Feeding Pregnant Miniature

[CRERS]

We recently pulled a very thin mare from our local auction. I'm not quite sure if she would be considered a Mini as she is 40". She was so thin & dehydrated and deathly afraid of people, we even had a hard time getting her out of her pen at the auction.

After almost a month of good nutrition and lots of handling, she's become such a sweetheart and we all adore her. As I watched her start to gain weight, I noticed that she was getting quite a belly, which was gaining more rapidly then the rest of her. We had our vet out again and did an ultrasound - he guesstimates her to be approximately 4-5 months pregnant.

She is on a good worming program, has had all of her vaccines, coggins, etc... and is really flourishing, she is a beautiful little girl, estimated by our dentist & vet to be approximately 12 years old. The history that we were able to get from the broker that was selling her at auction was that he recently picked her up from a family that used her as a broodmare for the past 3 years.

She was not in good condition upon arrival, however, our vet feels that she is going to be fine since we got her early in her pregnancy and confirmed it quickly, enabling us to get her on a good diet.

Here is where my confusion comes in.........

Most of my Miniature experience is limited to one little gelding who is our mascot and my best little bud - we have never had a pregnant Mini, or very small pony, whichever she would be considered. As I read the labels on her feed, I'm trying to break it down to her size but it is confusing.

She is on pasture, which is pretty drought ridden at this moment but is getting better, so she is given free-choice hay as well as her feed am & pm with a mineral block in her pasture and in her stall.

Should we switch her over to mare/foal feed when she is 3 months out from delivering like is done with large horses? Should I switch her sooner since she was not in good condition in the beginning of her pregnancy?

In our area, we can get Pennefield, Triple Crown, Buckeye, Blue Seal and a few others, but the ones I mentioned are the feeds we primarily use and what I would like to stick with.

I would really love to hear likes and dislikes on these feeds if possible. I have been driving myself insane trying to figure out which would be the best for her. I have nearly everything else down to a science with her pregnancy - vet willing to be on stand-by incase of complications, signs of impending labor, what to do until the vet gets here if there is an issue, another ultrasound set up in 3 months, pregnancy vaccines etc...etc... but the feed thing is about to make me crazy!

I feel like a nervous first time mom myself here - this little mare means so much to us and finding out that she was pregnant was not what we expected, but we will do all we can for this girl and her little one to have the healthiest and happiest lives possible. I have worked with her daily since her arrival just getting her to be ok with people and I've gotten very attached to her - when I found out she was pregnant, it seemed to seal the bond even tighter and I am so nervous for her.

:

I am praying that between good nutrition, lots of TLC and the proper vet care that this pregnancy will be a good outcome for mom and baby.

Thanks for any advice!

Steph

 

[Miniv]

If your pony girl were pregnant and had started out at normal weight, I would say -- do what we do -- grain her for her last trimester and through lactating. However, since she had such a bad start, if it were me, I'd start switching her over to the mare&foal grain during her middle trimester. It sounds like she needs that extra boost.

Just my opinion.

MA

 

[Marty]

Wow what a lucky little mare to have found you!

I think putting a mare in foal on a mare/foal feed is a great idea.

The instruction label is confusing you because it is adjusted with big horses in mind, not little ones. You cannot possibly feed the recommended amount on the label because that's for a biggin and if you don't, your horse will not get all the ingredients the guaranteed analysis has promised. So you just have to be sure you pick up the slack and look at your supplements.

Don't skimp on any vitamins or minerals. I had one foal born here with lax tendons walking on his pasterns because his mama was getting enough food and hay but lacking in minerals especially because we are in a selenium deficient area. Totally my fault; I didn't know any better at the time. I thought I was supplying enough with a trace mineral block. Not so, my mistake. A trace mineral block means just what it says: "a trace of minerals" So I ended up putting out a white salt block instead and a container of Purina 12 12 free choice minerals. If I thought she was not eating them, I'd sometimes top dress her feed with them to be sure. I've been feeding Purina Born to Win ration balancer now for a couple of years with Omelene 200 or Oats and it's been working out very well. Now my foals have good legs and no more lax tendons, mama is full of milk and everyone's happy.

good luck!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Oh bless your heart for getting her. Sounds like she would do well on a mare/foal from now on seeing as she is on the lean side and winter is coming. My furkids have hay in front of them all the time too and yukky pasture. They get fed am & pm also. Guesstimate what she weighs, at 40" and thin maybe 300-350# so 2 cups at each feeding to start with should be great, then when the time approaches increase a bit. WE'd love to see pics! I like Triple Crown myself.