Weaning is a stressful experience for your foalHorse Deals looks at feeding youngstock and how to help avoid developmental problems
Whether you’ve bred your own foal or bought a youngster to bring on, you have a responsibility to give your horse the best start in life — and feeding plays a huge part.
“Steady growth is key,” explains the nutritional team from feed company Allen and Page. “If you overfeed, you won’t end up with a bigger, stronger horse but will instead put extra stress on immature limbs and could predispose your youngster to developmental problems.”
Compared with adult horses, youngsters’ nutrient requirements are extremely high, mainly due to their very fast growth rate, which is particularly noticeable in Thoroughbreds. Plenty of protein is needed for the growth of muscle, connective tissue and other body parts, while growing bones require calcium and phosphorus. All these nutrient sources, plus carbohydrates to support the foal’s high metabolic rate and energy requirements, are present in the mare’s milk.
The majority of a horse’s growth takes place during its first year
Foals are naturally inquisitive and some start trying out forage and concentrates at only three days old. This is no bad thing, as it ensures the maturity of the gastrointestinal tract and helps it deal with the fermentation process in the gut after weaning.
Concentrates made specifically for foals usually consist of dried skimmed milk and a youngstock diet should be introduced gradually from eight-12 weeks of age. At this stage, the diet should contain approximately 16% protein and at least four times the mineral levels of adult feed.
Exercise is important for bone growthExercise is important for young horses, as their bones need positive stimulation to grow properly. The ideal scenario would be for them to live out full time, but if that isn’t possible, using a small paddock should keep them on the move.
Weaning in one of the most stressful experiences for any horse and, ideally, your foal should be at least six months old and eating forage and concentrate food happily before this is considered.
Sometimes it’s better to leave weaning later. If your foal was born in or after August, consider delaying the weaning process until the following spring.
The majority of a horse’s growth takes place during its first year. Quick maturing breeds usually reach around 90% of their adult height and 95% bone growth during this period, so correct nutrition is key. A rule of thumb is that yearlings need 50% of their diet as a concentrate feed, although this should be modified according to condition.
The average horse with an eventual mature weight of 450kg will gain weight between three and six months at around 1kg per day, although health and weather factors can affect this. The final weight is often reached by the time the horse reaches 18 months, but some breeds mature later and may have increased nutritional requirements for a longer period.
Because your young horse grows so fast, grass is unlikely to meet all his requirements. Over the first winter, as well as forage, weaned foals should be given concentrates for youngstock at around 1.25-1.5kg per 100kg of bodyweight. But it is vital to look out for signs of abnormal growth, particularly in foals, such as enlarged fetlock joints, contracted tendons and angular deformities of the legs. If you spot anything similar, restrict the concentrate intake in mare and foal and contact your vet.
Some young horses take longer to matureDr JH Stewart, a vet and nutritionist for feed company Mitavite, has looked into nutrient requirements in young horses and says: “There is a link between diet and developmental disease. For growth to proceed in a balanced and synchronised way, the diet must provide all the nutrients. If your horse is gaining more than 0.6kg per day, mineral intake must be increased. We found that yearlings on recommended trace mineral intakes deposit more bone than those fed lower levels.”
Dengie Horse Feeds nutritionist Katie Williams agrees, pointing out that high-starch diets with insufficient mineral supplementation could be the dietary link to developmental disease.
“There’s no evidence to support the theory that high levels of protein cause developmental problems and some higher-protein feeds that are low in starch are valuable additions to young horses’ diets,” she says.
Feeding a young horse to adulthood is a real balancing act between economics and management. But there is plenty of helpful information available advising how nutrient requirements vary with age and the stage of growth.
The most important thing to remember is that poorly fed youngsters will always be at a disadvantage compared whose those whose growth and development was nurtured and protected from the start.