Pregnant minature shetland pony

Question
Hello , my name is Stephen & I own a pregnant mare that is currently 6mths pregnant .
Could you please advise the most appropriate feeding regime from now through to expected delivery ?
She has suffered from founder x 2 in the past due to getting too much Spring grass & hard feeding .
This did not happen when she was pregnant & I do not want her to be over/under fed . She has had some foals in the past with her previous owner .
At this time she is in a paddock that does not have alot of grass available & being fed hay x 2 per day.
She is now showing signs of an increased appetite & I think she needs more feed , hence asking your advice .

Answer
Dear Stephen,

My apologies for the delayed response.  As it sounds like your shetland mare may suffer from insulin resistance due to the repeated laminitis you need to be very careful while she is pregnant.  Just as with pregnant women, the state of pregnancy can make a horse more insulin resistant.  In humans women can suffer from gestational diabetes and horses can get something similar.  As she has a history of laminitis I would be concerned that she may be at greater risk.  Therefore I would increase her energy to meet the extra energy needs of the third trimester by feeding sugar beet pulp without molasses.  Although the name would suggest otherwise, this is actually low in sugar and has a low glycemic index.  I do not know how much your mare weighs so I can't very easily recommend an amount to feed her.  Contrary to popular believe pregnant horses do not need a lot of grain but the nutrients they do get should be high quality.  I would find her a good balanced supplement with a protein content of 30% and feed it as per the manufacturer recommends for her weight.

I would be happy to help you further if you would like to email me I could offer more specific information.

Best regards,

Clair

Clair Thunes, PhD
Independent Equine Nutritionist,
Equilibrate Equine Consulting,
www.equilibrateequine.com
info@equilibrateequine.com