What to feed pregnant mare?

[FirstDownDash]

Hello,

I’m new to the forum, and have some nutrition Qs. My mare is a QH taken off the track and is in foal with her first, and due March 1st. To date I have been feeding her 2-3LBS of oats mixed with Purina Impact feed 2Xs a day, along with some alfalfa/grass mix. She is doing good, not fat nor skinny, just right.

I have recently read a lot on this subject and it is time to ante up the amount, and quality of the feed. That is cut the sweet feed (high NSC content) and move to a lower NSC content feed or some type of RB to meet her needs.

From what I have read, everyone is wild over TC products. However the only TC I can get my hands on is the Complete Racing and not the TC Growth as they don’t carry this, and that is about 30 miles away. Around my neck of the woods I can get Purina (Impact, Strategy, Omolene, Junior, Senior, Etc) , Nutrena (All of them), Bryant Grain products, Dumor, and Ranch-Way Feeds (Mare and Foal is only 13% NSC).

So the question is: Given what I have available, what would you feed? Safe Choice Mare and Foal (NSC 23% $17/bag), Ultium Growth (NSC 22% $23/bag) Ranch-Way Mare & Foal (NSC 13% $19/bag).

Has anyone fed Ranch-Way? I’m leaning towards it but Idk much about it. People rave about TC and Ultium, is it worth the price?

Thanks for the help. PS the baby will be used for racing.

[cutter99]

Can you get TC Senior? That would be a reasonable substitute for TC Growth. Or ask your Triple Crown dealer to order Growth for you.

[FirstDownDash]

I asked the dealer if they could order Growth or Senior, they said they could but given that I would only be buying for 1 mare, that it would take a while to get it in. They told me they don’t move much TC aside from a few trainers and that is why they only order Complete Racing in very limited quantities.

[Laurierace]

I would just add a few pounds of ration balancer to what you already feed her and put an equimin block in her stall or pasture.

[JB]

How much Impact are you feeding? That will make a difference as to suggestions.

If she’s in good weight on 4-6lb of oats and, presumably, 4-5lb of Impact, going to a ration balancer alone won’t be enough calories for her. You could always add several pounds alfalfa pellets easily enough.

But the less $$ alternative is a good growth feed. I don’t know the Ranch-way, but if the M&F is truly 13% NSC (as opposed to what some companies like to say is the NSC but really it’s just the starch they’re giving you), then I’d go with that.

Her nurition needs are going to start increasing here soon. By the time she foals, her protein needs will be 50% higher than pre-pregnancy, and will be doubled once she starts nursing. This is a huge leap in protein and amino acid requirements.

That’s separate from calorie requirements, which entirely depend in her needs.

[Scaramouch]

The Ranch-Way stuff looks very mediocre in quality with wheat midds, DDG, and soy hulls as the top ingredients. Plus it comes in a 40 lb bag, so probably isn’t a great value.

You might consider Purina Equine Senior Active at 16% NSC and 14% protein, and depending on how much she needs to stay in condition you might add alfalfa and/or a ration balancer.

[FirstDownDash]

[QUOTE=JB;8414868]
How much Impact are you feeding? That will make a difference as to suggestions.

If she’s in good weight on 4-6lb of oats and, presumably, 4-5lb of Impact, going to a ration balancer alone won’t be enough calories for her. You could always add several pounds alfalfa pellets easily enough.

But the less $$ alternative is a good growth feed. I don’t know the Ranch-way, but if the M&F is truly 13% NSC (as opposed to what some companies like to say is the NSC but really it’s just the starch they’re giving you), then I’d go with that.

Her nurition needs are going to start increasing here soon. By the time she foals, her protein needs will be 50% higher than pre-pregnancy, and will be doubled once she starts nursing. This is a huge leap in protein and amino acid requirements.

That’s separate from calorie requirements, which entirely depend in her needs.[/QUOTE]

I was feeding a mix of about 5 LBS (oats) and 5 LBS (14% Impact) per day. That is 5LBS of a mix in the morning and 5LBS of a mix in the evening. She also receives 8 LBS of alfalfa in the morning and 8 LBS in the evening. She is turned out right now but not much out there for her to munch on as the grass is all but gone. She will be going to a stall next month as winter approaches.

Ranch-Way:

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein, min16.0 %
Lysine, min1.2 %
Methionine, min0.3 %
Threonine, min0.5 %
Biotin, min0.4 mg/lb
Crude Fat, min6.0 %
Crude Fiber, max20 %
Calcium, min0.9 %
Calcium, max1.4 %
Phosphorus, min0.6 %
Salt, min0.3 %
Salt, max0.8 %
Magnesium, min0.2 %
Zinc, min220 ppm
Copper, min56 ppm
Selenium, min0.6 ppm
Vitamin A, min7,500 IU/lb
Vitamin D, min750 IU/lb
Vitamin E, min160 IU/lb

INGREDIENTS

Soybean Hulls, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Wheat Midds, Soybean Meal, Plain Dried Beet Pulp, Cane Molasses, Ground Yellow Corn, Soybean Oil, Lignin Sulfonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine, Stabilized Rice Bran, Ground Flaxseed, Salt, Organic Roughage Products, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, DL-Methionine, Vitamin E Supplement, Corn Distillers Dried Solubles, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Dextrose, Natural & Artificial Flavoring, Silicon Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Processed Grain By-Products, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Brewer’s Dried Yeast, Roughage Products, Mineral Oil, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Vitamin D Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate.

This PDF file says NSC is 16.7 and compares Ranch-Way to the other feeds:

http://www.ranch-way.com/images/uploads/content/Equine_Feed_Comparison_Chart_-_Katana.pdf

[FirstDownDash]

[QUOTE=Scaramouch;8414893]
The Ranch-Way stuff looks very mediocre in quality with wheat midds, DDG, and soy hulls as the top ingredients. Plus it comes in a 40 lb bag, so probably isn’t a great value.

You might consider Purina Equine Senior Active at 16% NSC and 14% protein, and depending on how much she needs to stay in condition you might add alfalfa and/or a ration balancer.[/QUOTE]

I will look into the Equine Senior. I was going to feed Omolene 300, but started reading forums and everyone is on the low-NSC bandwagon.

[Palm_Beach]

You may want to post in the Sport Horse Breeding forum - you will probably get better information. And maybe consult Purina or their website if that is your brand of choice.

[Laurierace]

While it is obviously better for any horse to have a lower NSC diet that is not a huge concern right now. What is important for any pregnancy is for the mother to have enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals to support herself as well as her fetus. Just as it is never too soon to make sure our diets are up to snuff before becoming pregnant the same is true for a horse. The time was before breeding but the sooner the better now. My guess is you are thinking of the increased caloric demands of the last trimester but I don’t believe that should be your focus yet. Stop worrying about NSC and get some good quality nutrients into her now.

[JB]

I disagree that it’s not a big concern to look for a lower NSC diet What sugars go into the mare, go into the foal.

Omelene 300 is right out - far too high.

I like the idea of the Purina Sr Active so if you can get that, that’s the best of all worlds given your options. If you end up being able to get TC Sr, that would be even better.

[FirstDownDash]

So is Ranch-Way junk? What about Ultium Growth, is that a better option? Thank you all for your responses.

[JB]

The Ranch-Way isn’t the worst by far. I wouldn’t call it junk. There ARE better options. I don’t like that it has corn - I do not like the risk of mycotoxins it brings.

Ultium Growth is a decent enough choice.

[FirstDownDash]

Both equine senior and Ultium also contain corn.

[Scaramouch]

I think you’re overthinking this a little. Many mares manage to have perfectly healthy foals in neglect situations, so with your average QH you probably have your bases covered feeding straight alfalfa and a decent amount of fortified feed.

However, Impact is pretty low-end generally (think peanut hulls and other filler) and I think you should switch to something better just on principle. Equine Senior and Equine Senior Active are two different products. They could both contain corn of course, and you’d have to look at each bag because Purina isn’t fixed formula.

That said, corn is so high in starch that a feed can’t have very much of it and still be under 20% NSC. And the majority of regionally-milled feeds as well as the Purina and Nutrena lines available nationally are going to have a little bit of corn in the formulation.

Most senior feeds are going to be lower in starch, higher in fat and fiber, and as high in protein as the same companies’ “growth” and “mare and foal” products.

Nutrena’s SafeChoice Senior would be a major improvement over Purina Impact. The “Defiance Senior Hi Fat” on the Ranch-way website doesn’t look half bad either.

[Palm_Beach]

Although I respect the opinions of some of the people on this board, they are still anonymous and of unknown credentials. If I had a pregnant mare to feed, I’d get a consultation with a rep from a brand I trust. Check the feeding instructions - if it does not list the amount to feed a pregnant mare, maybe it’s not a good choice for a pregnant mare.

[RedMare01]

Ultium Competition is 16% NSC. It is just about the highest calorie feed out there though, but if you’re feeding 10 lbs of concentrate already, that shouldn’t be a problem.

I also like Nutrena Safe Choice Senior. It’s 20% NSC.