broodmare nutrition

Question
Where can I find a "recipe" to mix a nutritionally-balanced feed for my pregnant mares?  In our small town, the feed store only recommends bagged sweet feed and I'm not sure that is best for my mares.  I have 4 bred quarter horse mares, all healthy 3-6 year olds on grass pasture, prairie hay and sweet feed.  I have access to a feed grinder/mixer and think I could save money and have healthier foals if I made my own feed.  I hope you have some suggestions for me to use!

Answer
Dear Donna,

One of the most important things for pregnant mares is the quality of the nutrients they receive.  They need balanced minerals and good quality protein but not necessarily more calories until the last trimester.  I am not aware of any recipes that you could use but all good nutrition starts with balancing the hay they eat which would require that it be tested or that you use best guess values for the nutrients in the hay.  I provide diet balancing services for horse owners and suggest supplements and feeds etc based on individual situations and can put together custom supplements as necessary.  If you are interested check out my website or drop my an email.

Best regards,

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