Accurate feed program will ensure healthy horses

By JULIET BRISKIN | Staff writer

March 11, 2004 -- Dr. Pete Gibbs, Texas A&M University (TAMU) equine science professor and Extension horse specialist, is convinced that if everyone quits drinking coffee all the horses are going to starve to death.

"Most of the time when people call," he explained, "they say 'now let me tell you about my feeding program. I give them one coffee can of this and one coffee can of that.'"

While Gibbs can appreciate the fact that horse owners develop feeding methods they feel comfortable with, he reminded the audience at the Eighth Annual Mare/Foal Management Workshop on Feb. 24 in College Station that feeding requirements are based on the weight of a horse.

"There is a difference in what we put in these coffee cans. Feeds don't weigh the same and they don't all have the same energy density, so I encourage everyone to compare feed labels and ask questions," stated Gibbs during his talk on broodmare nutrition and body condition. "Sometimes you think you are saving a tremendous amount of money on a bag of feed, but when you look at the fiber level in that feed or the calories of energy available, you may end up having to use a lot more of it just to meet your horse's nutrient requirements. But remember, price doesn't equal quality. It's your money and your horse so don't hesitate to ask questions."

To illustrate the importance of creating a feeding program appropriate for a specific horse, he referred to a slide of a Clydesdale standing next to a miniature horse.

"Now this coffee can deal makes me a little nervous because when you call, I never know exactly what your horse looks like," he said.

The first step in developing a broodmare feeding program, according to Gibbs, has nothing to do with feed and everything to do with the body condition of the mare. "Probably the most important thing you can get out of this is that the body condition of the broodmare has a tremendous impact on her reproductive performance and efficiency."

Since 1986 numerous studies on body condition and broodmare nutrition have been conducted at TAMU. Out of these studies a scoring system was developed that simplifies the evaluation of fat cover on a broodmare and helps end the debate over the most desirable body condition for a mare prior to breeding, during pregnancy and while nursing.

"To evaluate fat cover you need to pay particular attention to the crease down the top of the back, whether or not you can see the ribs and any amount of sponginess or fat that does or does not exist around the tailhead," asserted Gibbs. "Those are three very important areas when evaluating a broodmare."

The body condition scoring system is based on a one to nine scale with a one referring to an emaciated horse and a nine referring to an extremely fat animal.

"Rarely do we see a mare that scores a one or a nine," he explained. "Most fall in the two to eight range and a five is what we call moderate condition. With a body score of five you cannot see a mare's ribs, but they are very easy to feel and her backbone or topline is pretty much filled in flush."

According to Gibbs, mares coming into the breeding season with a body condition score of five or higher will cycle earlier in the year, have fewer cycles per conception, have a higher pregnancy rate and will be much more likely to carry a foal to full term.

"I can tell you, from all the research that has been done, we never want a broodmare to be less than body condition score five and there are some mares we want at a seven or seven and a half," he explained. "There is certainly no advantage in having a mare that is extremely fat."

The best overall indicator of total body fat is rump fat, but according to Gibbs, it is very difficult to evaluate visually. "In research projects we use an ultrasound machine to measure rump fat, but unfortunately it is hard to judge this with the naked eye," he said. "What we do have though is the visual analysis of the backbone, ribs and tailhead."

Broodmares have specific nutritional requirements that set them apart from other horses. To ensure that a mare is in optimum condition for breeding, Gibbs stresses that horse managers and owners should use the body condition scoring system as the first step in determining the best overall feeding and nutrition program for their broodmare.