Most breeding mares are in the last trimester of pregnancy during this period, a crucial period in the development of the unborn foal. In addition, this is also a challenging period for the mare, as the mare must prepare for the birthing process, a stressful event that also puts pressure on her resistance. During this phase, the mare must also prepare for lactation; the udder tissue develops strongly at the end of pregnancy.
Therefore, the proper nutrition of the highly pregnant mare deserves due attention. Because the foal grows strongly at this stage, sufficient protein, building block of muscles and other tissues, is very important. A mare’s protein requirement increases by more than 40% toward the end of pregnancy!
When mares are in good body condition they usually do not need that much extra energy. If they can take in a lot of good quality roughage they usually do get the energy they need from this. However, because the foals take up more volume in the abdominal cavity towards the end of the pregnancy, some mares cannot absorb enough roughage, these mares then often emaciate towards the end of the pregnancy and they therefore benefit with extra concentrate feed to maintain energy intake.
In addition to energy and protein, certain micronutrients are very important for the pregnant mare. On the one hand, sufficient copper, zinc and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are very important for the bone development of the unborn foal (and in the prevention of OCDs). On the other hand, the roughage that mares receive during the winter does not contain enough vitamin E, beta-carotene and trace elements. These vitamins (in addition to the trace elements copper, zinc and selenium) are very important to increase the mare’s resistance. After all, the birth of a foal is a very stressful situation in which the mare’s resistance is very strained. This also creates increased risks for the mare such as the development of uterine infections.
VitaMinalia Equine OPTIGROW was developed especially for this challenging period. It is rich in high-quality proteins, amino acids, vitamins and organic trace elements. It also contains prebiotics to support digestion.
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