Question

My Arabian mare had twins. Because of health problems with the mare, I had to wean the foals at 12 weeks of age. Both seem to be in normal weight, though the smaller of the two might be a little thinner than ideal. They are fed free-choice alfalfa hay, 2 lb (0.9 kg) of growth feed, and 4 oz of rice bran daily. Is this a sufficient diet for them?

Answer

Offering 0.5-1 lb (0.3-0.45 kg) of feed per month of age for light-horse breeds is a general rule of thumb. If you are feeding a growth formula (i.e., a feed designed specifically for growing horses), your current program is appropriate. Offering multiple small meals throughout the day is best and may allow you to increase the amount of concentrate the foals consume, if an increase is needed to maintain desired growth rates.

Most weanlings will consume 1.5-2 lb (0.7-0.9 kg) of concentrate feed and 0.5-1 lb (0.3-0.45 kg) of forage per 100 lb (45 kg) of body weight. A weanling’s digestive tract is not as well adapted to utilizing high-forage diets as older horses, so they require a higher portion of concentrate feed to supply the necessary nutrients for growth. Offering high-quality forage, such as alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mixed hay, is important and selecting a well-formulated concentrate feed to complement the type of forage will ensure the diet is balanced.

Continue to work with a veterinarian to monitor and evaluate these early-weaned foals to ensure optimal health and development.