This is for horse people only please!!?

Question

Does the amount of feed given to a pregnant mare effect the size of the foal?? Like if she is putting on alot of weight this winter and is pregnant will it make her foal larger?

The reason I ask is---I have a mare that has an 18 mth old filly, that was very small at birth. She was the 1st foal born to this mare.

I didnt have the mare at that time. I didnt get her until the filly was 1 yr old and I bought them both.
I know she was only fed grass,hay, and water during that pregnancy. Now that I have her (The mare) and she is bred back for late spring or early summer.With 2nd foal. She is being fed corn, mare and foal feed plus hay and water. And has been on the feed since last July. I guess my ? out of all this is. Since she is on a better diet this time will this foal be bigger than the other one. When she was only getting hay, grass and water.

Answer 1

First foals out of a maiden mare are not always small. One of my mares' maiden foals is the biggest, healthiest thing on the place, and a Show Champion before he was 2 - btw, he's going to mature bigger than both parents. He was big and athletic before he even got out of the mare (no point trying to explain this one here, long story, you had to be there). My point here is, it's a genetic lottery. Of course, the parents' size will play a large part, but there is so much more to the end result.
Having said that, nutrition is crucial for the mare in foal, and as mentioned before, does not mean a whole load of grain. Grain will provide protein, and energy to deal with colder nights, but not necessarily all the nutrients required for an embryo to survive into a healthy foal, and for the mare to feed it without depriving her own stores. Depending on the type of area you live in, supplementation with vitamins and minerals would normally be advised - ask a local vet or successful breeder.
Anyway, back to the first mare I mentioned, she looked huge at 7mths, but never really appeared any bigger, right up til the day she popped out "Mr Huge" (by a stallion 2" shorter than her), he's just gone 2, already bigger than the dam.
Another mare here was an absolute giant before foaling, her foal, albeit a bit premmy, was very small... and now as a yearling, on full nutrition, is going to be one big girl when she grows up.
There are a lot of variances, but correct nutrition all round is the best you can do for both the mare and the foal, long term. If the foal is small, but healthy, don't worry about the size. Get educated on how exactly a broodmare and foal should be fed to eliminate wasting mares, and foals with legs like Queen Anne tables, etc. ....and of course, have fun. Baby foals are just ***. (words escape me.... precious??!)..oooohh, love 'em!

Answer 2

A good diet will give you a better guarantee for a healthy live foal. A mare's first foal is usually on the small side. There is only on determining factor in how big that foal is, how big the mare is. If she is long backed there is a lot more room for that foal and therefore will tend to be larger than other short backed horses' foals. I've seen a shetland mare bred by a belgium stallion and she didn't have any trouble foaling. Then again, I just had a reg app mare last summer foal out a huge foal that didn't stand for over 24 hours. He had to be bottle fed and have splints put on for quite some time. The sire was just a little bigger than the mare. The diet doesn't have much to do with size besides good muscle tone on the foal.

Answer 3

A better diet will only effect the healthiness of the foal. Size and structure is hereditary- so look at the weight, height, broadness, and age of the sire and dam(before she got pregnant)
I have a colt that was the first foal from his dam- he's massive- but so are his sire and dam. So the people saying the first foal is always the smallest aren't right.
You are doing right in feeding her a more balanced diet this pregnancy. Although feed won't affect the size of the foal- it will benefit his health.
Good luck with your little hoof beats.

Answer 4

okay, since her last foal was her first, they're usually the smallest. The foal only grows to the size of the uterus. With the first foal, the uterus wasn't streched out yet. Chances are this foal will be larger. The extra nutrients will only make the foal healthier, not larger.
Also, some mares, like one of mine, deliver small, but they grow to completely normal size. The genes determine the mature height.
Good luck with foaling!

Answer 5

The foal gets the most of what she eats in the last trimester of her pregnancy, and yes, better feed will definitely make for a bigger foal. We got a thin mare at a sale who was bred and we fed her as much as was safe. Well, she never gained except in her belly - and that foal was so huge (stillborn) my husband could barely lift it to bury it.
I'd be careful of feeding horses much corn., Itis a hot feed and can cause problems if fed too much. Lay off the corn and try oats or pelleted feed.

Answer 6

I would not say that the foal will be larger, but maybe healthier. Just like with people just because the eat correctly doesn't mean that they will have a large baby. She could have a bigger foal if the sire is larger, if its a colt, since it's her second. There is a chance that the foal may be larger but not necessarily due to better feed, but it can't hurt. It could also be that the mare may not physically be able to have large foals so her body doesn't make the foals that large.

Answer 7

The amount of nutrients you give it could affect the health of the foal but probably not the size. The size most likely goes with height of the mare and stallion. But don't just take my answer, you should ask your vet.

Answer 8

Yes the type of feed and the amount will affect the size of the foal.

Answer 9

e-mail me (i own 2-- had them since birth)


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