Nutritional Needs for Foals Before, During and After Weaning

The nutritional needs for your foal actually began with the Mare. Those first few months of gestation are

critical for overall development and bone growth. The health and supplementation of the Mare will follow the

Foal on through the rest of it’s life. So let’s start our timeline with the “Before” for the Mare. During gestation

focus on a 12% grain blend, a 50-50 alfalfa/grass hay blend, a mineral blend that is formulated with a 2:1

calcium/phosphorus and a constant source of clean water. So the mineral’s calcium should be around double

the amount of the phosphorus. We like to use Elite Nutrition’s 2:1 Mineral Plus as a top dress onto the grain

with every feeding. The key is in the consistency of the day to day as the growth is happening in the same

way. In addition to the feeding program, we also need a worming program in place. Whether you prefer a

paste chemical wormer of a more natural option, stay on a minimum of quarterly or even better monthly. We

prefer the Elite Nutrition ReMove EQ fed one week every month. Be sure to worm around 4-6 weeks before

the foal is due. Next, let’s move on to the during weaning phase. First of all, make sure the foal has separate

grain available to them for several weeks before the weaning process starts. This ensures the foal is use to

eating grain by themselves. So when they are separated that is one less point of stress for them. Make sure

the grain is well accepted and cleaned up properly. We recommend the same grain and hay mixture that the

mare has been on too. This is again where the consistency of the grain and hay or grass build upon itself day

after day. Also a big simple key to that growth. Then, the after weaning step begins around 4-5 months of age,

completely separate the foal from the mare. This will be a strong point of stress for the foal. We prefer to use

Elite Nutrition GI Equilizer during this time. We like to give 1-2 tubes a day depending on the stress level

displayed in the foal. This just helps keep their stomach settled and appetite high during this time. This is also

critical for helping the gut to adjust to the lack of milk. The probiotics and prebiotics can help establish a

beneficial gut environment to help prevent the weanling “pot belly” that often occurs. Most typically the

stress only lasts for 3-5 days. So around a week to 10 days of GI Equilizer is about perfect. Then sometime in

the next month make sure the worming program begins. We like to use the Elite Nutrition ReMove EQ one

week every month during the first year of life. During the next few weeks, sometime around the 6-7 month

timeline, we like to start top dressing Elite Nutrition’s new mineral called Jr Grow. This is a newer product and

is formulated specifically for those growth spirts that weanlings and yearlings will experience. Then sometime

around 18 months we will transition back to the Elite Nutrition 2:1 Mineral Plus which is the same mineral the

mare was on during gestation. One thing you always want to consider for mineral demands is, “What is the

long term desire for the life of the horse?” Is this horse going to be a driving horse or a performance horse or

used for farming? Another question to answer is, “When will the horse sell?” Will it sell as a weanling or

yearling or will you train it and sell it as a 3 year old? These kind of questions help to determine how hard the

foal can be pushed for growth and mineral needs. If it is a slower timeline for growth, the Elite Nutrition 2:1

Mineral Plus can be a great mineral to use during the whole growing period. But if you are selling as a yearling

then the Elite Nutrition Jr Grow is definitely something to consider. Then when it comes time to start sale

prepping, the Elite Nutrition Super Blend is also a popular option. Hopefully some of these tips will help ease

some of your own stress when it comes to weaning in your barn. If you have further questions please reach

out to Elite Nutrition or stop by our booth next time you see us at a sale.