what causes foals to grow faster?

[horsehoundbroom]

is it just giving them more calories or is there anything else they can be given to make them grow faster?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Why? What are you hoping to achieve?

 

[Theocat]

Do you want to achieve faster, which is pointless given they won't have a mature skeleton or brain; or bigger, which is highly likely to be both damaging and unsuccessful?

 

[AmyMay]

‘Forcing’ growth can lead to enormous problems in not so later life.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Please don't overfeed your foal in some misguided attempt to get it to grow faster or bigger than it naturally should. You will risk causing developmental issues including bones that grow too fast for the tendons. It's just not worth the risk.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Have a look at OCD in foals and you will soon stop over feeding in the hope of accelerated growth.

 

[Nudibranch]

As said above, please do not. If you see what fast growth does to a horse you will not want to encourage it.

 

[tallyho!]

McDonalds quarter pounders obviously.

 

[Twohorses]

Take heed ALL of the above comments.

Also, just because a foal grows fast physically, they do NOT grow fast mentally. Something that looks like a two year old will still be a yearling in the brain, for example.

Also I haven't read the comments, but I'm pretty sure the folks on the other forum you just joined, to ask the same question, will give the same answers as you have received here ----

 

[Leo Walker]

I had a field at the bottom of the moors where they mined for iron ore, the water ran orange there was that much iron in it. Everything grew bigger than it should and it worried me to death that we would end up with OCD or similar issues. The only saving grace was that they didnt seem to do it any faster than normal, they just got bigger! You really dont want to force feed a foal for growth.

 

[Adorable]

Don't overfeed youngsters unless you want a case of premature pastureornamentitis!

 

[Palindrome]

One way to make a horse grow bigger is to geld him, apparently geldings grow a bit taller than stallions.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

One way to make a horse grow bigger is to geld him, apparently geldings grow a bit taller than stallions.

Never heard of that, where did you get that from? 🤔

 

[Palindrome]

Never heard of that, where did you get that from? 🤔

Anecdotal evidence from experienced breeders, but I found this reply from a vet if you want to read more about it:
https://thehorse.com/115194/timing-of-gelding/

 

[Leo Walker]

Its something I've always known about. I'm sure there was some proper research floating about once over as well.

 

[eggs]

Never heard of that, where did you get that from? 🤔

I was always told that a colt that was gelded would grow to be taller than if he had been left entire. One of my foals had to be gelded at 4 days old due to a hernia. He finally stopped growing at 17.3 (his mum was 16.2 and his dad was 16.3).

Back to the OP though - why on earth would you want to encourage a foal to grow faster?

 

[AdorableAlice]

Its something I've always known about. I'm sure there was some proper research floating about once over as well.

i would imagine it is how the hormones change with maturity. I bought a 6 month old foal in 1994 that had to be gelded due to a hernia. I thought it would stunt his growth and I wanted a big horse. Dam 16.2. Sire 16.2 pure ID's. The foal grew like a weed and was huge at 2. Finished at 18h.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Gold top milk!

Even too rich, I knew of one foal having ballerina syndrome. It still causes issues as a ridden pony.