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Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition

   Welcome to my forum. 

Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information. 

Currently, I am discontinuing new questions. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, please know that It has been a true pleasure serving you. 

Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought

I also have a growing number of recordings on "Teleseminars on Nutrition Topics that Concern You" as well as the new, Spotlight on Equine Nutrition Series -- printed versions of favorite teleseminars.

And finally, look for my articles in a variety of local publications and online newsletters, as well as the Horse Journal, where I am the Contributing Nutrition Editor.  

 

All the best,

 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Older pregnant mare

A firnd of mine who is a horse breeder allowed me to buy a mare who is 19 years old. She has been used as a brood mare. This last pregnancy does not fit in with her breeding program and I have been fortunate to realize a life long dream of owning a beautiful Arabian mare. However, I must admit that I am not the most experienced person when it somes to the care and feeding of a pregnant mare, especially an older mare. The father of the foal is Cass Ole II (One of the "Black Stallion" horses). SO, the foal is very special. Can you give me any tips that might help me?

Carol Buckingham
Doune Farms
Gober, Texas
(903)496-7285

Where are you from? Gober

How did you locate this forum? Web surfing

Re: Older pregnant mare

Hi Carol,

Assuming that she is in good health, her age should not be a problem. You will want to feed her a diet that provides her with high quality grass and legume hays, and a vitamin/mineral supplement, as long as her weight is good. Once she reaches her 8th month of pregnancy, she will require more calories. There are a number of ways to add calories depending on her workload. I don’t usually recommend much grain for additional calories because of the inherent risks involved. A flaxseed meal feed or a stabilized rice bran feed is better.

If you need some brushing up on foaling, please take a look at the Complete Foaling Manual that I offer on this site. It is easy to read and not overly technical like so many other foaling books I’ve seen.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted.

All the best,
Dr. Getty