Feeding a foal...

blitznbobs

blitznbobs

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I'm about 2 weeks from potentially buying a foal, I've owned horses all my life but the youngest I have ever owned was a yearling b4 and I suddenly am spooked as I don't know what to feed a baby.... He's potentially going to be 17hh and well built but I do know that feeding too much can cause problems with growth/ overgrowth... Our grass is super ( too good for my ponies iykwim) so is just turning him out 24/7 with grass enough or should I be giving him supplements/ calcium etc... Stretching I feel like I did when I was pregnant... Excited but sooooo scared

Help please

Bnbx
 
I would always want a foal in at night for its first winter, I feel they are not really equipped to stay out and I would never put a rug on,risk of injury is too great imo.
Ad lib hay and a specialist youngstock feed should be all that is required to ensure they have a balanced diet.
 
I fed my foal now yearling D&H mare and youngstock mix and he did very well off it, always looked healthy, had lots of energy and is growing well, we have now switched him onto build-mix though because there is no grass here at the moment and he was beginning to look a bit on the underweight side :rolleyes:
 
mine had a little mare and youngstock mix and a little happy hoof, Himalayan salt, as much good quality hay at night, grass during day. i rug mine up without any accidents (touch wood)
 
Oooh good I get to wrap him up in a nice rug and feed him every night too:) none of my horses live out all the time but cobby was going to have to if foally would be better out... I personally agree and it will get him used to a routine and being handled etc ...
 
blitznbobs said:
Oooh good I get to wrap him up in a nice rug and feed him every night too:) none of my horses live out all the time but cobby was going to have to if foally would be better out... I personally agree and it will get him used to a routine and being handled etc ...
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mine are rugged night and day in winter - stable and day rugs.
do as much as you can as early as you can (handling feet, catching, brushing, vunerable areas) then introduce to as many spooky thing as you can (in the field) balloons, walking over tarps etc, plastic bags, cones etc - treat it as a game and have fun. makes breaking in a lot easier and you build you a very trusting bond up. xx
 
blitznbobs said:
Oooh good I get to wrap him up in a nice rug and feed him every night too:) none of my horses live out all the time but cobby was going to have to if foally would be better out... I personally agree and it will get him used to a routine and being handled etc ...
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i'd be very careful about rugging personally i'd rather get them in every night than rug as a foal, its so so easy for them to get it caught on something as as you will soon discover they are into everything! If you are determined to rug make sure it fits very well and straps are tight, any loose bits that they can get caught around something you need to be careful of ;)
 
Elena said:
i'd be very careful about rugging personally i'd rather get them in every night than rug as a foal, its so so easy for them to get it caught on something as as you will soon discover they are into everything! If you are determined to rug make sure it fits very well and straps are tight, any loose bits that they can get caught around something you need to be careful of ;)
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Be very careful if rugging,they shouldnt need it,I know someone who had a foal break its leg when a rug slipped and my physio has several stories of injuries from rugs/headcollars and even a foal caught in a branch of a tree by its fly mask.
 
As said, your foal will need extra feeding as grass and hay aren't enough to sustain all the foals needs.

Foals are quite capable of living out all year so long as they have a shelter to get in out of the wind and rain. They are also fine to be stabled overnight so it's your choice.

All of my foals live in or out depending on what they want to do. I have big barns in their fields so they can choose whether to be in or out.

I rug all of my foals every winter. Never had a problem yet and I've been doing this forever. Don't try to fit a foal into a pony sized rug though, buy a foal-specific rug. Although I don't like Weatherbeetas for adult horses I really do rate their foal rugs! (That's what make all of mine are)

Choose a routine which suits you and your foal. Foals are very adaptable and generally compliant. Most of all, have fun!
 
I've raised a few foals and find that they do grow well on good grass with a food balancer to ensure they have the correct minerals. Mine also have access to a multi mineral block in their paddock.

Initially I will give a very small feed each day to get them friendly, train them to eat hard feed, and to be able to handle them lightly each day. My current filly is now three years old and the winter just passed is the first time she has had hard feed. Since she was a foal I've had a massive amount of grass and so nobody has had hard feed. She was very shy of eating the feed until he mum showed her how!
 
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