Page 27 - The Game February 2006

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, February 2006 27
FEEDING FOR TWO
As your broodmare gets closer and closer to her due date, you've been noting, with some satisfaction, her bulging belly, her increasingly matronly attitude, and the look of lazy contentment in her eyes. But while she may look relaxed on the outside, inside, her growing foal is making ever-increasing demands on her body.
The early stages of pregnancy, when the fetus is the size of a walnut, aren't particularly strenuous for the average mare, but that situation begins to change as she enters her fourth month of gestation. Though the unborn foal's weight gain is concentrated in the final four months of the pregnancy, studies have shown that broodmares use the second trimester to gain condition in preparation for the hard work of lactation (nursing). For the average mare, who gains about 16% of her initial body weight during the whole course of her pregnancy,
there's no significant weight gain
in the first three months -- but in
the secondtrimester,she'llputon
about 70% of that total increased
body condition, given the
opportunity.
Knowing this, we can conclude that you need to address more than just the unborn foal's nutritional needs when you're feeding your broodmare. To give her the chance to store extra reserves for milk production, you'll want to start increasing both the volume and the nutritional content of her feed well before she enters her final trimester. Not only will she need more protein in her diet (gradually inching up to about 1.3 times its usual level of 8-11%), her body will also demand more energy (calories) to maintain the pregnancy, and her need for calcium and phosphorus will escalate to almost double what she would need if she were not in foal. All of these nutrients are important both for the construction of a strong, healthy foal and for the maintenance of the mare's condition. And that will have a bearing on how easily she 'catches' on her next breeding.
Once she has given birth, the nutritional demands don't decrease.... in fact, lactation (the process of producing milk for her offspring) will only accelerate the challenges to your mare's system. Her energy needs will shoot up by a full 80%, her protein needs will more than double, and her requirement for calcium and phosphorus, both important minerals essential for the foal's correct growth, will almost triple. The first eight weeks of nursing her foal are as strenuous an activity as your mare will ever undertake, and will have a lasting impact on how well her foal develops and matures.
But to return to your mare's current situation - at this time of year, it's safe to assume your pasture is no longer going to meet her nutritional needs, even if she can find something to nibble under the snow. She should be receiving high-quality mixed hay, heavy on the legumes (alfalfa
and/or clover), and a high-protein grain mix formulated for broodmares. Providing a salt/calcium/phosphorus mineral lick isn't a bad idea either.
If your mare is a hard keeper, consider providing supplemental fats to her diet to help her
gain condition during the crucial second trimester. Fats, which contain concentrated
energy, can be fed by top-dressing vegetable oil, supplementing with rice bran, or purchasing a ready- mixed feed with a high fat content (look for a level of at least 6% fat on the feed tag).
If you're feeding straight grains rather than a commercial mix for broodmares, or if your hay is less than terrific or is more than a few months old, it's a good idea to start adding a general vitamin/mineral supplement to your broodmare's diet now. Mares grazing on green grass
receive plenty of vitamins A and D in their diet, but come winter, they'll receive far less of these two essential nutrients. A vitamin A deficiency, in particular, can result in a deficiency in the foal since it is not passed along to him in the colostrum -- and vitamin A deficiency in foals has been implicated in compromised immune function and a greater likelihood of contracting infectious diseases, especially respiratory or diarrheal conditions.
CONTINUED PAGE 29 - SEE FEEDING FOR TWO
Equine Health
by Karen Briggs
Dave Landry Photo
WESTERN CANADA’S #1 STALLION ROSTER Highland Ruckus
Bold Ruckus - Arctic Vixen, by Victoria Park
Sire of 15 Black Type Winners and 22 Black Type horses including 3 Champions 74% winner from 73%Starters One of the Best in the West! 2006 Fee: $3,000 l.f.
General Royal
A.P. Indy - Bald Facts, by In Reality
A Graded & Multiple Stakes Winner of $484,884
Broke 1 1/16m track record in 1:40.3 Progeny earnings of more than $1.1 million in 3 crops to race By Sire of Sires, A.P. INDY, leading general sire in N.A. in 2005 sire of leading 2-yr-old sires Stephen Got Even, Malibu Moon etc. From the great female family of Champion broodmare TOO BALD, dam of CAPOTE, EXCELLER, BALSKI, AMERICAN STANDARD etc. 2006 Fee: $3,000 l.f.
Hurricane Center Storm Cat - Devil’s Sister, by Alleged
Son of the World’s Leading Sire, STORM CAT
Female family is one of the BEST in N.A. Devil’s Sister, dam of Graded Stakes winners Hishi Natalie ($2,331,677), Blacksburgh ($412,523) and Especially, dam of BOSTON COMMON ($609,317) and 2005 GSW STORM SURGE 2006 Fee: $2,000 l.f.
Rebmec
Miswaki - Charming Sassafras (*Sassafras)
52% Winners in 2005 including JIFFYJIMMYGEE & BLINKANHESGONE Out of Champion Broodmare, CHARMING SASSAFRAS Rebmec is 1/2 to Horse of the Year MT. SASSAFRAS ($1,382,985) & GSW’s ONE EMOTION, SEA WALL etc. Miswaki is sire of champions BLACK TIE AFFAIR, URBAN SEA, MISIL etc. 2006 Fee: $1,500 l.f.
PADDOCKHURST STABLES INC.
Contact Mike Please email us at: phs2002@telus.net 780-955-2393/2220 Fax: 780-955-2034 Box 1217, Nisku, Alberta T9E 8A8