April 17, 2003

What You Do- Does Make A Difference

As property becomes more valuable, space to pasture horses become too expensive. We therefore confine horses and control their diet and environment. What you do, now that you are in control, does make a difference in the present and future health of your horse.

At this time of the year, many people are working with newborn foals. These new babies are probably most vulnerable to how we treat them.

I recently had a client that purchased a young horse that required corrective surgery on the feet. This was needed because of improper feeding early in this horses life.

I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with an equine nutritionist that had an opinion that many horses are experiencing low grade foundering or laminitis through much of their young life. Because they are young and energetic, it may difficult to observe the early signs of this metabolic disorder. This problem will show up years later with a permanent deviation of the coffin bone. At this point, the only treatment is to make the horse a comfortable as possible with this handicap.

Most horse owners are excited to see a newborn foal. It is hard to imagine they would intentionally cause them harm. They don't intentionally! Where does a new horse owner go to for good advise? I do not know. In fact while researching this article, I am frustrated that I cannot get answers to what I consider easy questions.

I will give you some of my ideas based on observations in veterinary medicine and my interest in equine nutrition.

The first step to a healthy and performing horse starts with the health of the mother. Proper nutrition of the mother does affect the eventual health of the foal when it is born and how the foal performs in the first 100 days of its life. The developing foal depends totally on the mother for nutrients as it develops in the womb.

Once the foal is born, it is very susceptible to outside influences. The mother's milk will transfer many of the antibodies to the foal through collostrial milk in the first 12-24 hours. A healthy mother will be able to transfer most of the antibodies necessary for survival in the immediate area. Each area has difference challenges and the mother has experienced them and will develope antibodies to them.

The next important contribution by a healthy mother is adequate and nutritious milk to nourish the foal. If the mother's diet is deficient in some important elements, she cannot pass them on to the new foal. If the mother is not fed or watered adequately, she will not produce the quantity necessary to sustain the foal properly.

The next influence will be what you, the owner, will choose to supplement the mother's milk as extra nutrition. Where do you go to get the best feed for a new foal? I'm not sure. Very little nutritional research is being done to determine what is appropriate for our more confined horses. I would suggest staying as close to natural sources of feed as possible and avoid exotic ideas until we learn more about their long term effects. The new young foal is growing very fast and any mistakes will have life long effects.

The other important factor in the long-term health of the new foal is the environment. Remember that when the foal gets pneumonia and has lung damage, this is permanent and the percent damage will follow this horse the rest of its life. If the foal experiences 25% lung damage, the adult horse will have 25% damage and will reduce its ability to perform. A horse that is not a working horse will do just fine with this condition unless it experiences health problems later in life. When the horse is young, please do not shortchange its chances later in life.

The best way to assure a foal of not getting pneumonia is to keep the air around the foal fresh. I'm reminded what a veterinary professor told me one time concerning good air for new borns. "Ask the owner to lay down where they expect the new born to lay and see what they then think about the quality of air or possible drafts." Remember that the lung tissue of a newborn is very fragile and more susceptible to infection.

Another good practice is the use straw as a bedding material in the foaling pen rather than fine sawdust. If the foal inhales fine sawdust, they may develop inhalation pneumonia.

The mother and the foal should always have easy access to all the good quality water they wish. What is cheaper and more important than water to good health???

Much more work needs to be done in equine research to get the knowledge of caring for a newborn foal to the level we enjoy for kittens and puppies.

A new foal is fun and a wonderful experience. I hope the foal will say the same about how you treat them.