Some of the ways that Apple Cider Vinegar help horses:

1) Water and Feed Nutritional Supplement
ACV is an excellent source of easily absorbable potassium and other trace minerals. ACV is invaluable for mares coming up to foaling and it is also beneficial for older horses with digestive difficulties or arthritis.

Feeding directions:
– For a healthy horse, use 1/4 cup (60 ml) of ACV on his concentrate feed per day (30 ml twice a day). Dilute the vinegar 50/50 with water before adding to the feed.

Besides the nutritional benefits, ACV helps to purify the drinking water by destroying harmful microorganisms that can thrive in neutral or mildly basic water.

– Recommended dosage rates vary from 1 cup (250 ml) of ACV for every 190 litres of drinking water up to 1 cup (250ml) for every 23 litres.

A tip commonly used for horses that will not drink the water in a new location: add some ACV to the unfamiliar water.

2) Helps prevent intestinal stones
Intestinal stones called enteroliths can develop in susceptible horses which can cause blockages that require expensive surgery. Since the ingestion of vinegar increases the intestinal acidity in horses, it helps prevent these stones from forming.

3) Natural horse fly spray
Feeding ACV to your horse makes him less attractive to flies and insects. Some specialists believe that horses sweat the vinegar out so that it becomes a natural horse fly spray.

Insect bites and stings not only cause your horse itchy discomfort and hives, these areas can be prone to skin bacterial and fungal infections. Insect bites can also cause other health risks by spreading such diseases as African Horse sickness virus.

For those who prefer not to use insecticides for horse care, especially on foals less than 12 weeks old, try feeding ACV and make up your own vinegar based natural horse fly spray that you can rub or spray onto your horse’s coat as needed:

• 2 cups (500 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 cup (250 ml) Water
• 1 cup (250 ml) Bath Oil
• 2 tsp ( 10 ml) Eucalyptus Oil (or Citronella Oil)

Mix all ingredients well and store in a spray bottle.

You can also take care of flies around enclosed areas like stables and trailers, by using you own homemade vinegar fly trap:

• 3 cups (750 ml) Water
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) Sugar

Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar solution, place in a large jar and punch holes in the lid. The flies will get in but won’t be able to fly out.

4) Mild cure for skin conditions Full strength ACV can be rubbed directly into the horse’s skin around a ringworm fungi infection. Rub in thoroughly two or three times a day for several consecutive days.

5) Horse hoof care: Thrush and other foot fungus infections can be greatly reduced by regular spray or soak application of ACV to the sole and frog of the horse’s feet. By making the hoof area more acidic, fungus is no longer able to grow well there.

A general hoof soaking solution can be prepared by adding 1/4 cup (60 ml) of ACV to 3.8 litres of water. This can be used to soak the hoof once daily until an abscess, after having been opened, has drained completely.

The vinegar application will, at the same time, speed up the healing of any other foot infections or bruises your horse might have.

All the best
Rensia Möller

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

Newborn foals are somewhat immunodeficient, meaning that they lack antibodies for many of the pathogens they will encounter soon after birth. Mother Nature has overcome this problem by providing your foal with colostrum – the “first” milk produced by the mare which is rich in maternal antibodies.

Colostrum is produced in the mammary gland of the mare during the last weeks of pregnancy. Immunoglobulins (maternal antibodies) are concentrated from the mare’s blood into the colostrum. Normal foals begin suckling colostrum within 1 to 2 hours of birth, and maternal antibodies are detectable in the foal’s blood within 6 hours of birth. Specialized cells in the foal’s small intestine are able to absorb these antibodies for 12 to 24 hours after birth after which time, these cells “close” and antibodies are no longer absorbed. This is why it is important that your foal receives colostrum within 12 hours of birth. The process by foals obtain antibodies via colostrum is called passive transfer. When foals fail to receive colostrum and its associated antibodies, this is called failure of passive transfer (FTP).

Ideally, your foal should be examined by a veterinarian and assessed for adequacy of passive transfer of immunoglobulins when they are between 18 and 40 hours of age. The most common method of assessing passive transfer is to measure your foal’s serum IgG concentration (IgG is a type of antibody). Foals should have a serum IgG level of greater than 800g/dL to provide optimal passive immunity. There are a variety of rapid screening test kits available for stall side assessment of passive transfer. Foals with IgG levels lower than 800g/dL are susceptible to infection and septicemia. If FTP is suspected or recognized in your foal before 12 hours of age, oral administration of good quality colostrum is indicated. Many farms keep a bank of frozen colostrum. When FTP is recognized after a foal is 18 to 24 hours of age, oral administration of colostrum is of no help because the small intestine can no longer absorb the immunoglobulins. These foals require treatment with intravenous equine plasma in sufficient quantities to increase the serum colostrum levels to above 800g/dL. Normal equine plasma with high quantities of IgG is commercially available for purchase by your veterinarian.

By the time FTP is diagnosed in many foals, it is already too late to prevent exposure to potential pathogens in the environment. Therefore, the best approach begins with aggressive prevention and early recognition of the problem. Your mare should be closely monitored at the time of foaling, and the foal should be noted to stand and suckle vigorously within 2 hours after birth. The mare should also be assessed to ensure that she is producing high quality colostrum, as some mares may leak colostrum before giving birth. Farm managers should maintain a clean foaling environment during the periparturient period. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of foaling stalls between mares, replacing bedding after parturition and washing the mare’s udder before the foal suckles for the first time may decrease the ingestion of pathogenic bacteria by the foal. A good practice is to feed the foal the mare’s colostrum via bottle immediately after birth. This way, you can be certain that the foal received a certain quantity of colostrum, and it also allows you to assess the quality of the colostrum. Good colostrum tends to be sticky, yellow and thick, however, this is a subjective assessment and not always a reliable indicator of colostrum quality. A common method for estimating colostrum quality is determination of colostral specific gravity using a colostrometer. Specific gravity correlates directly with IgG concentration. Ideally, colostrum specific gravity should be greater than 1.060, and a foal should receive 1 to 2 liters of colostrum within the first 8 hours of life.

Foals with uncomplicated FTP have an excellent prognosis if the condition is recognized early and treated appropriately. Prognosis of foals recognized with FTP after the development of sepsis or other infectious diseases depends on the nature and severity of the infection. FTP can be avoided with good management practices and close observation of foaling and suckling.

Sarah Seitz is a veterinarian that works for a company called World Vets that provides humanitarian veterinary aid to developing countries around the world, as well as veterinary disaster relief worldwide. Sarah was born in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa when she was 10 years old. After attending high school at St Andrew’s in Johannesburg, she worked for her father for several years doing wildlife conservation and breeding endangered species. After that, she was introduced to the illustrious world of thoroughbred breeding and racing when she was employed to manage a thoroughbred stud farm for four years. This stud has produced several notable winners in its time, including a Durban July winner. Sarah decided to come the USA to study Veterinary Medicine. Far from home and lots of paperwork later, she obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

Many otherwise sound horses have been rendered hard to keep in work because their hooves are weak, dry, cracked, flaky or crumbly, soles bruise easily, collapsed heels or hoof walls cannot retain nails and therefore shoes. Horn quality is strongly affected by genetics, and it is advised to purchase sport horses of a breed noted for sound feet large enough for their body size, or descending from especially Thoroughbred bloodlines with good hoof quality. Unfortunately in Thoroughbred breeding speed, strength, power and endurance, and not feet, are the desired traits selected for.

It is however, within limits, possible to improve the quality of hoof horn growth, by feeding appropriate nutrients and with proper hoof care. A good quality total diet that contains all the key ingredients as listed below is essential, and supplements may possibly be needed to achieve this.

Understanding how the hoof grows:

The horn of the hoof wall consists of the same keratin protein from which hair is made. Keratin sulphate the structural component of the hoof wall is produced from two sources: by a special layer of cells called the coronary corium in the coronary band above the hoof and by the inner layer of laminae cells within the foot.

As the horn cells in the coronary band and laminae produce keratin, the horn expands outward from the laminae and down the coronary band toward the ground, forming a double layer of hoof wall. It takes 4-6 months for horn at the top of the hoof to grow down to the base, where shoe nails are clinched. It takes 3-4 weeks for the inner wall to grow outward to thicken the layer just inside the wall.

The best way to improve hoof horn quality is by combining in twofold:

• From the outside regular shoeing/trimming by an accomplished farrier every 4-6 weeks depending on hoof growth, &
• From the inside out proper nutrition to supply the replicating horn cells with the raw material needed for growth at the appropriate levels and growth stages.

Good quality total diet and/supplements:

Supplements with the following synergistic ingredients can be fed: biotin, methionine, zinc, iodine, calcium, magnesium, fatty acids and sulphur. Biotin, methionine, iodine and zinc have been scientifically proven to enhance growth and strength of hooves. The important ingredient in methionine is sulphur, which can be supplied in its organic form by the supplement MSM.

Biotin is a B vitamin integral to the enzyme chain that produces keratin in the cells. If biotin is insufficient, hoof growth proceeds very slowly, even if enough methionine is present. Although biotin appears in most hoof supplements, its inclusion level and efficacy in supplement form should be questioned, as well absorbed forms are very expensive and effective level is 20mg of biotin per daily serving. Believing that it improves hoof quality, the other consideration is time factor as it takes more than nine months, thus whereas in humans one waits this time period (knowing that sperm do their job!) to see whether it is a boy/girl or nowadays multiples…in the horse one waits the same time to see if the hoof growth improves?!

Good quality protein and found in soybean meal and lucerne will supply the amino acid methionine, and therefore sulphur which is the “glue” that holds the keratin strands together.

Zinc, acting as a coenzyme, is an essential component of the enzyme system that produces keratin protein. Fatty acids found in full-fat soybean meal and lecithin, in sufficient supply, not only provides much of the raw material for the hoof horn, but will also contribute to improved coat condition.

Added calcium is essential for cohesion in the hoof wall and magnesium is an essential mineral in keratin forming enzyme processes. The best approach is to feed the abovementioned nutrients in supplements containing a yeast culture that feed the beneficial gut bacteria, increases nutrient digestibility, mineral absorption and protein utilization; combined with forage-based rations including lucerne as protein, magnesium and calcium source, to promote healthy hindgut function and therefore additional bacterial secretion of biotin. Else you will have to buy more than one supplement to obtain all the nutrients and have a qualified nutritionist have the total daily diet intake evaluated to make sure dietary requirements according to work profile are met.

Proper hoof care:

Since hoof horn grows from the top of the hoof, horn that is already formed cannot be much affected by diet. Although a change in the upper hoof horn may be seen in 6 to 8 weeks, at least 16 weeks of supplementation is required to achieve benefit.

Keeping existing hoof horn sufficiently moist can however be of benefit to retain its strength and integrity. The periople, a layer of natural varnish, grows outside the hoof horn from the perioplic corium and covers the horn surface to minimize moisture loss from the hoof. This periople can be rasped away by the farrier when he trims the hoof for shoeing and rasps too far up the hoof wall.

Under hot, dry conditions a horse’s hoof loses 15% of its weight per day as moisture is lost through the sole – a protective film can help minimise this loss.

Some materials can replace the periople by acting as a varnish to impede moisture loss from the top hoof horn, such as Kohnke’s Hoof-Seal. Hoof-Seal is an innovative hoof sealant containing natural protective hoof oils and porous, breathable polyutherane, that provides a thin wear resistant film which helps minimize moisture variations within the hooves to help prevent drying out and cracks in hot weather, and excessive softening in wet weather; which allows the hoof to ‘breathe’ whilst minimising moisture variations.

All hoof dressings can however do is only help retain existing strength. Tensile strength cannot be increased beyond that which the horn started out with, and using too much dressing will weaken the bonds between the keratin strands and hence weaken the hoof wall….again proving that more is not always better, and prevention is better than cure.

Schedule regular farrier visits every 4-6 weeks to obtain informed feedback on hoof horn quality progress, and adjust diet/supplements, shoeing/trimming, hoof dressing, rest/workload and work surface, bedding and paddock surface accordingly.

Best advice: ‘no foot no horse’….as high costs will be incurred on supplements and farrier care and improvement will be based on dedicated management to achieve and maintain soundness…so rather start off and purchase a sound prospect with quality feet…and have ‘good feet, happy horse’ and enjoy your riding and performance success.

All the best
Rensia Möller

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

The development of the future racehorse starts during pregnancy and the developing foetus (via the late pregnant mare), foal, weanling, and yearling should be fed well before it comes time to embark on intense sales preparation. The job of preparing a yearling is made much easier if one is able to begin with a well-grown horse with a good appetite, condition, and coat.

Preparing a yearling for sale requires correct nutrition, conditioning, grooming, and fitness. Properly prepared yearlings will be fit (not fat), sound, and well-grown with shiny coats. Taking time (longer sales prep times are more beneficial as gradual more natural and not sudden management changes and adaptations can be made) and effort during the preparation can often mean the difference between an adequate yearling and a sale topper. When one prepares a yearling for sale it is important to understand the nutrient requirements of the horse and the critical balance between feed intake and exercise as they greatly impact condition and soundness.

Yearlings do best on a 14-17% protein feed balanced for macro- and micro minerals, water-and fat-soluble vitamins. Feeding rates for yearlings are extremely variable depending on growth history, skeletal size, individual metabolism, actual age, and quality and quantity of roughage. In the preparation of sales yearlings, concentrate feed intakes range from 1-2 kg/day of a supplement balancer pellet up to 7 kg/day of muesli or pelleted hard feed. The best approach is to always feed each yearling as an individual, paying careful attention to body weight, monthly weight gain and body condition score, and adjusting feed intake appropriately accordingly to achieve not maximum but ideal performance growth rates for each individual.

A high-quality, high-energy hay is recommended as foundation for these horses as this will maximize the efficient utilization of fibrous feeds in meeting their energy requirements, and therefore decrease the amount of starch needed in the total diet (high starch can lead to unwanted spikes in growth rates which may negatively affect bone and cartilage development). Using a high-quality, early-cut hay will further help avoid the pot-bellied appearance from gut-fill that is often associated with consumption of a mature hay of high lignin content. However, if you have a short, fat filly that needs to lose weight, rather feed a lower energy grass hay and/or oaten chaff instead of rich lucerne hay.

Beside the base feed, there are a few tools of the trade that fall into the nutrition category. First, and most common, is the use of a supplemental fat source. There are two main reasons to use added fat in the diet: 1) to improve coat condition and 2) to increase energy (for weight gain). The manner in which the supplemental fat is provided comes down to personal choice, but in some instances it may be more practical to top-dress the fat source rather than use a fat-added feed as this will allow more flexibility from horse to horse to correctly adjust growth curves. You can use vegetable oil or oil seeds (sunflower or linseed is most common) to provide the desired calories and fatty acids (a good ratio of omega 3 and 6’s are needed: omega 3 has anti-inflammatory benefits which are helpful in preventing unwanted epiphysitis, and omega 6’s benefit coat condition).

The amount of supplemental fat that is appropriate to use depends on the individual animal. To improve coat quality is relatively simple, and can be achieved with a minimum of 60 ml per day of vegetable oil. Supplemental calories from fat can also be used to reduce the amount of starch that must be fed to achieve a specific energy intake, which is nutritionally safer as there is less starch overflow into the hindgut causing hindgut acidosis and resulting behavioral difficulties and gut discomfort, pre-emptive to colic. When the feed intake reach 5 kg of concentrate feed in the yearling, the advantages of adding supplemental fat should really be considered. Big, rugged, raw-boned yearlings can take as much as 750 ml (3 cups) of vegetable oil per day, which will roughly equal the energy value of 3 kilograms of whole oats. (Gradually adapt and step up fat intake to this level over 28 days and include in small meals often).

In addition to added fat, many prep and show rations will contain super fibers such as soybean hulls and beet pulp. With high concentrate intakes and large meals, as mentioned prior, there is a real possibility of starch-overload diarrhea, colic, laminitis, and behavior problems in the yearling. By using super fibers such as beet pulp in the feed, one can reduce the amount of starch that a horse has to consume while maintaining relatively high energy intake levels. These sources of highly digestible fiber are fermented in the hindgut and absorbed as volatile fatty acids, reducing the amount of undigested starch that may enter the hindgut. Hindgut acidosis is common in sales yearlings on high-grain diets. Ad lib hay should be fed and a hindgut buffer can be used as a preventative measure to yearlings showing signs of hindgut acidosis, such as diarrhea, in-appetence and stable vices. Adding 30ml of apple cider vinegar diluted with 30ml of water to each feed at least twice daily will not only lead to longer chewing time and increased saliva production that naturally buffers against unwanted stomach ulcers, but will also benefit coat quality greatly.

Exercise programs should be similarly tailored to the individual. It is critical to understand that fit and fat are not the same, and that a lot of feed without an increase in the work program results in a horse with a patchy distribution of fat cover and who is more prone to disorders such as colic, laminitis, physitis, and behavior problems.

Obviously, there are many tricks of the trade for getting a well-grown yearling to the sales ring, but the important thing is to design a program and stick to it. Modifications may be necessary along the way to suit individual needs, but the critical aspect is daily attention to detail. One should not get caught in the trap of thinking that there is some magical feed ingredient, supplement, or injection that is going to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Quality genetics, sound nutrition and hard work will more likely pay off and reward in the end. Remember, you are preparing a future athlete, not fattening a lamb for market. Few thoughts to wrap up:

– Longer prep periods are more efficient and safer
– Feed small frequent meals
– Weigh and control roughage intake to avoid pot bellied appearance
– Don’t all of a sudden confine paddock kept yearlings to stables: let out at night and hand walk or walker/treadmill exercise   during the day
– Keep walker and treadmill exercise times short and build up gradually – do not overdo on time and speed and unnecessary   strain ligaments and open growth plates
– Short gallops of minimum 80m about five times per week have been internationally proven to increase bone density (do not   overlook paddock turnout and exercise)
– Horses on high protein pastures and/ being fed high amounts of lucerne hay will do well on a 14% protein ration
– Horses on kikuyu grazing should receive supplemental calcium to counteract the oxalic acid which binds calcium in the   kikuyu leaves
– Do not just add balancer pellets and assume all vitamins and minerals are supplied and balanced: consult a knowledgeable   equine nutritionist and evaluate total feeding and pasture management and intake regime and balance/adjust accordingly
– Measure horse heights and weights and growth rates and note body condition scores – prevent growth spikes and grow   horses on gradual and consistent growth curves
– OPTIMUM growth rates instead of maximum growth rates prevent bone and cartilage disorders due to glucose peaks and   resulting insulin spikes and build stronger athletes for better and longer sustained performance

May your yearlings pass through the sales ring in sweeping triumph and become the future champions you bred, planned, hope, wish and know them to be.

All the best
Rensia Möller

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

The nutrition of the mare affects growth and development of the foal both in the uterus and via milk production. In foals, these effects carry over for a year or more.

In one study, 15 one-day-old foals fed milk replacer for seven weeks were compared with foals that nursed on their dams. During the first two weeks, replacer-fed foals did not gain weight as rapidly as mare-nursed foals. The resulting insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1; a hormone that plays an important role in growth) values for replacer-fed foals were lower than values for mare-nursed foals. After the first two weeks, gains were similar between the two groups; however, serum IGF-1 concentrations of replacer-fed foals were only 36% and 60% of values obtained for mare-nursed foals at eight weeks and four and a half months of age, respectively.

The differences between mare-nursed and replacer-fed foals in serum IGF-1 concentrations persisted to one year of age, when the serum IGF-1 concentration of mare-nursed foals was 48% higher than that of replacer-fed foals.

Broodmare nutrition requirements:

Lactation energy demands rank among the highest for horses. Mares can produce 2.3% of their bodyweight or 11.8 kg of milk per day during the first month of lactation. Researchers have determined milk yield in Quarter Horse mares for early lactation (2-29 days) and late lactation (60-120 days).

Daily milk production was greater during early lactation compared to mid lactation (12.1 vs. 10.8 kg, respectively) and tended to be greater during mid lactation in multiparous mares (mares that gave birth to more than one foal) compared to primiparous mares (mares that gave birth to one foal) (11.7 vs. 10.4 kg, respectively), but was similar between groups in late lactation.

There are extreme demands for glucose during early lactation that may represent a time when feeds with higher glycaemic responses would benefit the mare and foal (14-16% protein stud feeds which will have a concurrent higher energy level). Foals can begin digesting grain within two weeks of birth, and should therefore be kept out of the dam’s feeding through. It is only at eight weeks old that a functional hindgut can process forage which contributes to the overall nutrition of the foal.

Declines in mare milk production and nutrient concentrations after two months into lactation may represent a time when foals should be given supplemental feed such as a balancer pellet when on good grazing and a 14-16% protein weanling ration if they need to gain weight. However be careful not to overfeed and provoke growth spurts which can later detrimentally influence bone and cartilage development and compromise a potential young athlete due to DOD (developmental orthopaedic deformities).

The effects of dietary carbohydrates and fat on milk composition and fatty acid profile of mare’s milk were reported in another study. The sugar and starch diet (SS) was high in maize and molasses (62.4% NSC) while the fat and fiber diet (FF) was high in corn oil, beet pulp, soy hulls, and oat straw (26.5% NSC). The findings revealed a 4.2-fold increase in IgG (antibody molecule) concentration from the colostrum of mares fed the FF diet versus the mares fed the SS diet 6 to 12 hours post foaling.

The researchers suggested that the 4.2-fold increase in IgG in the colostrum collected 6 to 12 hours post foaling in the previous study was due to the vitamin E content of the corn oil (327 IU/kg). Corn oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acid). Thus, the researchers suggested that higher linoleic acid content of the milk would also protect against gastric ulcers in the foals.

I however suggest oil that is more balanced in omega 3 (linolenic) and omega 6 fatty acids such as canola oil or a commercial blend with a closer omega 6:3 ratio instead of corn oil. The oil then delivers a double effect of high Vit E (which can be enhanced by feeding Alltech’s BioMos) pre-foaling to increase IgG levels in colostrums and enhance foal immunity, and also have prophylaxic effect of development of stomach ulcers in the foal.

All the best
Rensia Möller

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

The birth of a long-awaited foal is an exciting occasion. But what if something goes wrong – the mare gets sick, or doesn’t produce any milk, or perhaps she dies. This article will discuss some of the options/considerations for caring and feeding of orphan foals.

The dilemma of raising an orphan foal can be a very time-consuming ordeal. The mare can die for some reason (colic, uterine hemorrhage), or the mare might fail to produce sufficient milk for the foal. If a foal is orphaned at birth, it is imperative that the foal receive adequate colostrum. As you already know, colostrum if the “first milk” that a foal receives, and is rich in antibodies (particularly IgG’s) that will protect the foal from disease for the first 4 – 6 weeks of its life while its immune system develops. Foals are only able to absorb these antibodies during the first 12 hours of their life, so colostrum must be administered during this time. If colostrum is available, the newborn foal needs about 250 ml of colostrum every hour for the first six hours, then free-choice every one to two hours. It is a good idea to have a colostrum bank on the farm (frozen colostrum for mares with excess) so that there will always some available.

If, for some reason, the foal does not receive colostrum in the first 12 hours, ask your veterinarian to administer intravenous plasma. While this might seem like an inconvenience and an extra expense, plasma is rich in protective antibodies that will be delivered directly into the blood stream of your foal. This will protect against many diseases and sepsis. The foal then should be tested by your veterinarian at 18-24 hours of age to determine if it has had adequate absorption of antibodies (IgG levels should be greater than 800mg/dL. Now, how do we get the foal to drink?

Nurse Mares

If a foal has been orphaned, one of the best options is to provide the foal with a nurse mare. The orphaned foal is fostered onto another mare which has lost her foal, or had her own foal weaned. Once the foal is successfully fostered onto a nurse mare, the foal has an ever-ready food source and he/she will be socialized properly. The fostering process should not be attempted without an experienced person to assist, since often the mare must be sedated and restrained to prevent injury to the foal. Two people are needed at all times while introducing the mare and foal – one to restrain the mare and one to handle and guide the foal. The mare and foal should not be left alone until the mare has fully accepted the foal. Acceptance of the foal can take up to three days, but usually occurs within 12 hours.

Bottle Or Bucket Feeding

Another option is bottle feeding or bucket feeding the foal. If the foal has never nursed from the mare, it usually will be quite willing to nurse from a bottle. Lamb nipples work well because they closely resemble a mare’s teat. If these are not available, teats designed for human babies can be used. Calf nipples usually are too big for foals to nurse effectively. Ensure the hole in the nipple is not too large – when the bottle is turned upside down, milk should not flow out of the nipple; otherwise it might predispose the foal to aspiration pneumonia. To simulate a natural position for nursing, stand with your back to the foal and hold the foal’s nose underneath your arm. Then gently insert the nipple into the foal’s mouth (make sure it is over the tongue). Do not hold the bottle above the foal’s head as this position can make it very easy for foals to aspirate milk.

Healthy foals usually will drink only until they are full, so the foal should be allowed to drink free choice after it has consumed colostrum in the first 24 hours. It also is a good idea to record the amount of milk consumed at every feeding, especially in the first few weeks of life, since this can help alert you to a decreasing appetite or ensuing illness. Remember to clean the bottles and nipples after each use.

It is relatively easy to teach a foal to feed from a bucket, and is less time consuming. Place some milk on your fingers and put your fingers into the foal’s mouth to stimulate the suckle reflex. With your fingers still in the foal’s mouth, lower your fingers into a bucket of warm milk. Very quickly, the foal will catch on and will drink out of a bucket. With this method of feeding, a bucket of mare’s milk or milk replacer can be left in the foal’s stable or paddock and changed every 6 to 12 hours. The bucket or pail should be hung at chest level for the foal to drink, and it should be cleaned every time the milk is changed. Remember, all foals should also have access to fresh water at all times.

What to Feed

Mare’s milk is the perfect solution, as it alone matches the nutrient needs of the foal. However, few breeding farms have enough milk stored to feed a foal for more than a few weeks. Cow’s milk and goat’s milk both contain more fat than mare’s milk, and cow’s milk contains insufficient dextrose (sugar). Therefore, if cow’s milk is used, add one teaspoon of honey to every 500ml of milk. Commercial milk replacers are a convenient and very acceptable alternative to mare’s milk. Several foal formulations are available, but the brand you choose should contain about 15% fat and 22% crude protein, so check the label before purchasing. A side effect of using milk replacers is gastrointestinal upset. Some foals will develop diarrhoea when replacers first are used. If this should happen, dilute the milk replacer with water or try a different brand. If the diarrhoea persists for more than one day, then your veterinarian should evaluate the foal and proper treatment can be instituted. Other foals might develop mild bloat from the milk replacer. If this occurs, discontinue feeding for a few hours, and then feed a more diluted formulation. Solid feed can be introduced when the foal is about one month old. Some grain or milk replacer pellets also can be introduced at this time. The grain or pellet should have a protein content of 16-18%. A good general rule of thumb for feeding is 500 grams of feed for each month of age until six months of age, or 2.5 – 3 kgs of feed. Foals can be weaned from milk replacers at three to four months of age if adequate grass or hay and grain are available.

How Much and How Often To Feed

A healthy newborn foal will nurse from its dam about seven times in one hour. This number decreases as the foal gets older. Therefore frequent feedings are most compatible with the foal’s digestive system. Foals require about 21-25% of their body weight in milk per day (a 75 kg foal will need about 19 litres of milk per day). The ideal approach is free-choice feeding of milk, which is most easily achieved with the bucket feeding method. With bottle feeding, the newborn foal will need to nurse every hour for the first week of life, then this can decrease to every two to three hours after the first week. The problems arise when the foal is ill and is not consuming enough milk. If this happens, your veterinarian should be notified and force feeding (via a nasogastric tube) must be instituted. Foals also should gain about one to two kilograms of body weight per day. Contact your veterinarian if you are unsure if your foal is consuming enough milk or is not growing appropriately.

Special Problems of Orphans

Raising a foal is a time-consuming job. One main problem with humans raising foals is that the foal will identify with humans, rather than with other horses. This might be cute when the foal is a newborn, but it presents its own set of problems as the foal gets older. Foals raised by people without contact with other horses have been shown to fear and avoid other horses later in life. Orphan foals also will nurse themselves, other foals, or other horses – male or female. These problems can be eliminated by raising the foals with another horse or pony as a role model.

Raising an orphan foal can be challenging, but it can result in a healthy, well-adjusted foal if done correctly.

Sarah Seitz was born in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa when she was 10 years old. After attending high school at St Andrew’s in Johannesburg, she worked for her father for several years doing wildlife conservation and breeding endangered species. After that, she was introduced to the illustrious world of thoroughbred breeding and racing when she was employed to manage a thoroughbred stud farm for four years. This stud has produced several notable winners in its time, including a Durban July winner. She found herself really enjoying the veterinary aspect of equine management and breeding, so decided to come the USA to study Veterinary Medicine. Far from home and lots of paperwork later, she completed her undergraduate BSc degree at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and she is currently in her final year of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Sarah’s primary veterinary interest is large animal medicine and theriogenology. Sarah also enjoys volunteer work and has traveled to several countries including India, Nicaragua and Ecuador to provide free veterinary services to underdeveloped communities.

If your horse has ulcers, giving him omeprazole is not the only thing you can do to help reduce the severity of the problem. Research from Texas A&M University US showed that feeding lucerne (or alfalfa as it is also known) to horses either prevent or was therapeutic in treating stomach ulcers.

Something in lucerne hay tends to buffer acid production, and further research is planned to investigate the exact mechanism of action.

Up to 90% of racehorses and more than 50% of arena performance horses have ulcers of varying severity. Ulcers can reduce a horse’s appetite and feed intake and cause weight loss, poor hair coat, colic and reduced performance. Feeding grain, confinement, intensive exercise, feeding infrequent large meals and overall environmental stress factors are thought to cause ulcers. It’s commonly thought that horses turned out on pastures are better off than those that are confined. However, if grass hay is the only hay they are fed, this research suggests that the horses might be more likely to get gastric ulcers as compared to horses fed lucerne hay.

The research project correlated type of hay to likelihood of ulcers. In the study, 24 Quarter Horse yearlings were separated into two treatment groups. One group was fed Bermuda grass (similar to Eragrostis curvula hay) and the other fed lucerne hay to meet daily roughage needs. A pelleted concentrate feed was fed to both groups at 15% of daily feed intake, and the yearlings received forced exercise 3 times a week using a horse exercise during the study.

The horses were examined internally with an endoscope at the beginning and end of 28-day trails. Ulcer scores were significantly lower for the Lucerne diet than for the Bermuda hay diet, and some horses in the Lucerne group with ulcer at the beginning of the study all improved their ulcers while on the Lucerne hay diet. Ulcers tended to be worse at the end of the Bermuda diet period. Another notable finding was that while ulcer scores didn’t change significantly from the end of the Bermuda diet to the end of the pastured washout period, they increased significantly from the end of the lucerne diet to the end of the washout period.

To apply the results of this study to their own management, horse owners with performance horses can give their horses a pharmaceutical product that will decrease acid production, especially with high grade ulceration, and/or they can manage their horses’ diets by feeding lucerne hay as an adjunct to antiulcer treatment for the control and prevention of ulcers.

The second option does not stop acid production but offers buffering capabilities. Further work is needed to look at horses with varying degrees of ulceration in order to better determine the full extent to which lucerne-based products might help from a feeding management standpoint.

Based on what we know right now, for horses that are kept in confinement, eating concentrate feed, and getting forced exercise, it makes sense to consider some lucerne as part of their diet.

Recommendation is that horses weighing about 500kg should ideally be fed about 500g of lucerne hay or chaff 30 minutes prior to a grain meal, or alternatively with a grain meal. This will not only benefit ulcer management, but also increase chewing time and thus increase saliva production which will further buffer excessive acid production in the stomach.

All the best
Rensia Möller

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

Part 1

Your foal is growing rapidly at his dam’s side, and by outward appearance he is healthy and content. But it is important to ensure that he is receiving the correct levels of nutrients and that he doesn’t grow too fast. Establishing an appropriate feeding program for foals can be difficult. Scientists have done a wonderful job in determining the necessary nutrients for an appropriate rate of growth, but not all youngsters are created equal. Variants that influence growth rates, just to list a few important factors, are: foal metabolic rates vary, circumstances due to geography and weather conditions vary, genetics vary, milk quality varies from mare to mare, exercise varies, the quality of hays or pasture grass varies.

The challenge for foal owners and breeders is to establish a feeding program tailored to the needs of the individual or group (in SA group feeding is the norm). Close observation of the youngster’s ongoing development is highly important in determining whether growth goals are being accomplished without causing bone and tendon structure problems. This can get somewhat complicated when managing a group of foals, but it is highly important.

The critical period for young horses’ growth is from birth to 18 months, because this is when they achieve 90% of mature height and almost that percentage of mature weight.

During this period of rapid growth and development the stage is being set for the young horse’s athletic future. An appropriate feeding program can result in a horse that is sound in muscle and bone and is ready for a vigorous life as an equine athlete. An inappropriate feeding approach can result in the development of orthopaedic problems that can worry the horse throughout his life. Problems of this type quite often result from overfeeding the weanling.

One reason some owners or managers feed foals diets that are overloaded with nutrients is economic in nature. Most often the yearlings at sales achieving the highest prices are the tall, stocky, mature-looking animals that are unfortunately a product of a rapid growth rate.

There are four growth rates that are commonly referred to by nutritionists. They are slow, moderate, optimal, and fast. It is important for a horse breeder to decide early in the foal’s life which of these rates is best for each animal:

1) A slow growth rate borders on malnutrition and is referred to as “stunting” growth. Unless severe medical conditions exist     that demand the horse’s body weight be minimized, a slow rate of growth should not be pursued.
2) A moderate growth rate is acceptable for most performance horse prospects, such as show jumpers, eventers,     dressage horses, etc. These horses are not pushed hard during their yearling and 2-year-old stages as racehorse     prospects are.
3) Optimal growth rate is the ideal rate of growth for 80-90% of all Thoroughbred horses. Growth is pushed somewhat, but     not to the extent that growth-related bone problems increase significantly.
4) A fast growth rate is achieved by applying feeding practices that should not be employed for most growing horses.     Usually a fast rate of growth involves protein intake in excess of 16% and high starch rations, resulting in daily gains     exceeding 1.2 kilograms.

One of the tools that can be used to determine whether a feeding program is on track is a body scoring system, which involves numerical ratings from 1 through 5. A horse rated 1 on the scale is emaciated and one rated 5 is obese. Most nutritionists recommend that young, growing horses should range between 3 and 4, where:

Rating of 3:

The animal is moderately thin, but his neck is not obviously thin; his withers are not obviously thin; his shoulder is not obviously thin; a faint outline of the ribs is discernible; there’s a negative crease (peaked appearance) along the back; the tail head prominence depends on conformation; and fat can be felt. Hook bones (the projecting points of the hip bones) are not discernible.

Rating of 3.5:

General condition is moderate (ideal weight). The horse’s neck blends smoothly into the body; his withers are rounded over the spinous processes; his shoulder blends smoothly into the body; the ribs cannot be visually distinguished, but can be easily felt; the back is level; and the fat around the tail head is beginning to feel soft.

Rating of 4:

The horse is moderately fleshy, with fat beginning to be deposited on neck, withers, and shoulder; the fat over the ribs feels spongy; and he might have a slight positive crease over the loins. The fat around the horse’s tail head feels soft. Growth should be consistent and sudden, large increases or any decreases should be avoided to prevent potential problems.

In Part II we have a look at creep feeding and weaning of foals.

Rensia Möller

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

Now that we are in foaling season, let’s consider drinking and eating behaviour in Foals.

Foals drink milk, but have you ever considered how much milk they drink, or when they start drinking water, or when and how much feed and hay they start consuming?

The drinking and eating behaviour of foals is not much different to that of the mature horse. Mare’s milk will generally provide all the nutritional needs of foals in their first six to eight weeks of life, and by seven days old, foals drink 25% of their body weight in milk each day.

Although milk is the foundation of a young foal’s diet, they will frequently sample concentrate from their dams’ feed buckets or hay nets in the first few days of life, some starting as young as one day old. Most will have a keen interest in their dam’s feed by one week of age, however the amount of concentrate eaten at this time will not contribute significantly to their nutrient intake.
Foals ability to digest roughage, especially hay, evolves as more teeth erupt with which they can substantially chew higher amounts of feed and roughage.

Foals of one week old spend less than 10% of their day eating solid food, but by 21 weeks of age, they spend approximately 50% of the day eating feed or roughage. Foals stabled with their dams learn to eat solid food faster than those kept on pasture alone. Feral foals of 2-4 weeks old were observed to spend 18-24% of their day grazing, 42-45% at 20-28 weeks old, and 73% at 5 months of age.

Milk and Water Consumption

Some foals start sipping curiously at water on their first day of life, but for most it takes a few days before the physiologic trigger to drink kicks in and the unusual sensation of their whiskers touching the water is dulled. Foals generally learn by watching and mimicking their dams, but instinctive behaviour encourages drinking as well. This natural drinking instinct makes teaching orphan foals to drink milk from buckets relatively easy.

Foals drink water less frequently than adults, and their drinking times are shorter: about 30 seconds in foals, while an adult can drink as long as 60 seconds.

One-month-old foals drink about 17.5 kg milk and about 4 kg water per day, while two-month-old foals drink about the same amount of milk but more water (about 5.5 kg) per day.

Water intake increases with age, whilst milk intake decreases. This may be ascribed to foals eating more solid food, which cause an increase in thirst response. Adult horses drink about 2-3 litres water for every kilogram of concentrate feed consumed, and 3-4 litres for every kilogram of hay.

Other Water Intake Facts when considering water intake in young and mature horses:

Salt intake and water consumption have a linear relationship: the more salt a horse eats, the more water it will drink. This should not be confused with TDS (“total dissolved solids”) in water of which high amounts will decrease intake. This may not be a problem unless the only water available is from a pond, which can be much higher in TDS than tap water, leading to decreased palatability and intake. Decreased water intake can lead to decreased milk production in mares, and decreased gut motility and impaction colic. It is therefore recommended to have water sources other than tap water tested for TDS levels and to monitor sufficient intakes.

Handy Hint: How many watts for how long when using artificial lights to stimulate ovarian activity?

The technique of exposing mares to 16 hours of artificial light from the time of the winter solstice or from the 1st July each year helps to shift the onset of ovarian activity forward up to 2 months as compared to the natural seasonal increase in day length as spring approaches. Ovarian activity is triggered in 60-65 days under artificial lights from mid winter. Older mares, over 18 years of age, may take 80-90 days to trigger fertile ovarian function.

Too much light intensity above 100 watts in a stable, or for longer than 16 hours, can delay the onset of seasonal cycles. The minimum light intensity is 20 watts evenly spread throughout the stable area, but 100 watt of white light produced by an incandescent globe or 25 watt energy saving (daylight-tube), or roughly enough light to read a magazine by even spread over the stable, ensuring that corners are well lit, is adequate for 16 hours set by a time switch in a 4 by 3.5m stable to extend the low light from late afternoon to 10pm. In an outside yard 25m square, 8×100 watt metal halide floodlights, set on 6m high poles to reduce shadows and dark corners around the yard to provide even light, are adequate to extend the photoperiod to 16 hours per day, with fertile ovulations in 60 days.

An alternative sequence of short bursts of 100 watt even light over a 60 minute period, timed for 9 hours after sunset (usually 2-4 am in the early morning), has been found to have a similar effect in stimulating ovarian activity in 60 days, at a reduced cost of electricity.

Successful foaling and rebreeding season!

Rensia Möller

Article Brought to you by:

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

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The Use Of Body Condition Scoring In Broodmare Management 5 September, 2011 – Dr Rensia Möller

The Use Of Body Condition Scoring In Broodmare Management

It is generally considered that the mare’s energy status is the major nutritional factor that influences her reproductive efficiency. Body condition scoring is a visual and hands-on method of estimating the amount of body fat your mare has, therefore it is a useful tool in establishing an individual’s energy status.

ESTIMATING BODY CONDITION SCORE

The mare stores fat in 3 main areas: the neck, the back/ribs and the pelvis. The body condition scoring system evaluates these 3 areas for fat cover and awards each area a mark of 0 to 5. The table below will help you to decide what mark you should give to each area. All the marks should then be added together and divided by 3 to give an average body condition score.

BODY CONDITION SCORE AND REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY

Pregnancy rates have been shown to be better in mares entering the breeding season with a good body condition score (3-3.5). Mares with poor body condition score (<3) at mating have been shown to suffer from delayed conception, reduced pregnancy rates and increased embryonic loss. Similarly, mares with high body condition scores (>3.5) have been reported to have reduced conception rates (figure 1). To maximise reproductive efficiency the mare should be placed on a rising plane of nutrition three weeks prior to covering and should have a body condition score of 3-3.5 at conception. This body condition score should then be maintained throughout pregnancy.

Unfortunately, all too often mares are allowed to have a body condition score of >3.5 prior to and after covering. This not only reduces conception rates but may also have adverse effects on the developing placenta and hence foetus. If during early pregnancy the mare has a condition score of >3.5, and does not have a foal at foot, her calorie (energy) intake should be restricted to facilitate weight loss. However their vitamin and mineral intake must be maintained by feeding a high specification vitamin and mineral pellet such as Epol All Phase balancer pellets. Studies have indicated that loosing excessive weight during this time will not detrimentally affect the foal. Furthermore, this will enable the mare to receive a rising plane of nutrition in the last trimester to support foetal growth and development.

If by the third trimester of pregnancy the mare’s body condition score is still greater than 3.5 the idea of weight loss must be abandoned. She must receive an increasing plane of nutrition but will need to be monitored carefully during parturition as the risk of foaling difficulties will be increased. Similarly, during lactation weight loss should not be encouraged, particularly if the mare is to be covered again. If energy is severely restricted at this stage it may increase the risk of detrimental fatty liver conditions. Furthermore, an increasing plane of nutrition is vital to maximise successful re-conception, hence calorie restriction is inadvisable. On the other hand a condition score of greater than 3.5 will negatively affect the mare’s chances of re-conceiving post foaling and greater veterinary and management skill will be required to ensure successful reproduction.

In conclusion, the first and second trimesters of pregnancy are the critical times for weight loss in over weight mares; you should aim to have your mare at a body condition score of 3-3.5 prior to and during pregnancy and lactation. Weight loss should not be encouraged in mares with body condition scores greater than 3.5 during the last trimester of pregnancy or during lactation.

Article Brought to you by:

Dr Rensia Möller Equine Veterinarian and International Nutritionist Dr Rensia Möller obtained her Agricultural Science before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude. She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed trainers including Mike de Kock, competing for the Dubai World Cup, with numerous race winners and success stories on these feeds. She also exclusively developed formulas for the world renowned Godolphin and Darley equine racing and breeding houses. She is currently on board the dynamic Epol team, doing part-time consultancies for Epol clients, and passionately formulating and upgrading their range e.g. the newly launched long awaited mueslis and the international add-on of the Mike de Kock racing range. She is also available for private client consultancies.

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