How To Safely Manage Growing Foals
(from Hilltop Happenings - June, Copyright 1997 Hilltop Farm, Inc.)

By Susanne Hassler

The long wait is over and the worries of the foaling period are behind us. Hopefully your newcomer presents you with a gratifying picture of good prenatal care and a bright future. Guidelines for ensuring a foal's proper growth are critical to learn, so the path toward a bright future IS safely secured. Careful observation is the first most important step.

Genetics, nutrition, and exercise management each play a critical role in the foal's sound development. Genetics is an uncontrollable factor, yet one which deserves worthy attention within the whole picture. Nutrition remains an essential factor requiring persistent attention beginning in the pre-natal period straight through the youngster's final maturation. Exercise management is an often-overlooked means of providing a safety net to the foal during the growth phase. Let's explore each more fully.

Genetics

Genetics offer us the opportunity to study bloodlines' histories in order to gain perspective on how to raise the foals we produce. Early growth patterns vary from breed to breed. Most light breeds show considerable maturity at an early age, like the Thoroughbred, which has been selectively bred for generations to "set-up" early in order to handle the rigors of flat racing. Other bigger breeds, like the warmblood, show a tendency toward slower maturation, often evidencing completion of growth at the age of five or six. A combination of these breeds is frequently present in modern sporthorse breeding, which indicates attention to potentially different needs. With the pre-disposition of Thoroughbreds to mature quickly, the breed also has the potential to better handle growth early on. In our experience, the warmblood/TB crosses tend to handle elevated early growth patterns better than the full-blooded warmblood foals. Hence, the rule of thumb to grow warmbloods is LONG & SLOW. During the first 18 months of growth, when the long bones are completing their mineralization, careful observations & management are critical.

Nutrition

Bone development is initiated in the womb as the cartilaginous skeleton that is first developed begins to mineralize into bone. The opportunity for DOD (Developmental Orthopedic Diseases) to arise, the broad spectrum of developmental diseases (i.e. Physitis, contracted tendons, osteochondrosis, angular limb deformities) which could threaten a foal's future, exists from the onset of this mineralization process until it ends. When a normal foal is born, most of the skeleton has matured to bone except the distal ends of the long bones (radius, tibia, femur, and cannon bones) and the areas nature intended to be cartilaginous(like the ears). Growth continues at the physes & articular surfaces of these long bones. These are the sights of main concern for the development of DOD's.

While the foal adapts to life outside the womb, bones strengthen & continue to mineralize according to the "load" (physical weight) placed on them & by the availability of essential trace minerals in their diet. Of primary concern is the availability of zinc, copper, and manganese as these minerals are directly involved in the production of healthy cartilage & bone. Adequate pre-natal nutrition should provide sufficient stores of these essential minerals for the foal's first eight weeks of growth.

Indicators of trouble

If a foal is born with contracted tendons, the adequacy of pre-natal nutrition may be in question. If a foal ACQUIRES contracted tendons in advance of 8 weeks, prenatal nutrition should be questioned as well as the foal's weekly growth rate. In order to identify each individual's average growth rate, weekly measurements and charts can be maintained. A healthy average daily gain is in the range of 2 - 3 lbs. The quantity and quality of the mare's milk is almost directly related to growth rate. Peak lactation occurs at 5-6 weeks. By 8 weeks of lactation, nutrient density of the mare's milk is already on a steep decline. Eight weeks of age is an important management point. Signs of DOD at any of these times indicate the need to supplement the essential vitamin/minerals. This can be accomplished by offering a free choice supplement or administering a commercially available oral drench.

Exercise

At anytime, if a foal is evidencing the contracture of tendons often related to a rapid growth rate &/or a diet not sufficiently supported in mineral density, exercise management must be considered. While in normal development ample exercise is required for the natural strengthening & development of tendons & bones, a restriction of exercise is required when a foal in experiencing a degree of DOD. The concussion of playful running or exuberant foal games is detrimental to limbs already experiencing trauma at the growth centers. If a foal is growing too quickly and shows contracture, or after four months of age, physitis, then a restriction of exercise is often required to help prevent further threat to the growing limbs.

Daily close scrutiny of development can help avoid the pitfalls of DOD. Warmblood mares often produce large quantities of milk, allowing their offspring to grow at an accelerated rate, which may not be in the best interest of the foal. Pay close attention to the vitamin/mineral density in the mare's diet, supplement the foal & consider beginning to creep feed small quantities of a milk-based supplement rich in trace minerals as early as three weeks of age, and finally, assess the level of exercise being offered to a foal if indicated. If a foal continues to have trouble after these management techniques have been tried, early weaning may be necessary. Don't miss a day of being on the lookout for signals of developmental challenges & keep your vet & farrier apprised of any changes you observe.

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