I just bought my first foal! How to feed to prevent OCD

[george]

I am very excited to have just purchased my first foal. He will stay with the breeder to grow up for the next couple of years. They have 20 acre young horse pastures with seasonal grass and feed free choice hay with a vitamin/mineral/grain supplement balanced to the hay when the grass is not in.

Given what sounds like an optimal growing environment, I was distressed to learn that the foal out of the same dam as mine who is one year older just turned up with some OCD that will need surgery. I know it’s pretty common. I have read the recommendation to feed OCD pellets or Rejuvenaide to help with development but given that vitamins and minerals have already been balanced to the hay, I am not sure if those products would give him too much of some things. I am trying to not be a nervous absentee owner and pester the breeder too much. I know there can be the genetic component and the environmental component. Are there absolute values of certain nutrients to prevent OCD for foals to young horses?

[Janet]

I have been told (though I do not have a reference) that the latest veterinary thinking is that OCD is related to lack of exercise, rather than dietary factors.

[JB]

The first preventive aspect comes during pregnancy. Do you know what his dam has been fed?

What does the owner offer for feeds now? Are you saying their hay has been tested, and the whole diet individualized to balance it?

Nothing can prevent, because there’s no single cause. A robust diet during pregnancy, especially the last trimester, and during nursing, goes a very long way. Copper is the one nutrient most implicated. But even after a few months of nursing, when milk quality starts declining fairly rapidly as the foal’s digestive system starts ramping up to be able to digest adult foods, the foal needs a high plane of nutrition as well.

I wouldn’t say OCD is pretty common, though it’s not rare. WBs in particular seem to show up with it more frequently than other breeds, and also, outgrow it more often than other breeds.

And of course, you can’t feed your way out of genetics, and until there’s enough history to get a feel for genetics vs diet, you can’t really know what’s what.

I have never seen reference to being related to exercise, but will have to see if that’s a newer idea.

[JB]

I can’t find the study, but found a reference:

“younger horses that were stall rested or exercised infrequently have a higher incidence of OCD compared to those that are in a consistent exercise schedule”

OCD in Horses - Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

[george]

Thank you so much for the thorough response JB. The breeder told me that the surrogate Dam was kept on the farm and fed according to the formula that the equine nutritionist devised for the farm. The hay is bought for the year, tested, and then results are sent to an equine nutritionist. A free choice mineral supplement is devised to compliment the hay and a custom grain/vitamin mineral blend is mixed for the broodmares and foals requiring additional feed. The horses are all on extensive seasonal green pasture that is not overgrazed. The young horse pasture for instance is 20 acres. When the pasture grass is not sufficient, hay is fed free choice.

Yes, I am aware that OCD can be caused by three factors; diet (mare and foal) lack of movement ie confinement in too small an area, and genetic predisposition. My new foal is out on 20 acres and in a herd of young horses that move one another around so he will not have a lack of movement. Genetically, his half-sister on the Dam’s side does have some OCD that requires surgery as a two-year-old thus my questions, Given that his half-sister shares his genetics and growing environment (plenty of room) the only third factor I can look into is his diet. I was surprised to read the glowing reports on other threads here about OCD pellets and Rejuvenaide and wanted to be sure that my foal was not going without by not supplementing with either of these products. I recognize that they are probably only helpful if there is a noticeable deficiency that they fill in but some things like sodium zeolite I do not believe are in the custom mineral mix (Osteon by platinum performance for instance). I am happy to pay for additional supplements that might help with development but I do not want to over-supplement and cause issues thus my question. I am trying to not bother the breeder with too many questions and too much involvement but I do want to educate myself. I am also open to any books that you may recommend on young horse care and development. Despite having been the young horse trainer for a sport horse breeding farm, this is the first foal that I have personally owned and I am feeling the gaps in my knowledge. I can not tell you how much I appreciate the advice and guidance of individuals like yourself whose comments I have read and opinions I have respected for years.

[Zlotych]

Sometimes you can do everything right, and you may still get OCD. That comes with having warmbloods. It sounds like your foal is in a good program, perhaps you should involve the breeder and ask if its even possible for them to supplement your foal. If they don’t separate horses to feed individually, that may be a challenge for them and you would be wasting your time to find one to feed. Thankfully, there are good options to treat OCD in many instances, where surgery is considered curative. And if the chips dont bother the horse, or its not for resale, maybe dont mess with it at all.

[JB]

Don’t forget that his half sister has a different sire Do you know the name of the nutritionist who has developed the total feeding plan? Feel free to PM me is you do, I don’t really want to make it out like I don’t trust the nutritionist offhand, but there are absolutely some people out there who have no business doing this.

It’s hard to know whether Rejuvenaide would be useful or just “more”, but it won’t hurt, there’s not enough of anything in it to cause problems, it may just be more for the sake of more. I wouldn’t bother with OCD pellets

John Lyons’ “Bringing up Baby” is really a fantastic book. And then Mike Schaffer’s “Right From the Start” is more for the ready-to-start horse but has principles that can totally be applied to foals/yearlings/2yos.