Horse nutrition: What's good for the ole' feed bag?

By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition

Horse demo Dr. Pete Gibbs (L) explains to participants at the 6th Annual Mare/Foal Management Workshop, at College Station, the correct way to measure the heart girth of a mare. During his discussion Gibbs stated that properly estimating the weight of a mare is important when feeding on a percentage body-weight basis. To do this the horse owner needs to measure the heart girth and body length of the mare. --Photo by Juliet Briskin

February 14, 2002 -- The health of a broodmare and her foal was the focus of the 6th Annual Mare/Foal Management Workshop at Texas A&M University, Feb. 5, 2002. Topics at the event included broodmare nutrition, body condition scoring, weight estimation and forage selection and hay quality.

According to Dr. David Bade, forage specialist at TAMU, once a horse owner understands what makes a good pasture it will be easy to recognize a good hay sample. "What we want is a pasture that is palatable enough and high enough quality that it can provide a lot of the nutrients we need for our horses," he said.

Bade discussed the need for higher protein levels for a lactating mare. "When she starts lactating we need 10 to 12 percent protein," he explained. "You are going to have to have a better quality forage out there for her, and one that she has eaten before. Palatability is very important." He went on to explain that if the mare does not like the forage it will not matter how high quality it is, she will not eat.

The highest quality plant that can be put in a pasture is a legume-like alfalfa according to Bade. "The reason alfalfa hay is called the queen of forages is that it has the protein, energy, high calcium, phosphorus and palatability," he stated. "Unfortunately in Texas we do not have a lot of success growing alfalfa."

Another forage legume Bade suggested planting was clover. "We don't want 100 percent clover," he said. "About 30 percent clover in a pasture will really increase the quality of it. The next highest quality grass we can put in our pastures are our winter grasses such as oats and rye grass."

According to Bade "you want to graze when the forage is young and tender, especially when we have a horse that is lactating and needs that 10 to 12 percent protein and high digestibility."

Bade went on to discuss hay selection. "One thing we look for is maturity of the plant. You don't want a lot of seed heads; that means it was allowed to go too long before cutting," he said. "Another way to tell maturity is by the percent of leaf versus stem. What you want to see is a lot more leaf than stem."

Bade said that "you can tell a lot about the hay by feeling it." The softer it is the better it is, he said.

"If you can imagine your hand being the mouth of the horse you can pick out which hay you would eat first."

In addition to providing necessary nutrients Bade impressed upon the crowd that it is just as important to have a pasture that is free of anything that might hurt the horse. "We want a pasture that does not have a lot of things in it that will injure the horse," he stated. "This includes weeds, logs, barbed wire, thorns and trash. The pasture needs to be big enough and clean enough and provide good footing so the horses can get good exercise."

Dr. Pete Gibbs, Extension horse specialist, addressed body conditioning and scoring and how to estimate weight. "The body condition scoring system is real simple and allows us to evaluate fat cover," he explained. "We pay a lot of attention to the ribs, the backbone and the amount of fat on both sides of the tail."

According to Gibbs the system runs from one to nine. "You will seldom see a one or a nine," he said. "A body score of five is what we call moderate condition and you cannot see a mares ribs."

Properly estimating the weight of a mare is important when feeding on a percentage body-weight basis according to Gibbs. "We meet the minimum feeding requirements when we feed one percent of the body weight," he explained. "When it comes to feeding concentrated feed this becomes very important because its not going to weigh the same with oats as it will with corn or pellets."

Gibbs went on to discuss the proper method for estimating weight. "In order to adequately do this you need the mare standing still and square," he said. "Do not use a Stanley aluminum tape measure! Get a cloth tape measure." Two measurements need to be taken he explained. "You want to measure heart girth and body length," he said. "When measuring the heart girth you want to get as close to the front legs with the tape measure and bring it up to the highest point on the withers. The way we get body length is to find the scapula and start there with the tape measure. Run the tape measure straight back across the stifle muscle to the point of the butt."

The formula for body weight is heart girth times heart girth times body length. The total is then divided by 330. "The 330 is a constant derived from research and is based on total body fat and body composition in horses," explained Gibbs.

This technique does take some practice, but according to Gibbs he and his team seldom miss the actual weight of a mare by more than 50 pounds. "One thing you need to remember to do is always measure body length at least three times," he said. "You are looking for a consistent length."

Gibbs stated that management of the broodmare is an ongoing responsibility. "The mare needs to be in good body condition when the foal hits the ground and starts to show an interest in eating," he explained. "Not only are you feeding the mare, you are going to have to select the proper feed for the foal. These are critical things that I hope people take away with them when they leave."

Upcoming workshops include a Performance Horse Workshop on March 26 or April 9 and a New Horse Owners Workshop on April 23. For more information contact Dr. Pete Gibbs at 979-845-1562.