement designed to be fed at 1 to 2 pounds per day. This type of supplement or ration balancer will meet the nutrient needs of the un- born foal without causing weight gain in the mare. It may be nec- essary to restrict hay intake to 1.5 percent of the mare’s body weight if she is significantly overweight. Proper nutritional manage- ment of the broodmare during late gestation will give her foal the best start in life. With the time and money invested in getting a foal on the ground, it’s important not to skimp on mare nutrition during this critical time.


For more information on broodmare and foal nutrition, visit www.purinamills.com/horse-feed. w


Purina Animal Nutrition


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