Horsefeed How to feed the gestating or lactating mare and/or the foal? Home New: NATURAL BALANCE Havens History Product Range Equestrian Bestsellers Feed for Mares and Foals Feeds for Polo & Leisure Feeds for Racing Feeds for Endurance Feed for Arabian Showhorses International Resellers HAVENS in Asia & Japan Feeding advises FAQ about feed and feeding Links Horsefood or Horsefeed ? Search for.....      PDF documents: Official horsefeed WC Endurance 2008 Malaysia.pdf Gold in Hong Kong 2008.pdf Power-Plus Mix premium Endurance-feed.pdf HAVENS & Aachen 2006.pdf FEED FOR MARES AND FOALS Breeding horses is can be a costly and sometimes risky business. You can make the best selection of stallion and mare, but in the end you never know if the foal fullfills the expectations. In vue of today's high studfees and high prices of a good mare, it is advisable not to economise on the feeds for broodmare or foal, especially as the extra cost for a special breeding-feed (see below) is relatively low. HAVENS recommends the following breeding-feeds: Ferto-LAC 3 Broodmare-Cubes for broodmares Opti-GROW Foal-Cubes for foals to 12 to 18 months What is OCD? LINKS to some HAVENS-powered studfarms Ferto-LAC 3 Gestating and lactating mares have an increased need for energy, high quality proteins and the important boneminerals Calcium, Phosphorus and Magnesium. Foals are born without stock of Vitamine A (has to be provided by the mares milk in the first weeks) so the mare's need for Vitamine A is also increased. HAVENS Ferto-LAC 3 Broodmare-Cubes offers the following advantages: increased energy and protein-level (with a high biological value) for sufficient growth of the foal and an optimal milkproduction; increased level of the 3 most important amino-acids (Lysine, Methionine, Cysteine); increased level of the 3 boneminerals Calcium, Phosphorus and Magnesium; Multi-Calcium-Complex: 3-fold Calcium-provision (perfect releasing of the calcium) for an optimal supply of boneminerals for the foal. This helps to prevent orthopedic diseases like OCD; high levels of Vitamine A and Pro-Vitamine A (from Beta-Carotene) to support the mares fertility and the foals resistance and immune system. Back to the top of this page Strong and healthy foals develop in the uterus. Feeding Ferto-LAC 3 to your mares provides the best possible nutritional base. Depending on breed, condition, forage, etc. the following global feeding guidelines apply (for a broodmare of approx. 500 kg): Feeding guidelines HAVENS Horsefood Ferto-LAC 3: Gestation (1st-8th month): 2.0 - 3.0 kg/day + forage; Gestation (9th-11th month): 2.0 - 3.0 kg/day + forage; Lactation (first 3 months): 4.0 - 6.0 kg/day + forage; Lactation (second 3 months): 3.5 - 5.0 kg/day + forage. Suggestions for feeding mares and/or foals: Lactating mares are able to produce up to 5% of their bodyweight per day in milk, rising to 25 kg/day for large mares. Therefore always provide sufficient fresh and clean water for your horse; Although HAVENS Horsefood Ferto-LAC 3 Special Broodmare-cubes fits well for foals and young horses, it's better to raise them with HAVENS Foal-Cubes, starting 2 weeks before weaning up to approx. 18 months of age. HAVENS Foal-Cubes contain the same Multi-Calcium-Complex, as well as extra energy and proteins, milkpowder and extra vitamins and minerals for a good start; In order to maximise chances of conception we advise to increase the amount of Ferto-LAC 3 marefeed with 20% approx. 2 weeks before mating; Ferto-LAC 3 also perfectly suits active stallions. HAVENS horsefood for mares, foals and young horses is used by leading breeding stables like Studfarm "Zangersheide" in Lanaken, Belgium; the breeders of Ratina Z. Raised with HAVENS horsefood, she later became a legend (under Piet Raymakers and Ludger Beerbaum) and one of the most famous jumpinghorses of the 20th century. Back to the top of this page Opti-GROW Foal-Cubes Very Luxurous small Foal-Cubes from start to the first 12/18 months. Opti-GROW Foal Cubes have high levels of the best quality proteins (milk- and soybeanproteins, as well as extra added amino-acids), extra energy-sources and milkproducts to supply foals with a good start. Contains the similar Multi-Calcium-Complex as in Ferto-LAC 3 to help prevent from weakness of the skeleton and/or from bone-diseases like OCD. HAVENS Opti-GROW Foal-Cubes: the basis for later performance In the first year, a foal devellops most of its skeleton, bones and muscles. For a homogenous growth, feedintake is than very important. Opti-GROW Foal-Cubes (5 mm Pellet) can be fed untill aprox 1 - 1,5 years of age. After this, the young horse can be fed DraversBrok, Muesli-without-Oats ("Cool-Mix") or regular Sport-Müsli or Basis-Sport Cubes. increased energy- and protein-level for optimal growth- and musclebuilding high in vitamines, trace-minerals and "bone-builders" like Calcium, Phosphorous, etc. increased levels of the essential amino-acids like methione, cystein, lysine, etc for a regular growth; with 2 specific protein-sources: (Soybean- and Milkproteins); with extra milkproducts and milkpowder to permit optimal feed-intake around weening; with Multi-Calcium Complex and threefold Calcium-provision for a strong and healthy skeleton(reduces the risk for OCD); very tasty, in order to permit feedintake by the foal from a few weeks of age onwards. Back to the top of this page Wat you should know about foal-feeding: The high quality and nutritional value of the mares milk has served as an exemple for our HAVENS Foal Cubes. A mares milk has a medium Fatt- and Protein level; but contains high levels of lactose ((Lactose = ± 50 bis 60 gr. per liter). The same goes for our Foal-Cubes. The high similarity in taste between a mares milk and our Foal-Cubes facilitates the transition during weening from milk to regular feed. However, some foals will always be more stuborn (or must we say more intelligent), and will take a few days (or weeks), before accepting and preferring our Foal-Cubes. Back to the top of this page HAVENS Foal-Cubes for yearlings and young thoroughbreds: Feeding Foal-Cubes to young thoroughbreds and young racinghorses is particularly important, as these horses will be trained from a relative young age. Moreover, in vue of todays high prices for yearling (almost everywhere in the world) it is advisable to feed young racinghorses HAVENS Foal-Cubes untill the age of approx. 18 month, when most of the skeleton and bones are built. For less than 1 Euro per day (± 1,5 kilo/day), your foal gets the best possible nutrition; a kind of insurance every racehorse-breeder should take. HAVENS Ferto-LAC 3 and Opti-GROW Foal-Cubes are also used and recommended by Stud Farm Zangersheide, Lannaken, Belgium (click on the picture below to go to their website); breeders of "Olympic and World-Champion" Ratina Z. Official Website of Studbook Zangersheide. Back to the top of this page What is OCD? What is OCD? OCD (Osteochondritis Dissecans) is a "Developmental Orthopaedic Disease" (DOD) (or navicular-disease) and is an important problem when breeding horses or raising foals. Detection can be done on the young foal by X-ray research of the bones (legs). A foal attained with OCD can (after being operated) still become the best racehorse or jumping horse in the world, but who wants to invest in a 1- or 2- year old foal with OCD? OCD is a complex multi-factorial bone-disorder, caused by a combination of genetic prediposition, stable-management, feeding, training or just “bad luck”. With regard to feeding, the following nutrients are import: an optimal mineral-balance (with sufficient Calcium and Phosphorous-provision); optimel levels of trace-elements like Copper, Zinc etc. Specific nutrients cannot be supplies to the foal through the milk but can only be provided through the umbillical cord. And especially those elements (like Copper) are of great importance for the foal; extra amino-acids like Methionin and Cystein for a proportional growth. Although - as we said before - OCD is a "multi-factorial disorder" at HAVENS we think no breeder should take any risk when it comes to feeding. The "extra costs" of a specific feed with maximum OCD-protection (like Ferto-LAC 3 Mare-cubes) might amount to less than 60 Euro per foal (*), while the extra costs (or loss) of an OCD-attained Foal might mount to thousands of Euros. * = example: extra cost of Ferto-LAC 3 compared to regular horsefeeds like Basis-Sport or DraversBrok: 30 bags/year x extra cost. Back to the top of this page LINKS LINKS to breeding-studs, powered by HAVENS: Penhaligon Stud near Newtown (on the Shropshire- and Wales border): UK-privately owned breeding farm offering quality warmblood horses from European bloodlines for Drassage and Jumping. The Shah Arabians, Netherlands Ajman Stud Farm in Ajman, U.A.E.; Roxanne Arabian's, Norway Nordic Arabians, Norway Al Rayyan Farm in Doha, Qatar Pferdesport Wintermühle - Arnold Winter, Germany, Jochen Scherer - Katharina Offel, Dressurreiterin Petra Wilms von Gestüt Tasdorf, Breeding-Stud & Trainingcenter Pollmann-Schweckhorst, Zucht- und Sportstall Jenissen, Augsburg, Germany, Zucht- und Ausbildungsstall Rosenhof in Berlin, Germany   Back to the top of this page E-mail: info@havens.nl      Questions?      Write us an e-mail      or call +31 (0)478 638 238.