Feed and Supplement Correctly
Reproduction and Growth
Ensuring that the nutritional needs of breeding mares, stallions and foals are met using the most appropriate feeding strategies is crucial.
Feed and Supplement Correctly
Reproduction and Growth
Stallion - How should I feed?
In general, the feeding of breeding horses is still relatively ignored in daily practice. However, we know today that the feeding of stallions influences their performance and fertility.
Added to this knowledge is the fact that the breeder generally has a sporting activity to perform, which requires increased care with its diet.
Reproductive Season
Stallions must present adequate body condition at the beginning of the breeding season and this should be monitored in order to better adapt their feeding management during this period.
Skinny stallions have low body reserves, which can compromise their performance and fertility. Obesity in stallions is also undesirable, as it is associated with a decrease in libido and fertility, and often contributes to increased joint overload, which can, in turn, contribute to physical limitations on the stallion's performance.
Food Management
Breeders with access to good quality pasture may see their needs met by using pasture alone. However, Depending on the quality of the pasture, it is often necessary to supplement it with a mineral and multivitamin complex.
BALANCE
Breeders kept in stables should be provided with adequate forage feed, in quantity and quality, and a balanced complementary feed. We know that energy needs increase during the reproductive season, particularly when combined with sports activities. In order to meet these increased needs, it is recommended to use a specific food during the reproductive season.
EPOLDRIN
In breeding animals that have a tendency towards obesity, access to pasture should be conditioned, and these horses should consume a low-calorie complementary food that provides the vitamins and minerals they need, complementing the dry forage food.
BALANCE
In stallions that have difficulty maintaining their body condition, we should allow them to consume as much forage as they want, supplementing them with a suitable compound feed and, if necessary, adding a source of fat. The caloric density of an oil is significant, and it is a safe way to increase the caloric intake of these horses. In breeding animals, we should give priority to oils with a high Omega 3 content, such as linseed oil or fish oil, as they are associated with improved spermatogenesis.
Stallions also have increased needs for vitamin E during the reproductive phase. (pass from 500 IU to 800 IU (NRC, 2007)), so supplementation should be considered, particularly if they do not have access to pasture, given the loss of vitamin E that occurs with haymaking. The correct supply of vitamin E to sires prevents oxidative damage to sperm cells, thus favoring the stallion's fertility.
VIT E+
Older stallions, those with a more nervous temperament or those that are extremely active may have a greater tendency to lose weight during the breeding season. These cases may also benefit from a diet with a higher fat content.
NATURE MASH
In short, knowing the needs of sires and ensuring that these needs are met has reproductive advantages for stallions.
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Feed and Supplement Correctly
Reproduction and Growth
Foals - Feeding after weaning
In general, weaning results in a decrease in the foal's growth rate. To prevent this decline, it is important to ensure that the foal ingests a sufficient quantity of dry matter to meet its nutritional needs. The feeding plan and growth should be monitored rigorously at this stage, and overfeeding is also not desirable.
After weaning
After weaning, the foal's feeding management should remain strict. Between 12 and 15 months of age, the foal will reach approximately 90% of height at the withers, 95% of bone growth and approximately 70% of adult weight. The remaining growth will occur gradually thereafter, with significant differences in the remaining growth time depending on the breed.
A proper diet that avoids periods of stress remains essential, with regular growth being preferable to growth spurts. Nutritional deficiencies, excesses or imbalances have been associated with developmental orthopedic disorders (DODs) and are therefore undesirable.
choice of food
When choosing food, priority should be given to a good quality forage component (hay and/or pasture) and a specific compound feed for foals, with good digestibility and which provides an adequate supply of lysine, vitamins, macrominerals (such as calcium and phosphorus) and microminerals (such as zinc and copper) necessary for correct bone and joint development.
YOUNG
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Feed and Supplement Correctly
Reproduction and Growth
Foals - Feeding from birth to weaning
The foal's diet is a fundamental factor for its development and for preventing diseases. Only with a balanced diet can we ensure that the foal's growth and development correspond to its genetic potential.
The foal's nutrition begins in the uterus (feeding the fetus), and it is important for the foetus that the mare has a balanced diet throughout the gestation period, and that the increased nutritional needs, especially in the last trimester, are respected.
After birth
After birth, the newborn foal performs activities that consume energy. Since its endogenous energy reserves are limited, it is through colostrum that it obtains the nutrients necessary to perform these activities.
Colostrum is therefore the foal's first food and its early ingestion is essential from a nutritional, immunological and intestinal point of view (laxative effect).
Until approximately three months of age, the nutritional needs of the lactating foal are met by maternal milk, the composition of which varies throughout lactation, after which the foal must supplement its milk intake with pasture and/or specific compound feed.
creep-feeding
Supplementation of the lactating foal with specific compound feed supplied selectively to the foal (through selective feeders or areas dedicated to feeding foals) is called creep-feeding. This practice promotes habituation to solid food, promoting the foal's food autonomy and reducing the effects of stress from weaning.
It should only be noted that the introduction of the practice of creep feeding should be done from eight weeks onwards, gradually, and the amount of specific compound feed provided should vary according to age, breed and composition of the feed (for example: for a foal under four months old, the amount of compound feed provided should vary between 0.5-1.0 kg for every 100 kg of the foal's BW).
compound feed
When choosing compound feed, it should be specifically formulated for foals (or for mares and foals), prioritizing a high-quality protein (rich in lysine, the limiting amino acid) and presenting an adequate mineral content with regard to calcium, phosphorus, copper and zinc.
YOUNG
EPOLDRIN
With regard to orphans, the importance of colostrum intake in the first hours of life remains, and can later be transitioned to artificial feeding through a bottle or bucket, or breastfeeding by an adoptive mother can be attempted (if a mare is available who lost her foal at birth).
For orphaned foals that have not been adopted, solid food can be provided from two weeks of age (using a specific compound feed and good quality hay), as a complement to the replacement milk. In these cases, weaning should occur between 14 and 16 weeks.
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Feed and Supplement Correctly
Reproduction and Growth
Breeding mares - How should I feed them?
It is now known that the feeding of a breeding mare is a key factor in her fertility, as well as in the health and growth of the foal. The needs of breeding mares differ from those of other horses, and they therefore constitute a particular group that requires specific care with their feeding.
Body condition
Assessing the body condition of mares allows us to estimate the amount of body reserves they have, as well as monitor the established feeding plan, which is why it should be assessed regularly.
Studies show that medium to high body condition scores (minimum score of 5 on the Body Condition Scale) Henneke – Scale from 1 to 9) and increasing body condition, translate into higher fertility rates. Since these mares resume cyclicity earlier, they have a lower number of ovulatory cycles per conception, higher conception rates and shorter intervals between births.
Body condition also affects production factors. Breeders with scores below 5 do not have sufficient fat reserves to optimize milk production. Meanwhile, breeders with medium to high scores at calving tend to produce a greater quantity of milk, which is beneficial for the foal's growth.
Needs of breeding mares
Breeders can be kept on an appropriate maintenance feed and a quality forage base when they are not pregnant, or when pregnant, until the fifth month of gestation. From that point onwards, a specific feed should be provided in order to increase the supply of nutrients, particularly protein.
Gestation
From the seventh month of gestation onwards, foetal development (muscle and bone tissue) increases, which means that the requirements increase significantly, particularly in terms of energy, protein and minerals (calcium and phosphorus). During this period, it is essential to provide a feed that, in addition to calcium and phosphorus, also provides iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Since vitamin A requirements are higher, they must also be met by the feed, particularly if the mares do not have access to pasture.
EPOLDRIN
Free radicals can affect multiple reproductive processes, such as oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryonic development. Therefore, supplementation with antioxidant substances (such as vitamin E and selenium) also has reproductive benefits.
Supplementation with Vitamin E in the final phase of gestation and early lactation also benefits the foal's immunity by promoting the transfer of passive immunity through colostrum.
VIT E+
The incorporation of fat into the diet can be an important ally if it is necessary to increase the digestible energy of the diet without increasing the concentrated feed. In these cases, the incorporation of a fat source rich in omega 3 is recommended, and studies indicate the benefits of its use for follicular growth in the mare, embryonic development and colostrum quality.
Lactation
The needs remain increased during lactation, so providing a specific feed is crucial. If these increased needs are not met, milk production may be compromised and the mare's body condition may decrease, which may in some way harm the subsequent reproductive season.
EPOLDRIN
In short, knowing the needs of breeding mares and having a well-established feeding plan offers reproductive and productive advantages for the mare, contributing to the healthy growth and development of the foals.