Page 62 - August 2015

Growth rates In Foals
by Heather Smith Thomas
“. . . we are paying attention to how other variables, such as date of birth, age at weaning, and age at which they enter training, affect the growth pattern and ultimately the athletic potential of the young animal.”
W.B. (Burt) Staniar, PhD, Assistant Professor of Equine Nutrition at Penn State
Foals grow fastest during the first months of life. Genetics, feed and environment all play a role in growth and skeletal development. W.B. (Burt) Staniar, PhD, Assistant Professor of Equine Nutrition at Penn State, has studied growth rates of foals all over the world. “The research we’ve been conducting focuses on the first 2 years of growth, and how nutrition provided by pasture and supplements influence that growth,” says Staniar. “In addition, we are paying attention to how other variables, such as date of birth, age at weaning, and age at which they enter training, affect the growth pattern and ultimately the athletic potential of the young animal.”
One of the main issues regarding growth in
these fast-growing horses is trying to avoid various developmental problems that can occur. From a research standpoint and a management standpoint, we need
a definition of growth. “Do we want rapid growth? Maximum growth? Slow growth? What kind of growth will meet our objectives for this horse?” he asks.
“I think our objectives in raising a horse are to maximize the opportunity for that animal to realize the athletic potential that’s a part of its genetics. Optimum growth is what we’re looking for, but defining that is difficult. It may be different for each individual - and the end result is often several years down the road. It’s hard to determine how
Research is being done to see how the growth pattern of a foal can be influenced by its environment
A foal born in January typically does not grow fast at a young age because of temperature, etc., while a foal born in April grows more rapidly at a young age since it is born into a more nutrient-rich environment.
60 SPEEDHORSE, August 2015
equine health