© Amanda Young

Feeding weanlings

By Amanda Young

The weaning process can be one of the most stressful events of a young horse’s life. Providing young horses with a nutritious, balanced diet before, during and after weaning is key to ensuring they thrive.

As autumn unfolds in Australia, horse owners who welcomed newborn foals in the spring will either be preparing to wean their youngstock or are in the throes of doing so!

The weaning process can be one of the most stressful events of a young horse’s life, sometimes resulting in a decreased growth rate and decline in condition. Providing young horses with a nutritious, balanced diet before, during and after weaning is a key factor in ensuring weanlings thrive, rather than simply survive, at this important stage of life.

Feeding young horses is a balancing act, requiring careful consideration, observation and understanding of nutrition, genetics and the environment in which the animal is raised. It can often seem as though a foal morphs into a horse in the blink of an eye – indeed, in its first two years of life a horse can grow to 90% of its adult size and gain around 1.5kg per day. Ensuring that this growth occurs at a consistent, steady rate will help to minimise the risk of developmental disease and increase the likelihood of the horse reaching its genetic potential...

Read the full article in the May issue of Equestrian Life magazine here.

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