Skip to content
Search Library
thumbnail

Even though they are not usually in a conditioning or exercise program, broodmares are working all year long. The demands of reproduction are different from, but no less important than, what is expected of other performance horses. In order to keep broodmares comfortable and to give them the best chance of producing healthy foals, managers need to schedule routine care and give some thought to proper nutrition.

Vaccinating against routine illnesses should be scheduled for all horses on a farm, but broodmares need protection against a few extra diseases that can cause abortion or the birth of weak or sick foals. Some of these vaccinations should be given before the mare is bred and others are most effective if they are given during particular months of the pregnancy. Add the fact that some threats are more of a danger at particular seasons or in specific areas of the country, and the scheduling of broodmare vaccinations gets more complicated. Owners should check with a local veterinarian who specializes in equine reproduction to work out a plan of what injections are needed and when they should be given.

Deworming protocols have changed in the last decade. Instead of deworming all horses every couple of months with commercial paste dewormers, guidelines now suggest that not all horses need to be on this rigid schedule. However, parasites create a low-level drain on a horse’s energy and condition, and heavy infestations can cause serious colic. As with vaccinations, a local veterinarian can suggest a suitable parasite control program for broodmares.

As their pregnancies progress, mares gain several hundred pounds and are thus loading their skeletal and muscular systems more heavily. While they may not be carrying as much weight as horses toting a large-framed rider for a few hours a day, the broodmares never get a break from their weight-bearing state. To keep pregnant mares sound, regular hoof care should not be neglected. Daily picking out and trimming every five or six weeks should be sufficient for most mares unless they have special problems. Mares with permanent lameness, serious conformation faults, or advanced arthritis probably should not be bred if it can be expected that the extra weight of pregnancy will make them uncomfortable for months at a time.

Broodmares that are turned out the majority of the time should be provided with shade, either from trees or with a run-in shed. They should always have access to fresh, clean water and a salt block or loose salt, and they should be sprayed with fly repellent during the warm months. Picking up manure from paddocks or breaking it up by dragging fields will help to keep the fly population down.

Managers should keep an eye on broodmare weight changes, especially if a mare is losing weight. She may need to have her teeth checked and floated, or may profit from more frequent deworming. Mares in the first months of pregnancy don’t need their grain ration increased, but as the pregnancy progresses, the demand for energy goes up. Combined with the fact that many pasture plants begin to dry up and become dormant because of summer heat, this extra nutritional requirement means that mares may need to be given supplemental hay and also additional grain.

Submissive mares might need to be moved into another group or separated from the herd to be sure they get their share of pasture-fed hay. At the other extreme are mares that easily gain an unhealthy amount of weight. They may get along better by having grain decreased and replaced with a fortification pellet that provides fewer calories along with a full complement of vitamins and minerals needed for proper fetal development. Check with an equine nutritionist for specific dietary recommendations if a broodmare continues to gain weight or is unable to maintain her body condition.

X

Subscribe to Equinews and get the latest equine nutrition and health news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for free now!