THE ultimate goal of any horse breeder is to produce a healthy foal capable of fulfilling its intended goal. Growth is a natural process of any living organism that initiates at the time of conception highlighting the importance of correct nutrition from conception to maturity.

The genetic component of the foal will determine the extent of its growth, however, the manner in which the foal is maintained will influence the rate of growth.

In the face of such a selective market, the production of sellable young stock has become more of an exact science than ever before, and attention to detail is the most important single factor.

Good feeding and routine management practices will further aid in giving a youngster maximum opportunity for growth and development.

Foals grow fastest during the first month of their lives, but other periods of very fast growth occur between six and 12 months of age and after puberty.

In the case of an early-born foal, this middle period of intense growth occurs between the months of September and March, when there is little if any grass available in paddocks. Consequently, if the young horses maximum growth rate is to be maintained at this time good quality supplementary feeding must be given.

Soundness, muscle development and correct bone growth is of paramount importance and the key objective, when preparing young horses either for sale as yearlings or for racing as two year olds.

The competitive environment and high stakes for two-year-old races has resulted in increased nutrition and accelerated growth rates of young horses, which demands careful management if long term problems are to be avoided.

GROWTH RATES

The growing popularity within equine breeding to produce larger foals and to enhance growth rates has led to vast amounts of experimental studies being carried out on the influence of nutrition on the growth rate of foals.

Growth rate trials have shown that animals which have been kept on a lower plane of nutrition will eventually catch up with their better fed companions, when put on a corresponding higher plane of nutrition, but not until at the very least, a year later.

In Ireland, one cannot always rely on a good spring or summer grazing to make good any winter-feeding deficiencies.

Consistency of growth is as important as the rate of growth. In addition, any sudden acceleration in the growth rate can lead to joint problems and growth abnormalities.

Not providing adequate amounts of a properly formulated creep feed, followed by excess feeding after weaning can result in a growth spurt leading to flexural deformities. The high incidence of bone disorders in the racing industry, in part, can be traced to failure to adjust the energy and protein intake to accommodate changing musculo-skeletal development.

If protein and/or energy intake are increased without appropriate increases in minerals and vitamins, the risk of developmental orthopaedic diseases (DOD) increases substantially. The greatest amount of elongation of bones takes place during the first few months of life, which indicates the need for proper nutrition during this timeframe.

Problems tend to occur when rapid growth is stimulated by high-energy diets that are not supported with balanced levels of protein, vitamins and minerals. The best approach to the nutritional management of developmental problems is to maintain balanced levels of protein, vitamins and minerals but reduce the energy content.

This ensures the correct ratios of nutrients required for the formation of tissues are provided but the growth is not forced. Studies have shown that horses are more resistant to infection if the animal is fed a high quality protein source.

WEANING

Weaning is one of the most stressful times within any foal’s life, however, it is a necessary process and good management techniques can help in reducing any unnecessary stress and hence a decrease in the natural growth and development of weanlings.

Weaning generally takes place between September and October at around six months of age, which coincides with a reduction in grass quality and for this reason a creep ration should be offered in an effort to support the natural growth rate and reduce weaning stress.

Studies have demonstrated that foals which suffer undue stress when being weaned can lose their appetites and lose weight and later, when they recover, they often undergo a sudden growth spurt. The result of this dip and surge in the growth curve of a young horse can be a cause of DOD.

Stressed foals are prone to gastric ulcers, which can further delay their growth and development.

The paddock method (where a mare is removed from the group) has been proven beyond doubt to be the least stressful method of weaning.

PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Stocking rate and pasture management has large effects on pasture quantity and quality. Smaller stocking rates improve the weanlings’ well-being while larger stocking rates create more unrest and bullying activity.

Horses digest forage less efficiently than cattle and appear to compensate by having higher levels of intake.

Live weight gain of young horses was reduced when pasture availability was less than 50kg DM per 100kg of live weight.

The pasture species preferences of horses are perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and timothy grass. Grasses have been shown to be preferred over legumes and mixed swards over pure swards. These studies show that pasture preference is affected by the growth stage of the pasture at the time of grazing.

While pasture grazing constitutes a very cheap source of nutrition, it is a difficult entity to manage and therefore pasture analysis is a vital component of pasture management. A large amount of mature grass will contain a larger percentage of lignin.

Lignin is the portion of forage, which cannot be digested by fermentation. This is what causes weanlings to get ‘hay belly’. A low stocking rate allows the pasture to grow steadily and be of quite good quality.

As matters stand today, there is no doubt that feeding young stock requires professional assistance from experts in this field.

Regular analysis of soil and pasture will provide essential information on pasture fertilisation programmes and nutrient value.

The studs that wish to mix their own feed must do so in a systematic way to eliminate inaccuracies.

Analysis of the mixture of feed is also advisable to ensure certain combinations do not interact negatively with one another. To regard the herd as an entity is also no longer possible, horses need to be seen as individuals.

The breeding industry has evolved rapidly over the last decade and insists on individuals of a very high standard, but management practices have not advanced at the same rate, and the breeders of today need to be encouraged to concentrate on the management of young stock from a very early age.