What Do You Feed A Pregnant 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.

What does a pregnant horse need?

During the last four months of pregnancy, the foal will grow rapidly. To accommodate this growth, the mare’s energy needs will increase. Even so, special nutritional supplements are probably unnecessary. Good-quality hay and forage should remain the bulk of the expectant mare’s diet.

What can you not feed a pregnant horse?

One type of hay or pasture to avoid is fescue, which is often infected with an endophyte that causes problems in pregnant mares, including prolonged gestation, difficult delivery, and lack of milk. Make sure all bedding is free of fescue, too.

How do you take care of a pregnant horse?

Pregnant mares need adequate daily exercise in a paddock or pasture. Any horses kept together should be compatible, which helps to decrease stress. Vaccinations and deworming should be done before the mare is bred, with vaccinations avoided during the first 90 days of gestation.

Is alfalfa good for pregnant mares?

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.

What is the best hay for pregnant mares?

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. The fetus gains 1 pound per day during these final three gestational months.

What kind of hay should I feed my 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.

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.

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.

Can you feed raw eggs to horses?

Remember, the yolk is the sole source of food for a developing chick. As for horses, eggs have been and still are a common addition to the Irish and English racehorse diet (along with a Guinness stout), and I met a three-day event rider in the United States that fed raw eggs as well.

What should you have in a foaling kit?

Foaling Supplies Checklist

• Terry cloth towels—bath towel or half-size bath towels.
• Stainless steel bucket.
• Liquid soap such as Ivory, Dawn or Joy.
• Roll cotton.
• Baling twine or strong string.
• Scissors.
• Enemas (any enema safe for children is fine; a phosphate enema is best)

How do you prepare for a foal?

Clean and disinfect the foaling stall so it’s ready. If possible, leave it empty until right before the mare is ready to foal. When foaling is imminent, bed the stall with straw or bedding hay (not moldy or dusty). Avoid shavings for foaling, which will stick to the wet newborn and possibly get in his nose.

How long does it take for a pregnant horse to start showing?

about six months
After about three months, the foal will be developing rapidly and start to look like a small horse. After about six months, the mare may start to be visibly pregnant. Mares that have foaled before may show an expanding abdomen sooner than a maiden mare.

When should a pregnant mare be wormed?

You should try to worm them about 2 weeks prior to foaling and try to limit the stress involved during the process. Deworming with Ivermectin can also be performed 24 hours after foaling to help prevent parasites from being passed on to the foal through its mother’s milk.

When should you not worm a pregnant mare?

Be mindful that deworming should be avoided within the first 60 days of gestation. During this time, the unborn foal is developing their major internal organs — a process called organogenesis.

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.

What to feed a mare after foaling?

Calcium and phosphorous
Calcium requirements increase post-natally to 50-60g daily for an average-sized mare. However, for efficient absorption, it is important that calcium is fed with phosphorous, at a ratio of around 1.5-2:1 (Ca:P) — supplementing with di-calcium phosphate will ensure that the correct ratio is fed.

What does oats do for horses?

Oats provide concentrated high energy, high phosphorous food for horses. Where phosphorus levels are low in grass or hay horses are eating then the addition of oats to the bucket feed will enable phosphorous levels to be raised in the daily diet.

How can I get my pregnant mare 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.

Can foals have alfalfa?

Grass, the most natural of equine foods, should always be available when foals are turned out, and hay should be provided in the stall. Alfalfa (lucerne) or an alfalfa/grass mix will provide both energy and calcium for sound skeletal development. Water and salt should be accessible to mares and foals at all times.

What is a pregnant horse called?

A mare is pregnant. When the mare is foaling, she is actually in labor and giving birth. We say, “A mare foaled” when she gives birth. The foal is the young horse after birth. The newborn male is a colt and the new born female is a filly.