The right nutrition for your pregnant mare

When your mare is expecting a foal, it is an exciting time. And of course you want to feed her as well as possible to be able to give birth to a healthy foal. How do you go about this? Does your mare need extra nutrients? And when do you start with that?

11 March '25 - 2 min reading time

A pregnant mare must be in 'good nutritional condition'. Not too thin, because if she lacks nutrients herself, she cannot provide them to the foal through her milk. In addition, she needs reserves for when she foals. But too fat is also not good! In a mare that is too fat, too much fat causes a narrowing in the birth canals. That prevents a smooth birth of the foal.

The new feeding

Many horse owners nowadays feed their animals very little concentrated feed, or only sugar-free, grain-free and natural. Countless horses do very well on good hay and a balancer. However, if your mare becomes pregnant, you are faced with a difficult choice. Because especially in the last three months of pregnancy, the need for minerals, vitamins and also proteins really increases. And that also applies to the first months that the foal suckles. But to fall back on the traditional mare feed, which is often full of grains, sugars and starch, that is not something everyone likes. Certainly not if a mare is clearly sensitive to grains or sugar, suffers from summer fever or quickly becomes too fat…

Mare's feed, but different

Fortunately, there are now also manufacturers who make sugar- and grain-free pellets for mares in the last three months and during the lactation period. These pellets are an excellent addition to your mare's ration. The packaging will tell you how much to give in which month. Growing and suckling a foal is a top sport, so nutritional support is very important. These special products contain extra proteins and amino acids for the foal's growth and milk production. They also contain more bone-building minerals than regular balancers or pellets.

Minerals and trace elements

The most important minerals for bone development are phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and silicon. If your mare is on the grass, she will get some of these, but magnesium and silicon in particular can sometimes be present in too low concentrations. Dutch hay often has a magnesium deficiency and horses that are not on the grass regularly get too little silicon. For a pregnant mare, a good balancer (in sufficiently large portions) is a must. In addition, it is advisable to always provide silicon, which ensures the healthy development of bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments and cartilage.

To ensure that your mare also gets all the possible trace elements she needs, you can offer a supplement of Bering Sea water over the feed or as part of the mineral buffet. Concentrated pure Bering Sea water contains more than a hundred different trace elements.