How Much Hay Should A Pregnant Horse Eat?

20 to 25 lbs.
A typical diet for gestating mares during latter pregnancy is 20 to 25 lbs good-quality hay, plus 6 to 8 lbs of concentrate. If a mare is on poor winter pasture, the hay and concentrate may need to be increased.

What is the best hay to feed a pregnant mare?

alfalfa
Good-quality alfalfa or alfalfa-grass hays are suitable for lactating mares. Good-quality pasture is also an excellent forage source, and hay may not be necessary when pasture is abundant. Broodmares should be fed a concentrate that is formulated for the needs of mares and foals.

What should you feed a pregnant horse?

Dry mares in early gestation can basically be fed like any other mature, idle horse. Good quality pasture or hay along with a supplement such as Purina^® Free Balance 12:12 vitamin/mineral supplement or Enrich Plus^® Ration Balancing horse feed may be all that is necessary to meet these mares’ nutritional requirements.

Can you overfeed a pregnant mare?

Resist the temptation to overfeed.
A common management mistake among well-meaning mare owners is overfeeding during the first seven to eight months of pregnancy. The fetus does not grow at an even rate during pregnancy; in fact, most fetal growth occurs in the final three months of gestation.

How can I get my pregnant horse to gain weight?

In considering the forage component of the mare’s diet, the only thing you might do to increase its caloric contribution is to switch to a high-quality alfalfa hay. In some regions, alfalfa is difficult to obtain or expensive, so as long as the hay you’re feeding is palatable and plentiful, the forage is acceptable.

Do pregnant mares need alfalfa?

The short answer is yes, it is perfectly acceptable to feed your mares alfalfa hay. If the hay is moderate quality or better, your mares will likely have no trouble maintaining their weight.

How much alfalfa should a pregnant mare have?

If allowed to self-regulate her intake, she will likely consume 2.5 to 3.5 percent of her body weight as forage. Alfalfa hay should also be included to balance her protein needs. Alfalfa should never be fed exclusively (due to potential mineral imbalances). Strive for a 60:40 ratio of grass hay to alfalfa hay.

Is beet pulp good for pregnant mares?

Nonetheless, mares late in pregnancy are frequently offered additional energy in the form of concentrated feeds, such as those containing oats, soybean, barley, corn, beet pulp, stabilized rice bran, and other feedstuffs.

How can I speed up my horse pregnancy?

The exact duration within that timeframe is random for each pregnancy. There is no way to speed up pregnancies, not even through artificially ageing the mare.

When should you not worm a pregnant mare?

As your mare approaches her due date, leave worming until the day of foaling and replace mum and foal in a new paddock as the manure will only contain dead worms and eggs. Foals have a wonderful habit of ingesting Mum’s manure and therefor worm eggs.

How long can I ride a pregnant mare?

Generally speaking, you can ride a pregnant mare from month two of her pregnancy until month eight.

What happens if you feed a horse too much hay?

But it’s easy to go overboard when feeding them with the wrong hard feeds or hay that is too high in sugar or protein. Overfeeding leads to problems like obesity, laminitis, and colic. Healthy horses need a very simple diet of good pasture or hay.

Should you ride a pregnant mare?

Also, over exertion in hot weather or high humidity could result in dehydration or heat exhaustion. Either of these conditions will put both the mare and foal at risk. It seems to be a widely accepted rule that riding a broodmare for her first 6-8 months of pregnancy is okay and can even be beneficial.

What puts weight on horses fast?

What is the fastest way to put weight on a horse? High fat, high protein grain combined with a rich alfalfa hay can quickly put weight on a horse, if there is not an underlying medical condition.

How much protein do pregnant mares need?

Be aware though that many forages are really quite low in protein 6-7% average and a pregnant mare will need an average of 11% protein in the diet to be able to keep herself at optimum health at the same time as building the new life within her.

Does beet pulp put weight on horses?

Beet pulp can be used to help underweight horses gain weight, as it provides approximately 1,000 kcals per pound (one quart of dry beet pulp shreds weighs approximately 0.5-0.6 pounds).

How much hay does a nursing mare need?

However, early lactation weight loss in mares that foal in thin condition will often lengthen rebreeding time, lower conception rates, and threaten the subsequent pregnancy. A lactating mare usually requires between 2 and 3 percent of her body weight in total feed (hay + grain) daily.

Can you overfeed a horse alfalfa?

Alfalfa hay can cause diarrhea in a horse that overeats it because the hay is rich and full of nutrients. Overeating alfalfa can also cause a horse to have excess gas, develop laminitis, and founder.

How many bales of hay should a horse eat per day?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

How many flakes of alfalfa does a horse need per day?

The daily dry matter intake of an adult horse performing light work should be about 1.8% of its body weight each day. At least 65% of this amount should be forage. In other words, a 1,000 lb horse should be fed 18 pounds of dry matter each day.

Do raspberry leaves help mares?

Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus) is an herb primarily used to help maintain normal hormone levels for mares. The active ingredients in raspberry appear to support smooth muscle tone in both the reproductive and GI tracts to help moody mares remain comfortable.