What to Feed a Pregnant Horse

Pregnant horses, like pregnant people, have specific nutritional needs so they can support both themselves and their growing babies. Knowing what to feed and when to feed it is paramount to ensuring the health of the newborn horse as well as to keeping the mare healthy and strong. Making sure you are feeding the pregnant mare enough calories as well as making sure you are meeting her nutritional needs can be tricky.

  1. Early Pregnancy

    • Keep in mind that most mares can meet their own nutritional needs for the first eight months of their pregnancies by simply being allowed to graze in lush pastures. Mares should be allowed to graze freely in quality pastures that have plenty of healthy greens for them to nibble on. This will reduce the chances that they will become overweight, as can happen with grains and supplemental hay feeding. Overweight mares have a tendency to have a difficult time during delivery. If adequate pastureland is unavailable, grazing can be supplemented with quality meadow hay. Lucerne- or legume-based pastures are best. It is also recommended that the mare start receiving a vitamin-and-mineral supplement during this time. Common supplements to include are calcium, if the mare is grazing in a predominantly grass pasture. If the pasture is predominantly lucerne, a phosphorus supplement should be given. Vitamin E and selenium should be supplemented in all cases.

    Overweight Mares

    • Mares that are already overweight should not be placed on a restricted diet in the first 90 days of pregnancy. Instead, they should be allowed to graze and should be supplemented with meadow or lucerne hay in the same manner as a healthy-weight mare. This will prevent the baby from being spontaneously aborted or from developing malformations due to malnutrition. After the initial three months of pregnancy have passed, the mare can be placed on a moderated diet that allows for slow and steady weight loss of up to 1% of her total body weight. This reduction in feed should be accompanied by a moderate exercise program in order to tone her up. This program can continue from months four through eight.

    Late Pregnancy

    • Months nine, ten and eleven are the most dramatic for the unborn horse. It nearly doubles in size and places the greatest demand on the nutritional resources of the mare. An increase in calories, protein and minerals is a must to support the growth of the baby and to prepare the mare to begin producing milk. Protein meals should be fed in addition to grazing and hay supplementation. These can be in the form of commercially prepared horse food. The addition of extra foodstuffs should be done gradually to prevent gastric distress. If the mare resides within a herd of mares, make sure to feed the pregnant mare separately to ensure she receives enough calories, especially if she is less aggressive than others in the herd.