What supplement do you use for pregnant mares

[kaprikorn]

Hi all,

Being new to the Miniature Horse world, thought I would get your suggestions for your favorite supplement for those preggie mares. I live in the Southeastern US and have seen many brands, but wondered if some are better than others for the little girls.

I know to get them off Fesuce grass a few months before due dates. I had big horses before I got the minis and I always used Calf Mana for them and the foals creepfeed and had great results.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge,

Sheryl

 

[kaykay]

Hi Sheryl

So nice to meet you!

My thoughts on fescue are a couple months is not enough. You really need to get those mares off fescue for at least the last 4 months. I know in discussing it with my vet he feels the same way. He said this year in Ohio was horrible for fescue foal problems (deaths, dystocias, dummy foals, no milk)

Im not a fan of supplements. Instead I like to just feed the best hay I can and a complete feed such as equine jr or sr depending on age. Our mares start getting complete feed the last 8 weeks. Now some mares get it earlier if they look like the pregnancy is dragging them down. You really just have to look at each horse indivually.

Kay

 

[Matt73]

No supplements. Just good grass hay and Gro 'n Win.

 

[mizbeth]

Hi and welcome,

No suppliments here either. We feed strategy or omalene depending on which horses, have a mineral block out for them GOOD alfalfa and GOOD coastal hay which we are lucky enough to have here, although high in cost. They are fat and healthy and so are their babies! Worth the extra money to feed them, is my belief.

I did one year feed a cheaper, "local" feed. It was supposedly 14% protein and 6% fat. NOT, is what I would say as two of my foals that year were born with 'wavy' hooves. Not ridges as in fever rings but wavy on the bottom, not the oval shape they usually are. I attribute that to the feed since I only fed it that one year. I had no problems prior to that nor since then when I went back to Purina products. Those wavy feet grew out though and are fine now. Just something I noticed since I was cutting back on cost. Both mares have produced several foals for me prior to this and several after and one were like that again, once back on Purina feed.

Good luck,

Beth

 

[Miniv]

We don't feed supplements to our pregnant girls.........Just good grass hay and a Senior COMPLETE Feed which contains everything a supplement would provide. Our Senior Feed is manufactured here in this region FOR this region.

 

[zacharyfarms]

Hi Sheryl,

I feed Triple Crown Lite for the beginning of the pregnancy ( all my horses eat it) and then the last 3 months I change to Triple Crown Growth along with Triple Crown Grass Forage and Alfalfa Forage mixed. (safe from fescue endophyte). I also give them Omega Horseshine year round.

 

[JWC sr.]

Welcome to the wonderful world of mini's, as a new friend I feel we should all warn you that many of us here came from the big horse world and very few have ever returned completely.

These little ones are very very habit forming and there always seems to be room for just one more.

With that said for our pregnate mares we feed stadegy, good coastal bermuda hay and as much coastal bermuda pasture as we can allow. It works for us and has produced good results for a number of years.

Good Luck

 

[ThreeCFarm]

No supplements here, either. I feel that if you have to supplement them, then your feed isn't doing worth the money you are spending on it. We feed Progressive Nutrition's Grass Balancer to all of our minis whether they are pets, or breeding, show, performance, or growing horses. Our foals are born up on their legs, good hooves, etc. I see so many posts with the foals down in the pasterns, etc and it makes me wonder what their dams were being fed.

 

[Leeana]

My outside broodmares are on nearly free choice roundbales which are a mix of orchard grass, alfafla and timothy and Buckeye Gro n Win w/ Oats and Dumor Mare Plus suppliment. Right now most my broodmares are getting 1 cup of Gro N Win + Oats...one mare is on 2 cups of GNW as she is on her last 3 months.

Then, other mare who has PLE (Protein Loosing Enteropathy) and Thryoid eats separate, she is on Tix Whix twelve (half cup 1x a day) and ThryoL Powder and Dumor Mare Plus.

 

[disneyhorse]

Really, you don't need to supplement but I do just to make me feel better

My horses all get excellent quality hays and grains, but the last three months the horse is in foal I give the mare "Mare Plus" supplement made by Farnam. You feed so little of it, but I feel it gives a touch of extra vitamins the last three months. I then keep giving it to the mare while she is lactating, and I do up the calories for the mare at this time as well.

The caloric needs of a pregnant mare are not that much, it is early lactation after foaling that really will drag them down.

Andrea

 

[Margaret]

To avoid unwanted weight gain, I usually wait until the last 3 months before offering any extra caloric food

suppliment,- as long as they are getting good quality hay, and free acess to a a vitimin/mineral block.

Purina makes a mineral for horses called Purina 12-12 minerals that comes in a 50lb block that is a good item to offer to your horses, pregnant or not. You can also purchase a optional holder for it and be sure to keep it under covering in case it rains.

This mineral suppliment is complete for horses, and contains no salt so a seperate salt block should be offered as well.

Then in the last 3 months of pregnancy, I generally incorperate a low fat ration balancer type of suppliment called Enrich 32 ( also made by purina )

into their diet. This is an exellent type to use - to bump up their nutritional needs in the last trimester.

 

[uwharrie]

I am also from North Carolina and interested in seeing what everyone feeds. I am at a disadvantage as I can only get Purina in this area ( not that it is bad, just limits options)

I am working with the Purina feed expert on a feeding program for my little herd, which includes three 1 1/2 yr old mares a 6 yr old ( still a bit overweight) stallion and an 8 yr old ( still overweight) bred mare.

right now the youngsters are on Equine Jr and the older two are on Weight control. I would like everyone to be on one feed but not sure that will happen. He has recommended Strategy or the Enrich 32. Once I get acurate weights he will be able to make a firm recommendation. His concern with Strategy for the mare is her not getting enough mineral because of the small amount of feed.

They also get good quality hay, "friendly" endophyte fescue right now, the mare will be switched to coastal after the first of the year ( she is due in May)

 

[kaprikorn]

Thanks for everyones input. This is such a great site and lots of good information

I have been feeding Legends Maintaince along with their pasture up until a few weeks ago. But now I am feeding Legends Mare and Foal and I have been adding a handful of chopped alphalfa to their feed since the pasture quality decreased. I just got a load of nice orchard/coastal hay. They have free access to several mineral blocks. The first one is not due until middle April, with the other two close behind. These will be my first mini babies. . .though I have had 20+ QH babies.

Thanks again and hope to have three healthy babies come Spring !

Sheryl

 

[uwharrie]

What part of NC are you in? we have a hard time finding Orchard grass here in the middle of the state.