Welcome to the Foal Patrol Education Blog!
Questions or comments? Contact us at foalpatrol@racingmuseum.net
With all the questions received this season about colostrum and its importance, we wanted to close our Nutrition Blog with this article by Amanda Duckworth from a February 2019 issue of the BloodHorse. If you missed earlier blog posts about colostrum, this article provides a comprehensive overview of why colostrum is essential to foal health.
In response to a question from a viewer this morning seeking more information on the nutritional needs of lactating and pregnant mares, this online resource available from the Iowa State University Extension provides a comprehensive overview of nutrient, energy, and protein requirements throughout gestation, as well as special nutritional considerations for mares who are lactating.
In response to a few recent questions about types of hay and their nutritional differences, this article by Denise Steffanus available in The Horsemen's Journal speaks to the nutritional value of the most commonly used hay types, while also addressing hay selection, testing, and storage.
We received a question from a Foal Patrol viewer yesterday about whether horses need more water in warmer temperatures. Check out this article about the importance of keeping horses, particulary active horses, hydrated in the hot summer months. We thank Dr. Clair Thunes and The Horse for making this article available to our Foal Patrol followers.
Probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and minerals -- get a handle on the whats and whys of these horse feed and supplement ingredients and more in this article by Dr. Bill Vandergrift available on the Retired Racehorse Project's online educational library. A big thanks to a Foal Patrol viewer for reaching out with their question about equine nutritional products.
Be sure to contact your veterinarian if you have any case-specific concerns about your horse's nutritional needs.
