NUTRITION DURING GESTATION

In the light of a warm summer evening my legs taken out of the stirrups swung gently in rhythm with Westy's relaxed stride and we happily and calmly walked to the stable. In mind, we were both far away from the dusty and stony path. A silly and unexpected tripping over returned us brusquely to reality. But there have been so many little hiccups, I thought and so did probably she. The lameness will hopefully go before we get to the stable. However, after a week, it was still there. The gallop-happy tiger became a horse mounted by nobody sane. Now what, she was such a promising and exceptional mare. Maybe a very long rest, the hormonal storm of gestation and foaling will help. Anyway, her foal could be great too.

Whatever the reasons for fertilizing a mare, her nutrition and condition always play a very important role when becoming gravid, and during the whole gestation period just as much. As always, in this case as well, quality clearly overules quantity, which means it is mares in good nutritional condition who become pregnant the easiest, not the fat ones. Of course, skinny mares, without reserves in form of fat or without enough developed muscle, don't stay gravid very well or easily, that's clear to everybody. The similarity with people is not just purely coincidental.

In the first third (trimester) of gestation the developing embryo is quite small, actually it has negligible demands for nutrition, particularly for energy and protein. Much important than quantity is quality. Unless the mare is simulaneously nursing an already born foal, in most cases a good pasture without any added hard feed is sufficient both for the mare and the embryo. This solution is not only ecologic but also economic. Of course, good pasture cannot be mistaken with a trampled dusty bit of land covered with whig plant, fleabane and couple of burdocks fighting for life between inumerable mounds of droppings from too many horses. Ultimately, the suitability of pasture shows very well on the future mother's health and condition. A shiny coat, spark in the eye and sufficient level of energy at moderate weight suggest that everything is all right. A reasonable workload with an adequate dose of energy does no harm, it's actually beneficial. In the case where the mare doesn't have access to pasture the main source of nutrition is of course good-quality fodder, hay or haylage.
A measured and regular supplement of minerals is in place, especially when we know nothing of the mineral content in the pasture's soil and we don't have a feed analysis. If we don't use very effective solutions that are added to drinking water (however they're not the cheapest), it is recommendable to mix the powdered matter into wheat bran, for example.

If the mare is, apart from expecting a foal, also nursing one the nutritional requirements are completely different, disproportionately larger and with cultured breeds they cannot be covered with fodder only. In nutritional needs lactation equals the hardest physical workload, it just doesn't negatively affect the horse's psychological state and therefore its reception of feed. There is more about feeding nursing mares in the next article.

The mare doesn't experience practically any changes for most of the second trimester. It can be said that most mares don't have to receive any additional energy from hard feed in order to cover her energy and protein demands until the end of this period, that is until half way through the eighth month of gestation. For the reason of gradual adaptation of the intestinal micro flora (but often only for the good feeling of having done the maximum for her) it is possible to start with adding small amounts of hard feed. A suitable supplement mix, albeit small amounts (up to 1 kg) is better than any grain (oat, barley,...) because it supplies macro and micro elements alike. There are enough vitamins for this period in good hay or pasture so they don't have to be added to the feed.

The last trimester differs not only with its relatively rapidly increasing demands for nutritional quantity but also, particularly, with its changed dimensional proportions in the abdominal cavity of a heavily gravid mare. Because of the significant increase in size of the uterus, albeit the general expansion of the abdominal cavity, the mare's capacity of ad libidum reception of food reduces and it is necessary to pass on to more concentrated resources than fodder. Nonetheless, with a healthy mare of a standard weight at 500 kg before fertilization, the dose of hard feed is around 2 to 2.5 kg per day depending on her physical condition. A mother-to-be needs to have sufficient physical reserves for the coming demanding period but literal "fatties" are at risk from health problems, for example from ketosis.

Although it might sound illogical to many, it is very unsuitable to feed minerals with higher contents of calcium (Ca) two months before foaling even though calcium is essential to the development of foetus.
The reason? Comfort for the body. In times of relatively small need, if there is an excess of calcium, the body isn't forced to laboriously extract it from less accessible bonds. Then, in the case of sudden passage to higher issues of lactation in the form of milk the body first takes calcium from the bone to cover the increasing need instead of using the less accessible forms of calcium in the feed. In extreme cases the consequences can be fatal.

In the period before birth it very recommendable to administer linseed. Boiled or freshly scrapped, it is a rich source of mucus substances that are beneficial to not only the coat's condition and appearance, but also to the condition of the mucous membranes, that includes those along which your new bundle of joy will be pushed.

Ing. Miroslav Drásal

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Realization team La Sard wishes its satisfied current and future customers Happy New Year 2013

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18. května se naše jezdkyně, Martina Drásalová, zúčastnila významného závodu SAIC v Jihoafrické republice. Článek o její účasti (a dalších 8 českých jezdkyň) si můžete přečíst zde. Zkrácená verze vyšla také na webu » brno.idnes.cz

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