Spring Brings New Beginnings
On Saturday the 15th March I was lucky enough to be invited for the fourth year in a row to speak at House & Jackson Veterinary Hospital’s client Mare & Foal Course held at their clinic in Essex. It is always a superb interactive day, and attendees are a combination of those that are considering putting their mare in foal, and those that are waiting patiently for the mare to foal in the coming months. It is impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of these owners!
Led by Jess Spanton BVetMed Cert AVP EM ESM DEIM MRCVS, Senior Assistant at House & Jackson who is an advanced practitioner in equine stud medicine, the day is a combination of lectures and practical sessions to give attendees all the information and support they need to prepare them for the journey ahead including what do if everything goes smoothly and what to do if the worst happens and there is a foaling emergency.
Sessions included: –
- The mare & breeding
- Nutrition
- Signs of foaling
- Foaling & recognising a problem
- C-Section with Luisa Smith BVMS PhD CertES (Soft Tissue) DipECVS MRCVS
- The newborn foal & vet check
- Placentas
- Foal handling with Toby Barker Horsemanship+
- Foal ICU/CPR
- Theatre & foaling kit
My nutrition session covered feeding the broodmare for conception, and how the nutritional needs of the broodmare change through the 3 trimesters of pregnancy and into lactation. This was followed by discussing the nutritional needs of foals and youngstock.
The key messages of my presentation were to make sure that the broodmare receives plenty of forage and that a balanced ration is provided throughout pregnancy to support foetal development. For natives and good doers, a stud mix or cube is not the best option as when fed at recommended quantities the calorie provision is excessive and additionally the level of starch is too high particularly for those with underlying insulin dysregulation that are laminitis prone. For those with higher energy needs try to use feeds that provide highly digestible sources of fibre with added oil such as Dengie Alfa-A Oil which provides as much energy as a stud mix but without the starch, alongside a stud specific feed balancer or supplement to support steady growth.
For further feeding advice call the Dengie Feedline on 01621 841188 or fill in our Feed Advice Form.
