Feeding Broodmares
By: Russell Mueller, M.S., P.A.S.
Progressive Nutrition's Equine Guide # 200
Date: 11/6/2005
With breeding season here, stallions and mares are being paired in the hopes of getting the foal that will take you to the top. An overlooked aspect of producing this foal is the feeding program that goes into the mare. Nutrition has a dramatic impact on the developing foal’s structural correctness, size and overall health. Proper diet will also make sure the mare stays in good condition throughout gestation, lactation and rebreeding.
Common practice has been to ignore the mare’s nutrition until the last trimester. Let’s think about that for a minute. Does a medical doctor tell an expectant mother, “you can eat and drink whatever you want and you don’t need to take prenatal vitamins right now; just come back and see me in your last trimester.” NO. From the earliest possible stage the doctor makes sure this mother takes care of herself and recommends a good prenatal vitamin.
Why then is it common practice not to worry about the nutritional profile of our broodmare until her last trimester? If the only worry for this mare is calorie intake and body condition this may be fine. Since a pregnant mare may be able to consume enough calories from good quality forage to maintain or even gain weight, during early pregnancy it is assumed that no additional nutrition is needed. But calories and body condition don’t tell the entire story. No forage today can supply the essential vitamins and minerals needed to meet the mare’s minimum needs, let alone the needs of a developing fetus. Inadequate prenatal intake of these key nutrients can be a major factor in foals born with leg problems or Developmental Orthopedic Diseases (D.O.D.) such as epiphysitis or contracted tendons.
Mother nature has built in back-up mechanisms that will allow the mare to pull from her own reserves to supply the fetus, if her nutrient intake is not sufficient. This reserve is adequate to supply the first few foals in times of need with out additional supplementation. However, if these stores are not replenished in the mare, continued depletion can cause problems in later foals due to insufficient nutrients to build body structures.
The ideal time to replenish these reserves is during early gestation. At this time, the mare’s actual need for nutrients is below what it will be in the later trimester. However, if you supply an elevated level of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) above what she actually needs for herself, she can use the extra minerals and vitamins to build up her reserves so she is running on a full take of gas, per se. This additional nutritional supplementation must be done with in the context of a balanced ration. Just adding a vitamin and mineral mix to your current diet with out proper guidance can result in an imbalanced diet and cause other problems.
During the last trimester about 60% of the fetal development will occur. This tremendous growth requires increased calories along with the increased vitamin and minerals already being supplied since conception.
During lactation the calorie, vitamin and mineral requirement will double to triple form that of an open mare. The calories can be met by increasing the grain or adding a high fat supplement like Envision™ Classic. The essential mineral and vitamin can be added by using ProAdvantage® Diet Balancer or a higher level of an appropriate Progressive Nutrition grain.
Mares should be maintained in a body condition score range of 5-7. This assures proper reserves to produce milk and meet the mares own calorie needs. The better body condition a mare is in results in higher conception rates and maintenance of body weight during lactation.
The foals that broodmares produce signify the future of our goals for the horse industry. Keep the following points in mind when feeding broodmares.
Broodmares are not open mares; therefore, they need a higher plane of nutrition the entire length of gestation.
Common practice is to increase a broodmares diet in late pregnancy. However, with a little care and not a great deal of money, elevated nutrition started for the entire length of pregnancy can pay big dividends.
Calories are met easily in early pregnancy, but some types of minerals and vitamin sources like that are supplied by ProAdvantage® Diet Balancer or Forage Pro™ free choice supplement is needed.
All diet alterations must be monitored to assure that proper diet balance is always achieved.
Good luck with this year’s foals, and look forward to the foals in the future, remembering that genetics, environment and nutrition are all vital. It just makes Sense
