[notadumbld]

Anyone have experience with warmbloods which have foals at their side? What did/do you feed?

We've been asked to feed the mare of our foal (keeping her until weaning) the following THREE times a day:

8# mare and foal grain
2# soaked beet pulp
1 C oil
1 C rice bran
Weight Gain supplement by Farnam
Also wants 60-75# of hay each day.

She's a Hanovarian and weighs probably 1300#

THat seems like a hug amount of grain and I'm concerned she could founder.

[shsmith]

Her feed should continue to be increased until the foal is 60-90 days old, then the amount gradually lessened until weaning, at which point she should be back down to her regular level.

A mare does need more feed for adequate milk production than she does for pregnancy. The energy provided in feed is also critical for a successful re-breeding of the mare.

On average, and for easy math, a 1000lb mare produces 30lbs of milk per day, so she obviously needs to be well fed.

The best advice is to buy a feed formulated for lactating mares and feed it according to manufacturer's directions

It does sound as though you have a good plan there, I wouldn't worry too much about founder as long as you're introducing that grain gradually.

Plus make sure she has access to plenty of fresh water!

[HorseTrainerTB]

I fed a thoroughbred mare that weighed 970 lbs the following, 2 times daily:

6# 16% grain
1 tsp wheat oil, fortified with vit a,d
1 cap of mare plus
1 oz of soybean meal
1 oz of linseed meal
1 c of cracked corn

Now mother and foal at 16 months receive additional msm (sulfer) as directed by product; however, started with little bit in dipper and worked up.

This was started with small amounts at first and every fifth day increased a small amount again until reached the amounts above. If not, you will founder the horse. Once established stick to the formula. Any changes in diet will founder if done abruptly.

The foal was given the same thing, starting at small amounts She was eating at 2 weeks old, mostly the small stuff but graduated to the full formula.
Both are doing great.

Remember to provide 20% of body weight in hay----not high protein, but good timothy, orchard grass and clover.

Watch the potassium and calcium balances for the foal.

Good Luck

[Sue B]

Good info from ShSmith.....in order to produce that amoutn of milk, on average, lacktating mares need 3% or their body weigth in food/day. However, as with all horses, there are easy keepers and hard keepers in lactating mares that need to be considered.

That is a lot of grain....however, if that is what the mare is used to getting, then that is what should be continued. The fact that it is over 3 feeds and not 2 makes a big difference also. We breed draft crosses out of TB mares and those big babies need a lot of milk and nutrients for growth. It is sometimes a struggle to keep weight on the mares. My friend has European Warmbloods as well and I know she feeds more than an average QH would get while lactating.

If the owner has not had issues with colic or founder with this feeding program, then I would follow instructions. It does take a lot of energy to keep weight on broodmares and prepare them fro re-breeding, as well as the job of keeping fit while feeding a fast growing baby. In general, WBs grow rather quickly compared to other breeds. It is a riot to see our yearlings, that top out at around 16.3h in with my QH mare....they are generally taller than her.

[Madick]

I'm curious. Why not high protein in the hay? It's much easier and healthier for the mare to get the protein she needs from forage than in hard feed supplements.

[shsmith]

you should be feeding your foal in between 16-18% protein content in hay, and since mother and baby will be eating together for the most part, it's difficult to only allow the mare a lower protein content than the foal. Most foals are starting to nibble on their mother's food after they are 1-2 weeks old, so the transition from milk to solids has already started. Since you'll need to make sure the foal gets sufficient protein it would be almost impossible to feed differently unless you seperated them.

Depending on that horse's particular nutrition requirements, you may not want to feed too much % in protein on a consistent basis, but it all depends on the horse and the circumstances.