How to Properly Feed Before Pregnancy

Here is segment two on Breeding 101. What comes to mind when you think about feeding a pregnant mare? Do you only think that you are just feeding for two? Do you only up the regular feed and forage? Or do you do blood work to find out what your mare needs? Do you know what's lacking in your feed program?
Proper feeding takes place from conception. What your mare got in the womb is going to effect her for the rest of her life. And what your future foal gets in the womb from your mare is going to effect it's life. I like to start pre-pregnancy feeding a year before I plan on breeding. This gives ample time to do blood work, get on a vaccination schedule, and prep to make the mares uterus a more hospitable environment. The healthier the mare and her uterus the less stress pregnancy and the breeding process will be. If you are going to AI, she will probably take a whole lot easier.
To do this I like to start a breeders feed or cubes. I normally do blood work two weeks before my year of breeder feeding starts, 6 weeks after I start my breeder feeding, a month before I breed, and at most of the vaccination times during the pregnancy. This way I can evaluate whether or not my breeding program is working or if I need to supplement. I normally feed TizWhiz Broodmare along with supplementing DAC Broodmare during the year breeder feeding during the prepartum year. DAC broodmare is a great product if you want to increase fertility in both stallion and broodmare or just give that extra boost. I may switch to Platform:Mare & Foal after breeding continuing with DAC broodmare for the first 2 trimesters and then switching to DAC Orange Superior in the last trimester. During this time I may soak the pelleted feed in hot water a few hours before feeding. I've found that some mares have more sensitive teeth during pregnancy and they eat the pelleted mash better. I aim to feed small meals 3 times a day with high quality grass and alfalfa.
I never try to over feed but I keep in mind that from the 8th month on is when the growing baby is going to grow the most. Your mare will always need extra from the 8th month on, especially if you are living in the cold parts of the country where the temperature starts dropping end of August and September. During this time I might add beet pulp or soaked alfalfa cubes. I also like to keep free choice forage available during this time. It is crucial to remember that the forage is more important than the grain.

Tomorrow I will continue with Breeding 101 on Vaccinating during Pregnancy.

Prepping for Pregnancy

Over the years many people have come to me on the correct way to prep a mare for pregnancy. Many are under the belief that you either just AI or live cover with no other after thought. Quite the contrary. Planning your mares pregnancy comes months, even years ahead of when you actually plan to breed her. How your mare is fed, trained, and used from her own conception plays a huge role in the type of mare she is today. This week I will dedicate each post to helpful pre-pregnancy pointers.

So lets get started from day one. So hooray, you've just purchased your mare. You are excited by the prospect of her being your personal buddy and eventually broodmare. You've done your research on her and what the market is like today. You've been dreaming of the perfect stallion and how your mare is going to be a great mother. You have even picked out her future progeny name. That includes both barn name and registered name. For both a colt or filly. HALT! Pull those reins back and lets take another look at this. Here are my helpful pointers that I live by.

1. I do not breed or purchase any mare that has been bred under the age of 5 years old. Young filly's do NOT carry well. Many mares are not finished developing until after 5 years. Pregnancy takes a toll on mares just as it does humans. The sagging belly often diminishes the top line muscles of a mare. For an already undeveloped pregnant filly this can create major issues later on in life including poor joint health, sway back, chronic abortion, and septicemia.
2. I get sire and dam history. Everyone wants to believe that their horse is just as peaceful as the day is long. The truth could be that their sire or dam were as rank as could be. The dam may even have been an intolerable mom. It is not something I would want to take a chance with or risk having a mare that could reject her foal.
3. I do extensive checking on the mare. Previous owner may say that the mare had a foal the year prior or that the mare is breeding sound. But you will never know until you have a vet check. A huge red flag with me is a mare that has been bred here or there often years apart. Does she have irregular cycles? Does she not carry well? How many times did she abort? All of these questions need to be answered.
4. Look at her previous babies. Are they willing and accepting to other horses or their handlers? Are they healthy and growing properly? Have they gone on to compete or perform successfully?
5. Don't settle. Don't purchase the cheapest mare you can find with so-so bloodlines just because you are dying to have a cute little foal run around. If you are going to breed, find a mare and sire that are marketable so if you fall on hard times, you won't have an issue selling the offspring.

Tomorrow I will continue this session of Breeding 101 with a post on How to properly feed before pregnancy.