Feeding the Breeding Farm: Part 1- Stallions

Feeding the Breeding Farm Part 1: Stallions

By: DR. TANIA CUBITT, for dac® Vitamins and Minerals

The goal of any breeding program is to produce strong sound foals. To do this, there are several factors involved including genetics, environment and nutrition. Nutrition is a critical piece of any successful breeding operation and must be considered at every level: Stallions, mares, foals. In part one of this three part series on feeding the stud farm, we will focus on feeding the stallion.

The stallion is expected to be in top health, physically fit, and able to perform on demand when a mare arrives at the breeding shed or when semen is artificially collected. Nutrition certainly plays a key role in maintaining the health and condition of the stallion, before, during, and after the breeding season. Stallions generally have higher nutritional maintenance requirements than mares or geldings. The energy requirement of the stallion during the breeding season depends on his breeding or collection frequency. Breeding stallions, on the average, have daily nutrient requirements that are 25% above maintenance of a mature stallion during the off season. To meet the increased nutrient requirements associated with the breeding season, stallions should be provided a properly balanced concentrate. On the average, stallions will need a combination of roughage and concentrate ranging from 1.5% to 2.5% of bodyweight daily. It is important to select a concentrate feed that, when fed at levels to maintain weight and support activity, will also meet protein, mineral and vitamin requirements.

Routine evaluation of your stallion’s body condition can be an effective tool for determining if you are underfeeding or overfeeding your stallion. An extremely thin stallion (Body condition score, BCS 3 or less; scale 1-9) may not have the energy stores needed to make it through an active breeding season without compromising performance and fertility. Similarly, the stallion should not be allowed to become fat (BCS of 8 or 9). Fat-supplements like dac® Oil can be very practical and beneficial for old stallions that may tend to be thin and for horses that seem extremely active, such as those that walk the fence line of a paddock, those being pasture-bred, and stallions in training. Fat supplemented feeds provide more energy than a traditional cereal grain based concentrate.

Ideally, stallions should be maintained in a moderate body condition (condition score of 5 or 6) year round. A moderate body condition will provide enough fat cover over the ribs, making them hard to see, but still easy to palpate. The withers will appear rounded, and the shoulders and neck will blend smoothly into the body. Some stallions may lose weight during a breeding season while others are able to maintain themselves in good condition. For stallions that tend to lose condition, a higher degree of body fatness (condition score of 6 or 7) should be established before the breeding season to ensure stallions do not become too thin during the season.

Recent research has revealed the benefits of supplementing stallions with Omega 3 fatty acids. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; an Omega 3 fatty acid) has been shown to significantly increase the number of sperm per ejaculate, increase motility of sperm and decrease dead and abnormal sperm compared to non-supplemented stallions. Supplementation with DHA also increases the number of motile sperm after cooled or frozen storage. A further improvement in stallion semen quality (motility, longevity, morphology as well as total sperm count) has been shown after dietary intake of antioxidants in combination with Omega 3 fatty acids. Vitamin E is the primary antioxidant in seminal cell membranes and acts as a major protectant against oxidative stress. Antioxidants in seminal plasma protect sperm against oxidative stress which may be induced by cooling and freezing, common methods of storage and transportation of equine semen. dac® Breeders Excel is a unique blend of Vitamin E and DHA designed to pro-mote semen quality. dac® Breeders Excel must be fed for sic weeks prior to the breeding season for best results.

During the off season, most stallions can be maintained on good quality forage and a concentrated vitamin and mineral such as dac® Orange Superior. During the breeding season, most stallions require additional grain supplementation to maintain body condition and energy levels.

The most important aspect of stallion nutrition management is feeding a balanced diet and realizing that there are huge variations in energy intake required to maintain proper body condition from one stallion to another. A balanced ration of good quality hay and grain fed to maintain optimum body condition is the key to successful stallion nutrition management.

For more information regarding the dac® line of products, contact them at 800-921-9121 or visit their website at www.feeddac.com