The diet you offer your gestating mare, particularly in the last trimester, can influence development of the placenta as well as the level of immunoglobulins (IgGs) in the colostrum, reports a research team from North Dakota and Texas.

"Foals subjected to external stimulants, such as reduced nutrient supply to the fetus, can have lasting effects on development including reduced neonatal health, skeletal muscle growth, feed efficiency, and athletic performance," said Carrie Hammer, DVM, PhD, an assistant professor at North Dakota State University.

This phenomenon is referred to as developmental programming.

Hammer and colleagues hypothesized that feeding broodmares too much or too little would negatively affect colostral quality, and that selenium supplementation could offset some of these negative effects. To test their hypothesis, they randomly separated 28 Quarter Horse mares into one of four treatment groups: pasture, pasture plus selenium, pasture plus grain, or pasture plus grain and selenium. Selenium supplementation started 110 days prior to foaling