What does a foal need to be fed for optimum growth and development?

Special Care and NutritionA healthy foal will grow rapidly, gaining in height, weight and strength almost before your very eyes. From birth to age two, a young horse will achieve 90 percent or more of its full adult size, sometimes putting on more than a kilogram per day. Genetics and environment play significant roles in determining individual growth patterns. Through research, we also know we can influence a foal's growth and development - for better or worse - by the nutrition we supply.Strive for BalanceFeeding young horses is a careful balancing act. The interplay between genetics, management and nutrition is complex. While we can do nothing to change the genetic road map, we can alter its course via proper management.The nutritional start a foal gets can have a profound effect on its health and soundness for the rest of its life. We can accelerate growth if we choose. However, research suggests that a balanced dietary approach which supports moderate growth is less likely to ...  more