<p><img alt="foaling" src="images-joomla/stories/seasons/foaling.jpg" height="200" width="300" /> <img alt="foaling firstfeed" src="images-joomla/stories/seasons/foaling firstfeed.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></p>
<p>To support the mare's ability to deliver a strong and healthy foal, you should take extra efforts to ascertain that the mare's diet delivers the nutrients required, both for the mother and the developing foal. All nutrients necessary for development of the fetus comes via the mother's blood. Deficiencies in the mare's feed ration adversely affect the foal long before birth. Thus, the shaping of a winning horse starts well before the foal has taken its first steps on the stable floor! <br /> <br /> The mare's need for energy, protein, minerals and vitamins increases during the last part of gestation. You can check it out in PC-horse by comparing the requirements of nutrients in the eight and eleventh months respectively. &nbsp;<br /> <br /> A mare in good body condition has usually sufficient energy reserves to support her pregnancy for the first 6-9 months. You should be aware that some mares have a tendency to become too thin in the final months before delivery. It is therefore particularly important to pay attention to the mare's body condition in this period. We advise that you use PC-Horse monthly to keep track of the increasing requirements for nutrients as parturition approaches. <br /> <br /> Use a concentrate designed for pregnant mares to to secure protein supply. Such feeds have higher protein content than concentrates commonly used for sports- and competition horses. A good concentrate for broodmares should also contain vitamins and minerals that are especially important for the late pregnant mare. When you use PC-Horse, you can easily choose a concentrate that is well suited for your mare. You can also compare the nutrient content of concentrates from different companies, in order to get the best value for your money. <br /> <br /> It is also important to know the nutritional quality of the forage used - whether it is hay or haylage, and to use the best quality roughage with a high digestibility for your late pregnant mare. If you have analyzed your roughage (which we definitely recommend), it is easy to insert it as your own feed in PC-Horse: Open the feed list attached to your stable, and select "Make new feed" from the menu at the top of the screen. Give the roughage a name, and select hay or haylage as feed type. Then select an existing feed as "template", to get access to default values for nutrients missing in your feed analysis. (Click "?" for help). Be sure to enter the correct dry matter value in percent when you define your own haylage.<br /> <br /> Be sure to enter the mare's breeding date in the PC-Horse program as soon as you have verified the pregnancy. The program will calculate the combined requirements of mother and foal as pregnancy progresses, - every time you open PC-Horse. Make it a routine to check and adjust the feeding every month from mid-pregnancy, while simultaneously checking the mare's body condition.</p>
<p><em>This article was originally written by Dr. Day Austbø.</em><br /><em> Copyright: PC-Horse International - Norway 2012.</em><br /> <em>Feel free to use and publish the material. Please indicate the source and author.</em></p>