Developmental Orthopedic Disease in Foals

good quality foal starter feed early in their preweaning life to assure the best growth of healthy bone 
Once on the ground ensure your foal gets exercise but hold off on training other than halter breaking until he is approaching 12 months of age which is past the window for significant risks of OC Introduce him to good forage and a foal starter as soon as he will start sampling it and consider creating a creep space for him when he is eating enthusiastically but not yet able to keep up when sharing out of his dams feed bowl Dont worry about overfeeding starch or sugar if offering your foal a moderate amount of creep feed Most creep feeds are intended to be safely consumed at up to at least one kg per day or more in addition to forage and the contribution they make to the successful development of the foal through trace mineral supplementation is invaluable 
If you think your foal is growing too fast discuss it with your veterinarian andor a qualified equine nutritionist and consider replacing the foal starter with a complete balancer pellet fed according to body weight in addition to good quality forage Diets that are higher in calcium due to some alfalfa inclusion are generally safe but be cautious about offering straight grains due to their phosphorous content Be especially vigilant for heat or swelling in the foals joints between the ages of two to twelve months and be ready to consult with your veterinarian about a management plan that includes changes to your foals diet if joint changes are found And finally remember that many foals do have some instances of OC while growing but the foal on a good balanced diet possesses a great ability to overcome them all on his own