Using Artificial Light for Mares

With the shortest day of the year right around the corner, it's easy to see why bears choose to hibernate!  But did you know that mares have their own, much less intense, version of hibernation called anestrus? 

Anestrus is defined as a 'reproductive quiescence', or basically a period where mares will not come into heat for breeding.  Control of the mare's, and many other species, reproductive rhythm stems from the photoperiod - the part of the retina that perceives daylight.  As the days shorten, the photoperiod relays this information to the brain, specifically the pineal gland, which then begins to secrete increasing levels of the hormone melatonin.  While melatonin is often dubbed the 'sleep hormone', it also suppresses the mare's reproductive activity. 

Since foals born early in the year have the tendency to outperform those born later - especially in the racehorse industry - manipulating the mare's natural breeding cycle can be advantageous.  The most common and reliable method is through the use of artificial lights to alter the mare's perception of day length.  The easiest light management program is to use lights at the end of the day to extend the perceived day length to 16 hours at the start of December (to induce heat between February-March).  This practice entails turning on an artificial light source 30 minutes before sundown.  Perception of day length must be constant from day to day, so the use of automatic timers is beneficial.  It should also be noted, that mares exposed to too much light will not cycle at all.

Light intensity should be a minimum of 2-foot candles, which is comparable to one 200-watt bulb for a 12x12 foot stall, with no dark corners for the mare to stand in.  A good rule of thumb is to light the enclosure enough to where you can read the fine print on a newspaper in the darkest corner of the stall.

Artificial lighting programs work best in stalls; however, floodlights have can be used in outdoor pens and paddocks to create a similar effect.  Keep in mind though, mares that undergo an artificial light program will also shed their hair, so mares housed outside will need protection from bad weather. 

While the use of artificial lights has the greatest benefit on dry or open mares, recent studies have shown that early foaling mares will also respond to added light.  Gestation lengths have been decreased by as much as 10 days when using lights for open mares, with no effect on foal weight and size.  Artificial light programs also stimulates mares to properly cycle after foaling as well.

Equine Dentistry

Modern horse diets include grain and hay, which often time limits their grazing. Horses' teeth were made for grazing, so dental issues can be common in the horse community.  Horse health and performance may be affected by problems with their teeth and should be evaluated by a vet. With good vet care and exams, most dental issues can be corrected. Read the following article  https://horses.extension.org/basic-dental-care-for-horses/ to learn more about horse dentistry and what you should be looking for.

Ration Balancers Explained

 

Do you have a mature adult horse at maintenance or in light work that is an easy keeper and can sustain on forage alone? Or do you have a growing foal that has a high nutrient demand but does not necessarily need excess calories? Then the best option might be the use of a quality ration balancer.

Ration balancer pellets were originally designed to meet the specific needs of growing horses, in conjunction with a high quality forage source, by providing the essential amino acids, both macro and micro minerals and essential vitamins without the excess calories that could predispose a growing horse to developmental orthopedic diseases.

In addition to young, growing horses, mature horses that tend to be easy keepers and can maintain their weight on a forage-based diet can also benefit from a ration balancer. As a forage only diet, can often meet or  exceed energy and crude protein requirements, but still be deficient in certain essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

Due to their high nutrient density, the ration balancer recommended serving sizes are relatively small (~1 to 2 pounds per day).  Just about every major manufacturer of horse feed has their version of a ration balancer and the manufacturer will include feeding directions on the bag for the type of horse (stage of production or age of horse) and/or workload the horse is under.

Many often express concerns over the protein levels in ration balancers, which generally range from 28-32%. However, due to the much lower feeding rate as compared to some performance feeds and/or complete feeds, the total amount of protein consumed by a horse on a ration balancer is generally much lower. For example, if we assume that an average adult horse is consuming one pound per day of a quality ration balancer at 30% CP that equates to 0.3 lb or 136 grams of crude protein per day from the ration balancer. Compare that to a fortified feed with a recommended feeding rate of a minimum of 5 lb per day and contains 12% crude protein, then that would equate to 0.6 lb or 272 grams of crude protein consumed.

Keep in mind that crude protein requirements for the horse are expressed in grams per day, and not as they are often represented on a feed tag – percent (%) form.  An average adult horse (~1100 lb) in light work will need roughly 700 grams of crude protein per day. If we assume that they are eating 2% of their body weight in a quality grass hay with an average of 10% CP, then they are already exceeding their crude protein requirement (~1000 grams of crude protein per day). An additional 100 to 150 grams from 1 lb of a quality ration balancer is nothing to worry about, but the fact that is supplies other essential nutrients that can often be deficient in a forage only diet can be essential to providing a balanced diet.

Furthermore, Ration balancers can be fed in conjunction with other fortified feeds. Especially when one feeds well under the recommended minimum of the other fortified feed. By supplementing back with roughly a ½ to 1 lb of a ration balancer, it is quite possible that the added ration balancer fills in the nutritional gaps left behind by not feeding the recommended amount of the other fortified feed.

In addition, ration balancer pellets can be a good option for horses that do not tolerate high sugar and starch levels in their diets. The generally lower glycemic index of a typical ration balancer has the potential to also lessen a horse’s frisky behavior, if you have a horse that is prone to that.

Overall, ration balancer pellets can be an ideal feed for a number of different horses, including adult horses at maintenance or in light work or actively growing horses and can be used in a number of diverse ways to compliment or balance out the equine diet.