RE: [RC] pregnant mare nutrition, part 2 - Susan E. Garlinghouse, DVM
Part 2…
During her last few months, start adding in a good quality
broodmare/foal pellet that uses soybean meal as it’s protein source and is
somewhere around 16-18% protein. You don’t have to feed her tons, you
just want her used to a new feed before the foal hits the ground. Start
her out at a pound or so a day, and maybe up to 3-4 pounds a day the last month
of gestation. Make sure she has hay free choice 24/7. You’re
already providing most the nutrients she’s needing, the broodmare pellets will
insure the additional nutrients she needs for the foal without going overboard,
including extra minerals and things. PLEASE resist the urge to add in
lots of extra little this-and-that supplements, (except those specifically
delineated below), you WILL be causing more problems than you’re solving.
I repeat, do NOT add in any other little supplements, ESPECIALLY anything with
a mineral component, like Red Cell or such.
The only exceptions to the supplements rule are 1) if you want
to add ONE single dose of a quality, all-purpose vitamin-mineral supplement
(ie, Platinum Performance or something similar), fine, but not required if your
broodmare pellet is a good one; 2) free-choice salt. Doesn’t have to be
anything fancy, just salt will do; 3) Add an extra 1000-2000 iu of vitamin E
per day the last thirty days of gestation, either in the form of a pound of a
calcium-balanced rice bran, or as a vitamin E supplement. This last one
is important. Gel caps from WalMart will do. Not the E-Se equine
supplement, unless you also need to add a significant amount of selenium in
your area. Platinum Performance also has an E supplement that’s 4000 iu
per tablespoon, which is what I use. There’s good science that indicates
adding extra vitamin E the last month will increase the concentration of
antibodies in both the mare’s colostrum, and subsequently, in the foal after ingestion.
Pretty nifty. You can skip it only if she’s on really nice, green
pasture, because then she’s already getting tons of vitamin E. Otherwise,
do it.
The other reason you want to be providing broodmare/foal pellets
is because the baby will start nosing around and sharing Mom’s rations within
the first few days or week or so, and also her hay ration. He’s not
getting a really appreciable amount of nutrition for awhile, but you want it
available and something that Mom is already used to getting. You don’t
need to add Foal-Lac pellets, or special grains, or anything else. Adding
a little alfalfa is nice, not because it’s nutritionally critical, but because
it’s usually softer on the baby’s mouth than grass hay might be. If you
have good quality grass hay, you can skip the alfalfa entirely. Ignore
the gasps of horror from the halter horse breeders in the neighborhood, you’re
looking for a sound performance horse in a few years, not a 1400-lb yearling.
Skip the bran mash recommendations. You’re not adding
anything really significant nutritionally, it doesn’t do a darn thing to avoid
colic, and you’re more likely to mess up mineral profiles from the rest of the
ration.
