Nutrition

Photographer: Kathy Landman

A balanced diet for horses consists of grass or hay, grain mix, and water.

The nutritional components of a horse’s diet can be grouped into five categories: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Foals ingest colostrum from their mother’s milk when they first begin to nurse, giving the foal antibodies to fight off diseases.

Today, diet formulation for thoroughbred racehorses begins and ends with a delicate balance of nutrient intake and energy output.

Photo courtesy of Chanteclair Farm

Depending on age and activity level, a horse’s nutritional needs can vary dramatically.

Pregnant mares, racehorses, and stallions have the greatest nutritional needs; lactating mares need the most nutrients to support their growing foals.

Education Blogs

Third Trimester Nutrition for Mares

Chris Baker at Three Chimneys Farm shares an in-depth video of the nutritional needs of mares in the third trimester (the last three months of gestation) and the significant growth of the foal that occurs during that time. Throughout the last three months, foals gain two-thirds of their body mas...

Nutrition for mares, foals and beyond

Chris Baker from Three Chimneys Farm shares some comprehensive information on equine nutrition for foals, weanlings, mares and stallions. For the first several months, foals receive their basic nutrients from milk. This means that the mare or nursing mare needs to be consuming high quality feed ...

First meal: Colostrum

Post delivery, the foal and mare take time to bond. The foal will attempt its first steps and eventually build enough stability to stand on its' own. Once standing, the foal will have its first meal of colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk produced by the mare just before she foals, and for not ...

Post Delivery

With Honors, a 5-year-old mare owned by LNJ Foxwoods, delivered a filly by Tapit at 9:10 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2019 at Claiborne Farm as part of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Foal Patrol Season 2. It’s such an exciting time when a foal is born! To ensure the foal’s health, f...

Basic Nutrition

Horses need to eat a variety of foods to stay healthy. The needs of the horse can vary by age as well as activity. Pregnant mares usually need more nutrients to support their growing foal. Racehorses usually need more food to build their muscles and strength for racing. It’s a balance of having...