Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Diet for yearling

From: Robyn

G'day Jessica,

I have a question regarding feed. (I believe I have worming, teeth, rugs and grooming under control at the moment) I have just purchased a yearling, 9 months old. I would like advice on suitable feed for her. At present she appears to be a dirty, fuzzy, white toast rack but I believe she is a cleverly disguised palomino quarterhorse!!! She was shown at 6 months of age so she must have been in adequate condition at that time. Unfortunately, it seems she has been going very hungry and cold over winter. I have never owned a palomino or a quarterhorse before and have been told (by palomino people) that she should not eat clover, lucerne or pre-mixed feeds which contain molasses but can eat carrots. Looking around my feed room this would leave her chaff , bran and some powder supplements - not very balanced or tasty! The filly is predominantly 'sprint-bred' and I have heard (from quarterhorse people) that she will 'hot up' easily. I hope to aim for optimum nutrition and minimal 'fizz'. I would like to show her this season (at least to my friends!!!) and I think I need a small miracle (well, more that a bag of carrots) to improve her body and coat condition.

Please Canya Helpme, Robyn

Hi Robyn! You don't need a miracle, you need the advice of a competent veterinarian. Ignore all of the "helpful" civilians -- they may be breeders, but they are not giving you good advice. What they are trying to do is influence coat colour by feeding a bit of this or by not feeding any of that. This is NOT your concern at the moment -- and it may never be your concern. (And if this topic worries you, let me assure you that I'm personally acquainted with any number of lovely Palominos whose diet includes lucerne AND mixed feed with quite a bit of molasses. Her adult colour may not come in until she is two or even three years old, though -- so don't be surprised if she goes from off-white to gold when you've quite given up the idea that she'll ever be a REAL Palomino. )

RIGHT. So much for colour. NOW -- THIS INSTANT -- ring your veterinarian and ask him to come out for a consultation. He will need to look at your new filly, and perhaps provide her with a double dose of deworming medicine. He will also need to make suggestions about her hooves, since those may have been neglected as well, and she should be trimmed every four weeks. Most of all, he will need to evaluate her condition and her needs -- which may well include lucerne and mixed feed with molasses. . . ;-) If she overwintered badly at her age, she probably has quite a bit of catching up to do -- and she CAN do it, but you'll need some help in the form of COMPETENT advice on feeding and exercise.

There is nothing mysterious or mystical about feeding Quarter Horses, although they tend to be good doers. If this filly is racing-bred, she is likely to grow up to be a sound, solid mare with feet of reasonable size. You can make ANY horse fizzy by overfeeding protein and restricting exercise; if you intend to bring this one up sensibly, as I'm sure you do, don't worry about her getting overly fizzy, it's not a Quarter Horse characteristic anyway.

Your foal needs a balanced diet that will allow her to make up for a lot of missed meals without making her grow so quickly that she'll be putting too much stress on her tendons and ligaments. Remember that this is still her first year of life, and this is when horses make 60% of their growth! Foals need more feed than other horses, because they are eating for growth, not maintenance. A growing foal typically gains between two and three pounds each eay when it is quite young, and continues to gain daily until it is two years old, although by the time it is a two- year-old, the daily gain is considerably smaller, perhaps a fourth or a third of a pound. You want to achieve a slow, steady growth, and that growth requires FOOD. A faster growth rate won't increase your filly's mature size, but it WILL increase the risk of developmental orthopedic problems. A too-slow growth rate, on the other hand, can result in a stunted adult -- so please don't try to raise this baby on bran and vitamins. ;-)

This means that your filly needs the RIGHT food, and ENOUGH food -- food that provides both adequate protein and adequate energy! Quality and quantity are both important when you are feeding youngstock. This doesn't mean that she should have unlimited access to grain or to lucerne, though -- she would be likely to overeat, and you don't want her to develop epiphysitis. Lucerne, though, in reasonable quantity, is a very GOOD diet for young, growing horses -- legume hays are more nutritious than grass ones. If you don't have access to lucerne, you can feed good-quality grass hay, but you will probably need to supplement protein and phosporous (your vet can advise you on which concentrate would be most suitable).

Be aware of the protein content of your hay or pasture! Your filly needs to eat hay that is at least 12% protein (good lucerne is generally 16-17% protein), and if the hay, or the pasture, doesn't contain sufficient protein, you will need to add a source of supplemental protein (and calcium, and vitamins, and minerals), probably a grain mix! Ask your veterinarian to come out, look at your filly, your pasture, and your hay, and help you to formulate a good diet that will let her grow up healthy and fulfil her potential. This is a very important year for her growth, and next year will be the second most important year. It's worth getting some professional help; call your veterinarian in for a consultation. You'll be glad that you did (and so will your filly) -- and by summer, you'll have a lovely little filly instead of a toast rack. ;-)

Good luck!

Jessica

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