Nutrition for your Newborn Horse  

The initial days of a young horse’s life have the potential to shape its future health and performance for a lifetime, making it essential to get things right from the start.

Understanding Colostrum and Its Importance for Newborns:

Often referred to as “liquid gold,” colostrum is the thick, yellowish milk produced by the mare during the last few weeks of pregnancy. Colostrum is calorie-rich, providing essential energy for the newborn baby’s early exploration of the world. It also contains vital vitamins and minerals necessary for growth. Moreover, colostrum plays a crucial role in providing initial immune protection for the relatively vulnerable animal.

Monitoring Your Young Horse’s Well-Being:

Being familiar with the normal behaviours of a healthy animal is crucial to detect any deviations early. Important parameters to watch include:

Heart rate: Typically, above 60 beats per minute (around 80-120 in the first 24 hours).

Respiratory rate: Usually above 30 breaths per minute (approximately 60 in the first few days).

Body temperature: Typically, in the range of 99.5-102°F (37.5-38.9°C). Newborn horses may shiver initially, but this should stop once they’ve suckled.

You can learn a lot about a young horse’s condition by observing specific behaviours and when they occur after birth:

– Attempting to sit up within 5 minutes.
– Demonstrating a suckle reflex within 20 minutes.
– Attempting to stand within 1-2 hours.
– Successfully suckling within 3 hours.
– Passing the first faeces (meconium) within 4 hours.

In the early stages, young horses will nurse frequently, sometimes as often as every 10-20 minutes, and at least 30 times per day. They grow rapidly, gaining 1-3 pounds daily in the first few weeks.

Young horses follow a simple, repetitive daily routine: nursing, defecating, urinating, and sleeping. These activities are occasionally interrupted by bouts of playfulness with their dam or peers.

Addressing Concerns About Your Young Horse:

The first 24 hours of a newborn horse’s life are critical, and any deviation from the outlined milestones should prompt seeking veterinary advice. Any changes in normal behaviour warrant close observation, and a veterinarian should be contacted. Diarrhoea is a common issue in very young horses and can lead to rapid deterioration.

Healthy animals grow quickly, so poor weight gain can indicate that the animal is struggling, or the mare isn’t producing sufficient high-quality milk. In such cases, consult a vet for guidance on improving mare’s milk production.

Multi-vitamin foal supplements can be beneficial for these very young horses facing health issues or recovering from them. Young horses experience stress on multiple fronts during this period, including growth and developing a strong immune system. Nutritional support, such as Friska Foal, our supplement for foals is specifically designed to provide a nutritional boost for babies at risk of nutritional deficiencies, those not thriving, or those with health problems.

Using a specifically developed multi-vitamin for young horses, like Friska Foal, can provide peace of mind that your baby is receiving the necessary support for its development. This highly palatable formula is suitable from birth and well-received by young horses.

Supporting musculoskeletal development is particularly critical for young horses destined for performance careers. Cal-Gro, another mare and foal supplement we offer, includes a well-balanced blend of minerals, including essential calcium and phosphorus in the right ratio to promote healthy bone and joint development in these young horses.

For additional information on newborn horse nutrition, please feel free to reach out and consult with our experts.