Breeding —
12 May 2026
Good nutrition for mares and foals: the foundation for a healthy start
Every breeder wants to give their foal the best possible start in life. But how do you make sure you are getting it right? Voermeesters nutritionist Wendy Warmerdam and sales manager and customer adviser Eise Brinkman explain what good nutrition for mares and foals should provide.
A good mare cube for your pregnant and lactating mare
A healthy start begins before the foal is even born.
“A good mare cube is tailored to the nutritional requirements of pregnant and lactating mares,” explains Wendy Warmerdam.
“In the final weeks of pregnancy, you can gradually increase the amount you feed, but be careful not to give too much,” adds Eise Brinkman. “Overfeeding could make foaling unnecessarily difficult for the mare. Too much of anything is best avoided, and this is no exception.” Once the foal has been born, the amount of mare cube can be increased.
“The mare needs to recover from giving birth and milk production needs to get underway, so her nutritional requirements are particularly high at this stage. Especially if the mare is inseminated again soon after the foal is born!”
Good chewing = a lower risk of gastric ulcers
Concentrated feed is important during this stage, but the forage also needs to meet certain requirements.
Eise explains: “Forage always forms the basis of the ration. The amount of mare cube you feed should be adjusted according to the nutritional value of the forage. A forage analysis tells you exactly what you are feeding. We offer three different types of forage analysis on our website.”
For foals, which soon start nibbling on hay alongside their mothers, the type and texture of the forage are also important.
“Soft hay is preferable, as it is easier for foals to chew. We know that weaning can be a stressful time for foals and that they can be susceptible to gastric ulcers during this period. Chewing well stimulates saliva production, helping to reduce this risk.”
Why feeding a dedicated foal cube is a better choice
Although a foal will eventually start eating some of the mare’s feed, it is advisable to introduce a dedicated foal cube in good time.
“You feed a mare several kilograms of mare cube a day, which is far too much for a foal to process,” explains Wendy Warmerdam. “That is why foal cubes have a different composition. They are much more concentrated and, for example, contain more vitamin D. This is an important vitamin for maintaining the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the ration.”
Eise Brinkman adds: “I always recommend feeding a foal separately, using a feeder that the mare cannot access. This allows the foal to become accustomed to eating a specific amount of concentrated feed, which helps prepare it for the first, often challenging stage of rearing.”
The exact amount of foal cube depends on the individual circumstances.
“The theoretical recommended daily amount is 0.5 kg for every month of the foal’s age. However, the composition of the forage also plays an important role. And if the foal is being prepared for an auction and will be clipped, you can offer foal cubes almost without restriction.”
Gradually reducing concentrated feed
After 1 January, the amount of concentrated feed can gradually be reduced, Eise Brinkman concludes. “By 1 January, they should have come through the main challenges of early foalhood and things generally become a little easier. At that point, good-quality forage can provide much of their energy and protein requirements. A vitamin cube can then supply the nutrients that cannot be obtained in sufficient quantities from forage alone.”
Voermeesters By Nature: how it works for broodmares and foals
Voermeesters By Nature is a feed range for horse owners who want to feed as naturally as possible, using as few whole grains as possible and, where possible, no grains at all. The entire range is molasses-free and almost completely alfalfa-free.
The range also includes a mare cube, Daily Breed, and a foal cube, Daily Grow. These are known as Essentials, while the range also includes Toppings.
Wendy Warmerdam explains: “The range has been designed to offer three different feeding approaches. You can keep things as simple as possible by feeding Essentials only, create a more tailored ration by combining Essentials with the desired Toppings, or take a ‘Back2Basic’ approach by feeding forage supplemented with one or more Toppings.
“For pregnant and lactating mares and for foals, however, we do not recommend the latter two approaches. Their increased nutritional requirements mean they genuinely need certain additional nutrients. By feeding the Essentials mentioned above, you can be confident that they receive everything they need in sufficient quantities.”