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Nutrition: Feeding Before Breeding
NUTRITION
Feeding before breeding
Knowing how and what to feed your mare can have a huge impact on whether or not you breed from her successfully. LEISA HOFSTETTER offers some expert advice on the subject.
In mares, there are several ways in which nutrition can affect important aspects of reproduction, including the regularity of reproductive cycles, fertility and conception rates. Some of these nutritional considerations are to do with the energy and vitamins supplied by the diet, and the action of certain compounds in feeds on the hormones involved in the reproductive cycle. It is important to remember that each mare is different, and will therefore have different needs.
The condition of mares during the breeding season certainly plays a role in conception rates. The best way to assess any horse’s condition is with the help of the Hennecke Body Condition Score system. In this system, the distribution of fat, or lack thereof, around certain parts of the body is assessed to help achieve a more reliable overall idea of the horse’s condition. The overall condition is then assigned a score from one to nine. Using this system, the ideal condition score for a horse would be around four to six. The best fertility and conception rates for mares are achieved at a condition score of around five.
Mares with a body condition score of less than five have reduced fertility rates for a few reasons. Horses are of course seasonal breeders, which means most mares will only come into heat at a certain time of the year. During the
A horse with 24/7 access to fresh grass will usually have most if not all of their Vitamin A and E needs met.
FACING PAGE: It’s important to make sure your mare’s dietary needs are met prior to breeding.
breeding season, a mare will continue to cycle through ovulation like a human does, unless they have managed to conceive. Between the breeding season (oestrus), and the off season (anoestrus), there is a period of transition in which the mare will behave erratically and will stand for the stallion, but often will not conceive. The tendency not to conceive during this phase makes the transition period an undesirable time to breed your broodmare. Thin mares, with a condition score of less than five, tend to have a longer transition period, reducing the length of the breeding season and reducing opportunities for conception. In addition, the conception rate for mares with a condition score lower than five is decreased, even in the peak of the breeding season.
Mares with a body condition score higher than five also have decreased reproductive performance. Overweight mares tend to have longer periods of time in between coming into heat (oestrus). This essentially decreases the opportunities for conception during the breeding season. They are also more likely to have cycles in which ovulation does not occur due to anovulatory follicles (follicles that never release an egg), which further decreases the chances of conception. This is a huge missed opportunity – but that’s not all. Overweight mares are also more likely to have pseudo-pregnancies.
When feeding mares prior to breeding, it is important to make sure that their dietary needs are met. Malnutrition does not only adversely affect their chances of conception, it can also lead to early embryonic death (early pregnancy loss). Certain feed components such as vitamins and the quality of protein in a mare’s diet may make the difference between a fertile mare and one that’s sub-fertile. Though there is scarce research on the effect of specific proteins on the reproductive performance of mares, research done with animals such as rats indicates that a deficiency of the proteins needed for growth and maintenance will negatively affect reproductive performance.
The vitamins that have an impact on a mare’s fertility are those involved in the hormones that play a role in the mare’s reproductive cycle. The main vitamins are A and E. Vitamin A in particular plays a huge role in reproductive hormones, so a deficiency or oversupply can definitely have an effect on reproductive performance. Supplementation with Vitamins A and E is only beneficial in a fertility sense if the mare was deficient in the first place. Besides this, supplementation for every mare is not always the best approach, as oversupply can have just as detrimental an effect as undersupply.
Usually, a horse that has 24/7 access to fresh grass will have most if not all of their Vitamin A and E needs met. If fresh grass is not available, or is limited, Vitamins A and E may need to be supplemented. It is important to assess a broodmare’s diet to determine if supplementation is required. Your equine nutritionist can assist you with this assessment and design a ration for your broodmare that best suits her needs.
A mare’s reproductive cycle is actually the result of a complicated balance of hormones. For each stage of the cycle to occur normally, many different hormones are required at precisely the right levels. Knowing this, it’s easy to see why foods containing compounds that cause an imbalance in any of the hormones involved in the reproductive cycle will also affect a mare’s fertility.
A prime example of a component in feed that might impact fertility is a group of compounds called phytoestrogens.
These compounds mimic the hormone estrogen, which plays a crucial role in the reproductive cycle of both mares and humans. In order for the right things to happen at the right time within the mare’s reproductive cycle, estrogen levels must fluctuate - so there are parts of the cycle in which the estrogen levels are low and parts in which the levels are high. If a mare is consuming enough phytoestrogens to alter the normal levels of estrogen, the action of estrogen will not be what it should during that particular part of the reproductive cycle and irregularity will occur, essentially having a negative effect on fertility.
Phytoestrogens and other factors that affect the regularity of the oestrus cycle are a particular problem in the breeding season’s transition period. This is when irregularity of the reproductive cycle will have the most profound consequences. Some feeds commonly fed to horses contain phytoestrogens, but not all types of phytoestrogens will cause problems for mares. The phytoestrogens found in soy and clover are called isoflavones, and according to research, these will not disturb the mare’s reproductive cycle. However, the phytoestrogen coumestrol, which is found in lucerne hay, has been shown to have a negative effect on the reproductive cycle of mares by decreasing their fertility rates.
In summary, feeding broodmares the right feeds for their individual needs can assist in regulating reproductive cycles and improving fertility and conception rates. Your equine nutritionist can help you to develop the best feed program for your broodmare this breeding season, not only improving her ability to conceive, but also helping to make for a healthier, happier horse.
Leisa Hofstetter holds a Bachelor of Equine Science and specialises in equine nutrition. Find her on Facebook at Hof Equine Health and Nutrition, or email hofequine@gmail.com.
Be sure that the hay you feed your mare will support her fertility rather than decrease it.
FACING PAGE: A healthy well-nourished mare is more likely be fertile, and to produce a beautiful foal.
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The patent protected product, consists of whole dried green bananas, including the skin, the pulp, the stem and the flower ends, and horse owners across the country are expressing disbelief about the positive results they are seeing.
WHY GREEN BANANAS AND WHY B-COMPLETE™?
Green bananas have long been the subject of intrigue, from use in the Sydney Olympics, to consumption in space, but with correct dosages of B-Complete™ the true benefits become obvious.
EQUINE GUT HEALTH -The health benefits that derive from supplementary feeding of dried green bananas are broad and include:
Green bananas have been shown to have antiulcerogenic properties, an area widely accepted as needing a solution in the equine industry, other than expensive medications.
The insoluble fibre act as prebiotics to favour the nourishment of microflora in the gut (particularly the hindgut) to stabilise the microbiome.
This stability in the gut promotes immune competence allowing horses to counter bacterial, fungal, viral, or parasitic challenges whilst also improving digestion, feed utilisation and temperament. Other reported benefits include: Antimicrobial, Hypoglycemics, and Anti-lithiatic (prevent kidney stones).
GENERAL WELL-BEING Active compounds like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin all act to calm the animal and promote a sense of well-being, helping to make the animal more relaxed and easier to manage.
ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY Green banana is recognised as antioxidant rich, with a wide spectrum of antioxidant compounds (phenolics, carotenoids, ascorbic acid or Vitamin C, tocopherols or Vitamin E, dopamine, flavonoids, norepinephrine) which are primarily located in the peel. All improve gut health.
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“Since I have been using B-Complete, our racehorses have better gut digestion, are healthier & maintain their condition easily. Their coats are amazing. We also found it extremely beneficial for highly-strung horses, making them safer and more manageable.”
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Banana Feeds Australia Pty Ltd: 14 Ponzo Street, Woree, Cairns, QLD, 4868
