In the young and breeding horse, some decisions cannot be undone — from the first hours after birth to the pregnant mare's diet. A few insights.
Colostrum in the first 24 hours is a one-time window
A newborn foal can only absorb the protective antibodies in colostrum through its gut wall for the first 12–24 hours of life; after that the 'door' closes permanently. Most of the transfer happens within the first eight hours, and every foal should have its antibody levels checked at around 22–24 hours old.
The foal's copper 'bank' is filled before birth
A foal's main copper reserve is built in the liver during the last third of pregnancy — entirely from what the mare eats from around month nine onwards. By the time the foal is born, that reserve is either full or it isn't, and copper injections to the mare do not fix it. Copper is one of the most under-recognised drivers of joint disease in young horses.
Cutting protein does not protect young joints — and may cause harm
Restricting protein in growing horses to prevent joint problems is not supported by the evidence and can actually hold back healthy development. The right approach to joint-disease risk is to control sugar and starch and feed more frequently, not to strip out protein.
Splitting feeds into more meals reduces the sugar spike linked to joint disease
Dividing a young horse's hard feed into four meals a day instead of two significantly reduces the blood-sugar peak associated with developmental joint disease. It is one of the simplest, lowest-cost changes you can make.
A fat weanling is at higher risk of joint disease
Body condition at weaning directly predicts developmental joint-disease risk. A healthy target is a moderate condition (around 4–5 out of 9); pushing weanlings to look 'well covered' for sales is linked to meaningfully higher joint-disease risk.
Stallion fertility depends on protecting delicate fats in the sperm
More than 60% of a stallion's sperm-cell membranes are made of a fragile fat (DHA) that is easily damaged by oxidative stress — which then impairs motility and fertility. Antioxidant status is central to a breeding stallion's diet.
An overweight stallion has no breeding advantage
Excess weight in a stallion actually reduces breeding performance and can worsen the joint pain that makes covering difficult. Poor libido should prompt a check for pain and body condition before reaching for supplements.
Ragwort damage can stop a mare using selenium properly
Liver damage from ragwort (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) impairs the liver's handling of selenium — so a mare can be deficient even when supplemented correctly. In these cases whole-blood selenium should be checked in both mare and foal, whatever the supplementation history.
References
- McGuire et al. (1977)
- LeBlanc et al. (1992)
- Hurtig et al. (1993)
- Knight et al. (1990)
- Schryver et al. (1987)
- Savage et al. (1993)
- Steelman et al. (2006)
- Remillard, Equine Clinical Nutrition (2023)
- Macias Garcia et al. (2011)
- Baumber et al. (2000)
- Geor & Harris (2013)
- Delesalle et al. (2017), BMC Vet Res 13:121
This is general information. It does not replace the individual feeding plan your EVN vet prepares for your horse after assessing it.