Feeding the Growing Horse for Health and Performance

as the amount of lysine. The young horse may continue to gain weight if energy is in plentiful supply in the ration but skeletal development may be hindered. This can cause slowed or stunted growth and excess body weight gain a recipe for developmental orthopedic disease DOD.
The same concept applies to other nutrients such as calcium phosphorous and trace minerals. Calcium and phosphorous are important for mineralizing the protein matrix in growing bone but they must be present in both the sufficient amount and the correct ratio for successful growth. Trace minerals are an important part of the mineralization of growing bone and so dietary deficiencies or imbalances in copper zinc or selenium may result in any one of those minerals becoming a limiting nutrient. Rations for growing horses must have sufficient nutrients fed in the correct ratios to permit good bone development.
Feed Intake 
Ensuring the youngster has sufficient nutrients for healthy growth means you must have some idea of their feed intake. A diet that contains a satisfactory nutrient profile for the growing horse must be consumed in sufficient quantities to deliver the nutrients required. This can be an area of particular concern in the choice of hay for your youngster. Because growing horses have smaller body size if hay is of poorer quality consumption may not be enough to meet nutrient demands. Course hay with low digestibility will often result in growing horses with classic signs of nutrient deficiencies including poor hair coat poor immune function and pot bellies. Good quality hay is always the foundation of a balanced ration for the growing horse.
The Weaned Foal 
The feed intake of a weaned foal is low due to small body size small mouth milk teeth and limited capacity in the cecum or hindgut. At the same time the growth rate of the weaned foal is very high and accordingly the nutrient density of the weaned foal diet must be high. Weanlings must have access to quality hay or to pasture with high digestibility. They will also need balanced supplementation of important vitamins and minerals.
Ideally foals should be started on a concentrate prior to weaning. Foals accustomed to eating concentrates like a good quality foalstarter pellet will be far less likely to experience a postweaning slump in condition following the abrupt cessation of mares milk. Foals consuming at least a kilogram per day of 16 percent protein foalstarter are usually