Feed for mares in foal in their last trimester

Until her last three months of gestation, your mare should be fed as normal for her size, condition and so on, aiming to maintain a healthy weight. As her foaling date nears, gradually increase the level of feeding to support increased demand as the foal undergoes its most rapid stages of development. 

In the last three months she should also change from her usual Simple System forage balancer onto Lunar Eclipse, specially formulated without seaweed to keep iodine levels low but also providing support for milk production.

By the time she is ready to foal, she may be eating as much as a third or even a half of her total daily intake in her feed bowl. Using a lucerne based feed provides high quality protein and calcium as well as natural vitamins and minerals. If foaling later in the year, Red Bag Grass Pellets will make up for the lack of spring grass.

After foaling, she will need very heavy feeding for the first month to support lactation, especially if grass is limited. Be generous with her feeds - there is after all no limit to meal size when feeding forages - and feed her from ground level allowing the foal to taste and share her food.

 Once the foal is a month old, you can switch back to her usual Simple System forage balancer and if her weight is good, you can also begin to reduce the manger feed.