Feeding a mare in foal.

[Tezzy]

Hi everyone. I need help for a mare in a field near me.
A chap has a 6 year old cob. She is 4 months in foal. He told me this is her second foal & she had a foal at the end of July this year. He then put her straight back into foal. He then sold the foal when it was only 4 months old

I was feeding my horse when he was passing & he asked me why I was feeding my horse! I told him that the grass wasn't enough at the moment. He then asked me, should he be feeding his mare & I said yes. He told me all about her & I asked what he had fed her while in foal & after she foaled. He said she ate the grass & some times hay. I told him to get some haylage as the grass wasn't enough to feed her. Plus I asked if she had her tentanus injections & he said she never had any injections. I told him how important it is that she has it & I have the vet coming out next week for my horse's booster & asked if he wanted to have her done. He said yes. He said he would feed her if he knew what to feed. I told him I will find out the best vits, mins & food for her. She is very nervous & jumpy & will not come to me when I went over to her. She is so beautiful. All she needs is some TLC.
I asked on another part of the forum for help with this mare & Box of frogs said: Tell you what might help, if you put a request in Breeding for an easy, economic management/feeding plan for this mare there will be loads of peole who can offer really constructive help and advice. Let people know how old she is and what breed and how old her foal-at-foot is and how far on the pregnancy is. Good luck hun x

So if anyone at all can please help me to help this mare, I will be so happy. Many thanks for any help at all.

 

[elizabeth1]

Is she in good condition? If so,then feed enough hay to keep her in condition plus a small feed of chaff and high fibre cubes with a good vitamin supplement such as Dodson and Horrell Surelimb which is designed for breeding stock.Special breeding mixes are not necessary until the last 3 months of pregnancy.But if she is a good doer and you have good spring grass,then chaff plus surelimb or a similar supplement will cover the needs of both mare and foal.
If she is a poor doer or underweight now,then feed as for a normal underweight horse e.g. ad lib hay plus a conditioning mix,switching to a breeding mix for the last 3 months.Any of the feed companies such as Dodson and Horrell or Spillers or Baileys will give you a tailor made plan if you ring them.
Good Luck!

 

[scallywags]

Pretty much ditto elizabeth1

We have 2 mares in foal, due april/may 2010, one with foal just weaned.
We feed them as anyother horse, re: ad lib hay / haylage, chaff, and a suitable mix / cube, to keep there condition, plus D&H surelimb, it specifies different measurements, for early to late gestation, and we just up that when its needed.

We dont feed stud type mix's as they are designed for the TB industry, and fast growth. Which may lead to joint issues with slow growing breeds. When the foals born we just up the mix to one with a little more protein, so the mare maintains her weight while producing good milk

Surelimb comes in 2kg and 20kg tubs, any D&H stockest can get it in. The 2k cost about £20 whereas the 20kg cost about £60, so its much better value to buy a larger tub, and it'll last prob 6-8 months!

 

[Tezzy]

Thank you for answering

I thought I would let you know, that he come to me yesterday & showed me a tub of NAF General Purpose Supplement & a bag of Spillers Stud Cubes. I was so happy that he took on board everything I told him. He also said that he has a farmer coming out next week with a big bale of haylage to put in her field. He is having a passport done for her also. The vet is booked for next week for her injections to start

It just shows that some people do listen & take on board what they hear. I am so happy that I can't stop smiling

Thanks again for your help x x