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Q New foal: when to hard feed?
:I am breeding my first foal this season – and am very excited about the prospect. The foal is not due until November, but I’d like some advice now. The mare is in good condition and on reasonable pasture supplemented by hay. Does she need extra nutrients in the form of hard feed? And once the foal is born, should either the mare or the baby be hard fed?
I have a friend who breeds one or two foals a year. These foals go up in the back paddocks with their mothers and are not hard fed until they are bought into work at about age four. Another friend hard feeds her two-year-old daily, and has done so since he was a weanling. Who is right?
Gemma, Mamaku
A
:Good luck with your first foaling – how exciting for you! I still enjoy foaling down mares here – even with all the sleepless nights leading up to it.
Regarding feeding, it all depends on how good your hay and grassland is. If you fertilise your paddocks well, and have the grass analysed so you know it is good quality, then you may well get away without additional feeding. However, heavily pregnant and lactating mares may still struggle to get enough nutrients without losing condition; after all she is ‘eating for two’! The pregnancy can often hide poor condition in the mare, and you may find her underweight after she has foaled down. Check if she is flat or has a slight spine dent across the top of her quarters, when viewed from behind, to get a better idea of her condition. If her quarters slope downwards from her spine, she is too thin. Be aware that, as she gets very big, she may lose her appetite as the foal starts kicking her in the guts from the inside! In these cases, I feed mares little and often, usually good broodmare mix is nutrient-dense enough to get them through these final stages.
It’s all really a matter of cost and quality. Certainly, foals from fed dams and that have been correctly fed themselves grow and develop better and have fewer problems than those left to fend for themselves. They are also less likely to have feeding problems when mature. Be aware that if your mare (and foal) have deficiencies or are unbalanced in certain nutrients, you may end up with an expensive vet bill.
The optimal way of producing mares and foals is to feed the mare a correctly balanced broodmare diet in the last three months of her pregnancy. Once the foal is born, this feeding should be maintained until she has gone over peak lactation, when the foal starts to be interested in eating grass and his mother’s feed. At this point, weanling feeds can be introduced, and, once the foal is weaned, continuing to feed it will prevent dips in condition and growth and potential gastric upsets. Correct feeding of youngstock is important for even, consistent growth. However, letting young horses get too heavy can be dangerous and cause joint problems, so you should always make sure they are just on the ‘lean’ side of normal condition.
Q Which feed for my pony?
:I will be buying a pony soon and I’m just wondering about feeding. We have grazing, but in the winter it gets a bit muddy. I will probably ride my pony three to four days a week all year around. There is so much different feed out there but I don’t know what to use for my pony. Can you tell me, am I okay just with grass or do I have to buy man-made feed?
Kelly, Red Beach
A
:It all really depends on your pony! Some need lots of feed and some seem to live on fresh air and can get very fat. Most owners focus on how fat or thin their pony is, and sometimes forget that it also needs other things, like protein, vitamins and minerals, to be fit and well. If your pony tends to be fat, always make sure that it has access to everything else it needs, by using a complete balanced supplement of some form, and by fertilising your paddocks. As each pony is as individual as its owner, it’s a case of wait and see how it behaves, before deciding how to feed. Most ponies do very well on a high fibre ‘cool’ feed, which has lower energy levels, and helps stop them getting fizzy and fat.
Q Salt
:If a salt lick is not an option to give to your horse, about how much salt do you put in their hard feed?
I have a young pony in moderate work.
Caitlin, via e-mail
A
:If you are using a completely balanced diet, then there will already be salt included in it, so you don’t normally need to supplement it further. However, if your feed is just, say, grass nuts and not completely balanced, then you can feed salt, although be careful to only use small amounts. Ponies (weighing around 200 kg) in moderate work need around 20-30g salt per day, according to the latest guidelines (giving 21g chloride), and they will obtain a small amount of this from grass or hay and so on.
In hotter weather, you may need to give more if your pony is sweating. The best way is to give a balanced electrolyte, as this will replace all the minerals lost in sweat, not just the sodium and chloride in common salt.
