Nutrition Overview 

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Feeding growing horses is a balancing act which combines genetics, management, the environment, and nutrition [28]. The goal of nutritional management in relation to developmental orthopedic disease is to prevent rapid growth rates by providing a balanced dietary approach. The exact nutritional needs of each horse cannot be outlined simply, but the following information is meant as guidelines for breeders and owners to consider in regards to nutrition.

 

Broodmares

It is important to consider what the pregnant mare is eating as her nutritional content dictates the offspring's development during gestation and also impacts the nutritional composition of the milk for the suckling foal post-parturition [28]. 

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Considerations:

• Mares body condition (refer to prevention)

• Stage of gestation and lactation

• Quality of feed provided 

 

Nursing Foals 

During the nursing period of a foal's life, the mare's milk provides all the nutrients the rapidly growing foal requires, until they are able to utilize forages and concentrates such as grass and grain [29]. Depending on the mare's diet, the components she consumes in her feed will affect the nutrient composition of the milk during lactation [28]. The dam produces an average of  2-3% of her body weight in milk each day, therefore it is very important that she is consuming adequate feed and water to provide for the foal (3). Peak lactation occurs around the second and third month of a foal's life. During this time, the mare is required to be consuming double the amount of feed that she would before she was bred. Lactating mares must be provided with excess energy, adequate protein, vitamins and minerals in their daily feed [3]. 

 

Nursing Foal Additives

Foals may begin to show interest in solid feed at around two weeks of age. Due to the foal's fast growing needs, at around ten weeks of age the dams milk does not have adequate nutritional value for the foal's growth [3]. High quality grains and forage should be added to the foals diet to achieve the rate of growth required. Foal rations must have proper vitamin and mineral balances to prevent deficits or excesses which can lead to skeletal problems in a growing foal [28]. Owners can add a vitamin and mineral premix to the foal's diet to reduce the likelihood of deficits. 

 

Feeding Guidelines For Foals [29]

• Provide high quality roughage (typically alfalfa/ high energy hay) as free choice feed 

• Provide a high quality, balanced ration grain supplement 

• Rule of thumb is one pound of feed per month of age per day 

• Adjust feed rations based on equid’s individual growth and exercise 

• Feed many small rations per day instead of one large ration per day 

• Use a creep feeder to prevent the dam from eating the foal’s rations (creep feed is feed that only the foal can access)

• Do not overfeed (assess body condition score in relation to BCS chart and feed accordingly)

• Provide large paddock for exercise 

 

Weaning

Foal rations should be increased over a three week period prior to completion of weaning to make up for the lack of nutrients in the milk supply. The dam’s feed should slowly decrease over time to reduce and eventually eliminate milk production. After the foal is no longer nursing from the dam, the foal should be provided with 3% of their body weight in feed per day. From weaning day until the horse is finished growing, they should be consuming 15% protein in their diet to meet their growth and activity demands (alfalfa hay, pasture grass, grain supplement, etc.)[29]. As growth of the horse slows down, rations will need to be adjusted appropriately to their body weight. Nutritional requirements will be impacted by breed, maturity, growth rate and level of exercise -  and thus owners should monitor BCS to determine the precise state and needs of their individual horse [30].

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