Diet Planning - Feeding the Broodmare

Many mares are now entering or are about to enter the last trimester of their pregnancy. During this time 60% of foetal growth occurs and the mare's energy requirements will increase by around 20% meaning that your mare is likely to need a change of feeding regime. Here we provide our top tips for feeding the broodmare at this stage.

1) Monitor bodyweight

It is important to continue to monitor your mare's bodyweight at this stage to ensure that she does not become over or underweight. Foal growth during the last trimester means that your mare should gain weight and as a rough guide a mare will typically increase in weight by up to 15% throughout gestation. For example, a 500kg horse would increase in weight by up to 75kg.

2) Ensure a balanced diet

During the third trimester the foetus accumulates stores of minerals to support rapid growth post parturition. It is therefore important to ensure that the mare receives a balanced diet with respect to vitamins and minerals in addition to providing good quality protein and meeting energy requirements.

Stud feeds are designed to provide a balanced diet that is suitable for breeding stock when it is fed at the suggested quantities. If you are feeding less than recommended of a feed formulated for breeding stock then it is important to top up with additional vitamins and minerals in the form of either a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement such as Natural Vitality Performance Vits & Mins, or a balancer such as Dengie Alfa-A Balancer.

3) Broodmare does not automatically mean stud mix/cube, especially for good doers

Good doers are frequently fed less than recommended of stud mixes and cubes as they simply hold their weight too well. As such over time broodmares that are good doers are prime candidates for missing out on important vitamins and minerals such as copper, which is ultimately also detrimental to the growth and development of the foal.

If you have a broodmare that holds weight very easily then you needn't necessarily use a stud mix or cube in order to provide a nutritionally balanced ration. Alternatively you could use a ration based on one of the Dengie Alfa-A range products such as Dengie Alfa-A Original together with Natural Vitality Performance Vits & Mins or Dengie Alfa-A Balancer to provide a balanced diet.

Alfalfa is included in all of the Dengie Fibre Feeds and is excellent for breeding and youngstock as not only does it provide a highly digestible source of fibre, but also provides good quality protein and a range of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals such as calcium which is much more available to the horse than inorganic sources such as limestone.

4) Feed little and often

As the third trimester progresses the amount of space the foal takes up increases whilst the amount of space for food decreases. As such you may notice that the mare's appetite declines or that she may even become more fussy than usual. Feeding little and often is one way to ensure that your mare is not ‘over-faced' by large quantities of feed and is ultimately better for digestive health and efficiency as well.

Very concentrated feeds such as Dengie Fibremix Complement are ideal for broodmares that are fussy feeders or have limited appetites. Fibremix Complement is a highly concentrated coarse mix that is fed in much smaller quantities than traditional mixes or cubes. Fibremix Complement is a high oil, low starch mix which makes it ideal for condition without the fizz and a caramel flavour helps to tempt even the fussiest of feeders. As well as providing a broad-spectrum of vitamins and minerals Fibremix Complement also contains a prebiotic, probiotic and yeast to support digestive health and to promote efficient feed utilisation.

5) Use the best quality forage available

If your mare's appetite decreases at this stage then it stands to reason that any part of the ration should make as much of a contribution to her overall nutrient requirement as possible and poor quality forage just won't cut it. If you are struggling to find good quality hay or haylage this year then don't panic as Dengie Hi-Fi Senior is also suitable as a hay replacement for broodmares. Hi-Fi Senior combines high temperature dried grasses and alfalfa with a light molasses coating and is suitable for use as a complete hay replacement. As both the grasses and alfalfa in Hi-Fi Senior are high temperature dried it provides a consistently clean forage source and is nutritionally comparable to top quality hay.

6) Make the most of fibre

Natural Vitality Digestive Health is a pure Yea-Sacc¹⁰²⁶ supplement that research has shown is beneficial for significantly increasing fibre digestibility when fed at the licensed rate of 10g per day. Research has shown that in addition to improving fibre digestibility if broodmares are fed double this amount at 20g per day there is also significant benefits to milk production and composition which also results in a more balanced growth of youngsters compared to broodmares that are not supplemented with Yea-Sacc¹⁰²⁶.

Fed at 10g per day, Natural Vitality Digestive Health is an economical way to make the most of fibre as a 1kg tub provides a 3 month supply.

7) Watch out for bullies

If you are group feeding it is often impossible to ensure that everyone gets their fair share. Dengie Field Licks are an excellent way to top up on nutrients that are lacking in pasture or when mares at the bottom of the hierarchy fail to get all of their allocated feed. Dengie Field licks are a 20kg weatherproof feed block that must be fed in a suitable container which is sold separately. Dengie Field Licks are suitable for outdoor use and so can be left in the paddock for free access and on average last 3 horses one week.

For friendly advice on feeding your broodmare contact the Dengie Feedline on 0845 345 5115 or send us an e-mail.