Mares must have a well-balanced diet and healthy body condition to cycle properly and conceive and carry a foal. According to equine nutritionist Tania Cubitt, PhD (Performance Horse Nutrition), nutritional management is a simple, cost-effective tool to ensure normal estrous cycles and optimum pregnancy rates. If adequate nutrients are not accessible to the mare as stored body fat or available in the feed, she will not cycle.

Importance of Body Condition

A common mistake some owners make when they decide to breed a mare is not planning ahead–they make the decision to breed at the last minute. At this point, pregnancy might not be feasible if the mare is too thin or too fat. "Owners need to be proactive and get the mare in proper body condition first," says Cubitt. "If her body condition score (BCS) is somewhere between 5 (moderate) and 7 (fleshy) on the Henneke scale (see TheHorse.com/pdf/nutrition/bcs.pdf), there's a much better chance of getting her pregnant