Help please on feeding my mare?

P

pinkcatkin

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 November 2007
Messages
1,630
Location
East Anglia
Visit site
My mare is 16hh RID, in foal and due early May. She is out from 7am - 7pm on large area of previously ungrazed land so lots to munch although no goodness in it, with her two buddies. She gets two very small feeds a day, more of a token, bit of hifi, garlic, sometimes some carrots and recently I have been feeding her 2 cups of Baileys Stud Balancer night and morning.

I am having conflicting advice - some people say I should be feeding her chaff and start introducing some oats, and that these prepatory feeds are too high in protein. So much advice, lots of it different, I feel I don't know what to feed her. She is a good doer, loves her grub and has ad lib hay at night.

Any comments would be much appreciated.
 
I would speak to Bailesy - they gave fantastic advice to me last year.

But essentially at this stage it's really important that your mare is getting all the vitamins etc. that she needs in order to produce a healthy foal. I was recommended a stud balancer to be fed with chaff only - because my mare was a very good doer and didn't need to put any weight on.

Your horse may be different, and may need extra help with her weight (??) only you know that.

We never feed broodmares oats - all are generally fed on cool mix with a stud balancer - and then moved on to stud mix about a month before the birth if required.

Stud balancers do what they say on the tin - offer nutritional support to breeding stock....
 
I agree with AmyMay, speak to Baileys they are great. I use their stud cubes and balancer with hi-fi and sugar beet for my mare. She's a 17hh ISH who is living out full time with no rug so would need more than your mare. Baileys definately do what they say on the bag.
 
Thanks AmyMay, glad to know I am doing the right thing. She doesn't have anything else other than chaff, perhaps sometimes a very small amount of sugar beet if I am feeling indulgent. She has always been the "well covered" type, in fact I have been humming and haaing about whether she was actually in foal (scanned in foal OK) but she is now showing. I took some pictures of her belly the other night - if I can I will try and post them, but I am not very good at putting pictures in my posts! In fact here are some links, the first to her taken in the summer when just in foal and then the other two the other night.

http://pinkcatkin.pictiger.com/images/13686612/
http://pinkcatkin.pictiger.com/images/13865161/
http://pinkcatkin.pictiger.com/images/13865150/
 
RID stallion called Barracaberry Orbit standing in Lancashire. Chose him because although he is a bit bigger than I would have gone for at 17hh he has a lush temperament and moves very elegantly - competes dressage Medium and is sire of Thornwick Challenger partbred stallion successfully competing Advanced. Orbit hunts and does cross country regularly and hacks out with mares - when I went to see him he was about to be tacked up to potter around on the road to the farm where he But he also has presence too.

As this is my first foal, I wanted to do all I could to get a good temperament, most important to me! My priorities were temperament, movement, looks in that order. Hopefully I will get the first and a some of the other two!
 
[ QUOTE ]
As this is my first foal, I wanted to do all I could to get a good temperament, most important to me! My priorities were temperament, movement, looks in that order. Hopefully I will get the first and a some of the other two!

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds good to me - it's exactly what I did with my mare.

Can't wait to see photos of the wee child.
laugh.gif
 
If you are worrided about her putting too much weight on (and you dont want a fat mare come foaling time) then a balancer is fine. I use D&H Suregrow for that very reason as I have a very good doer mare and add beet and Alfa A
 
[ QUOTE ]
My mare is 16hh RID, in foal and due early May. ....

I am having conflicting advice - some people say I should be feeding her chaff and start introducing some oats, and that these prepatory feeds are too high in protein. So much advice, lots of it different, I feel I don't know what to feed her. She is a good doer, loves her grub and has ad lib hay at night.


[/ QUOTE ]

She is a LOVELY mare - very 'typey' - very similar to my Gort Boy mare (who stays fat on a sniff of haylage!)

Rose-f8.jpg


IGNORE well meant advice from people who don't KNOW Irish Draughts!! I have 10 in-foal RID mares and they are all on plenty of good haylage and free-access Sure Limb (for extra mins & vits.) The younger fillies (3 year olds) have Horselyx blocks as well, and I'll be starting the first group to foal (due late April/early May) on Horselyx blocks next week - but they won't get Bailey's Stud Balancer until 4-6 weeks before due date.

You do NOT want her getting too fat (and it's jolly hard to avoid with RID mares) The only thing I'd add to her diet is some Sure Limb if the amount of Balancer you're feeding is less than the recommended amount for her size (and I hope it is!!)

I'll be very interested to see pics of your foal by Barracaberry Orbit - I'm planning on using him on at least one of my Raj daughters this year, along with Avanti Amorous Archie. Couldn't agree more that movement and temperament should be right at the top of the list when looking at stallions! IDs are TOO big to be be having arguments with!
grin.gif


What's your gorgeous girl's breeding??
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My mare is 16hh RID, in foal and due early May. ....

I am having conflicting advice - some people say I should be feeding her chaff and start introducing some oats, and that these prepatory feeds are too high in protein. So much advice, lots of it different, I feel I don't know what to feed her. She is a good doer, loves her grub and has ad lib hay at night.


[/ QUOTE ]

She is a LOVELY mare - very 'typey' - very similar to my Gort Boy mare - another 'Rosie' (who stays fat on a sniff of haylage!)

Rose-f8.jpg


IGNORE well meant advice from people who don't KNOW Irish Draughts!! I have 10 in-foal RID mares and they are all on plenty of good haylage and free-access Sure Limb (for extra mins & vits.) The younger fillies (3 year olds) have Horselyx blocks as well, and I'll be starting the first group to foal (due late April/early May) on Horselyx blocks next week - but they won't get Bailey's Stud Balancer until 4-6 weeks before due date.

You do NOT want her getting too fat (and it's jolly hard to avoid with RID mares) The only thing I'd add to her diet is some Sure Limb if the amount of Balancer you're feeding is less than the recommended amount for her size (and I hope it is!!)

I'll be very interested to see pics of your foal by Barracaberry Orbit - I'm planning on using him on at least one of my Raj daughters this year, along with Avanti Amorous Archie. Couldn't agree more that movement and temperament should be right at the top of the list when looking at stallions! IDs are TOO big to be be having arguments with!
grin.gif


What's your gorgeous girl's breeding??

[/ QUOTE ]
 
She is by Gortlea Ruler by Pink Princess (King of Diamonds line), and yes, very typey.

Janet, I did PM you ages ago but maybe it didn't work. Would love to talk to you about Lady's Tralee Raj - if I pm you could we have a talk?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top