Stopping the Flow

AI have no information on specific disorders of the mare that would explain this. That leaves us with a concern for management failure as an explanation for this situation.

Milk production is linked closely with mare nutrition. As feed intake is reduced, lactation slows. As lactation slows, foals seek nutrition on their own (such as additional nutrition via a creep feeder). Reduced nursing also slows the response of the mare, who essentially dries up. That’s the way Nature intends this to happen.

Good managers make this happen prior to weaning by slowly reducing the energy-generating feeds from the mare’s ration, and after weaning by not milking the mare after the foal is weaned. High-energy feeds such as grain and/or rich legume hay should be reduced or eliminated from the mare’s diet after weaning if possible.