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Horses Feeding Your Mare For a Healthy Foal
As Horses breeders of horses know, the key to producing a healthy foal is treating mama right, beginning with proper nutrition. Providing she is in good physical condition when she is bred -which she most certainly should be most mares do well on a quality maintenance diet until their third trimester. It is during this stage that most of the foal’s growth will occur and alterations will need to be made in the mare’s diet to maintain her condition and promote a healthy foal. In months 9, 10 and 11, a pregnant mare’s energy needs increase by 11, 13 and 20 percent respectively.
But since mares often eat less in the later stages of pregnancy due to shrinking space you won’t be able to just put more feed in the manger. Instead, you may want to feed less hay and more high-calorie grain or a balanced ration or switch to a higher-calorie, higher-protein hay such as alfalfa. To help her foal grow, the mare’s protein needs will also increase by 22 to 33 percent of her regular maintenance diet. Again, this may
mean opting for higher protein hay, or supplementing with a high quality protein source such as soybean oil meal. Your mare should also have a constant supply of clean water and access to a salt/mineral block. Of course, before altering a pregnant mare’s diet in any way you should consult with your veterinarian to ensure that her specific needs, and those of her foal, will be met.
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| Horses Jumping |
The flash is a leather strap affixed to the front of the noseband. It is then buckled underneath the horse’s chin. The object of the flash is to keep the horse’s mouth shut. Either due to habit, poor oral conformation or plain greenness, some horses open their mouths in response to any amount of pressure. They soon learn this allows
them to evade much of the bit’s influence. The ingenious horse even learns to twist his jaw against the bit. The flash can help alleviate these vices. Flashes can be either permanently affixed to the noseband, or may be “hinged,” meaning they are buckled on and so can be switched from one bridle to the next, or removed for showing. Flashes are permitted in many dressage, eventing and jumper classes, but are off limits in hunter shows.
The flash should be adjusted so that it doesn’t restrict a horse’s breathing. It must stay well above the nostrils and not pull the noseband down. To be effective it must be tight, yet it mustn’t pinch any skin.
What is the right schedule for deworming your horse?
If your horse lives at a boarding stable or in any situation where at least two other horses are present, you should paste deworm your horse at least once every six to eight weeks to provide him with full protection against parasites. The reason for this is that the more horses that are present in the environment, the greater the parasite population and the higher the frequency of infection for each horse.
What are the most common signs of worms infestation?
Hair loss, diarrhea, colic and loss of appetite are only a few of the symptoms of uncontrolled worm infestation, and are the result of parasites interfering with the normal activities of the equine digestive system. Because intestinal parasites compete for nutrients in the horse’s digestive tract, they can also result in pneumonia, weight loss, anemia, rough hair coat, decreased stamina, coughing and/or nasal discharge,
summer sores, depression and loss of condition. Extremely severe infestation can result in death, especially in very young or very old horses.
Does rotating the same classes and brands of dewormers result in resistance for those brands? Rotating the same classes and brands of dewormers will not result in resistance to those dewormers provided the medications are properly dispensed. While cases have been documented of worms becoming resistant to a particular dewormer, improper use such as half dosing, reduced dosing or not deworming often enough is generally considered to be the cause.
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