What building blocks does a mare need for a foal?

When breeding a foal, you obviously choose a fantastic stallion that matches your mare perfectly. However, whether those fantastic genes also result in the perfect foal largely depends on the mare and the conditions during gestation. The right housing, nutrition, and supplements for your mare are crucial for the development of a healthy and strong foal.

26 April '21 - 5 min reading time

Without the right building blocks, it is impossible to create a quality foal. Even if you have chosen a fantastic mare and the most beautiful stallion from the book. It is in the womb where it is determined whether a healthy, strong, and vital quality foal will come out of your mare. No matter how good the stallion's lineage is, if the mare does not receive the proper nutrition and exercise during gestation, then your foal is already at a disadvantage that can never be overcome.

Is mare feed necessary?

Many people assume that mare feed is sufficient for a pregnant mare. Unfortunately, many brands of mare feed are full of grains (starch), such as wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Of course, this special feed also contains extra calcium, magnesium, and proteins, but feeding horses a lot of grains is not desirable. Grains contain a lot of phytic acid, a substance that hinders the absorption of minerals such as magnesium and calcium. Other minerals are also poorly absorbed when the feed contains a lot of phytic acid. The grains "steal" the minerals that are also in the feed. Those important nutrients are then no longer available as building blocks for the foal. Even in regular feed and mare feed, many sugars can cause problems. Pregnant mares are often more sensitive to disruptions in glucose and protein metabolism due to their different hormonal balance. Therefore, choose a mineral feed that contains all the minerals, the building blocks, for the mare and contains as little grain/starch as possible. You can give a standard balancer (Vitalbix, Equilin, Agrobs, Metazoa, Pavo Vital) and replace it with a grain-free mare feed like Vitalbix Breed & Grow in the last two months.

Vitamins and minerals: the building blocks of a foal

Your mare needs vitamins such as Vitamin E and Vitamin A (found in grass and carrots). In addition, minerals are essential: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and silicon work together for the development of strong bones, muscles, and tendons. Trace elements are also essential. These are substances that your horse needs in very small amounts, such as selenium and iodine. Often, trace elements in large quantities are bad for your horse. A good balancer is therefore very useful to feed, as these pellets contain the right trace elements, vitamins, and minerals in the correct proportions. If your horse is not on grass much or at all, it is a good idea to also supplement with Vitamin E. Healthy fats (omega-3), for example, from salmon oil, help with the development of the nervous system and brain.

What is a good diet for a broodmare?

We recommend the following nutrition for broodmares:

• Sufficient unpackaged roughage that is not too rich

• No mare feed based on grains and starch, but a balancer with highly concentrated vitamins and minerals. A normal balancer is sufficient for the first months (Vitalbix, Metazoa, Equilin, Agrobs, Pavo Vital). In the last two months, use a balancer for pregnant mares, for example, Vitalbix Breed & Grow.

• Optionally supplemented with minerals from concentrated water from the North Sea as sea minerals contain all the minerals available on earth.

• The mineral silicon (for stronger bones and joints)

• Vitamin E (natural or natural-equivalent)

• Omega-3 fatty acids (olive oil or salmon oil)

• Mineral buffet: Celtic sea salt, Himalayan salt, white salt lick. Do not use licks with a separate flavor (Likit products or fruit flavors) as they often contain a lot of sugar.

• Optionally, place some fresh willow branches in the paddock or create a snack wall with dried nettle or rosehip.

• Do not feed these herbs to your pregnant mare: devil's claw, fenugreek, sage, chaste tree, coltsfoot, chamomile, and liquorice.

• Do not overfeed your mare because she is pregnant! Especially in the first eight months of gestation, a horse needs little extra energy and proteins. If your mare is too fat, it can be detrimental to the foal's development. The most important thing is that your mare is fed a balanced diet with the right vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. These are the building blocks of a healthy foal, not grains/starches and molasses.

All information in this article is sourced from https://askheltie.com/en/articles/heltiehorse/what-building-blocks-does-a-mare-need-for-a-foal