WHILE pushing growth for a large foal in the sales ring may bring sales benefits, it is important to remember that very rapid growth potentially brings the risk of developmental orthopaedic disease (DOD) as well. Diet choice has a big impact here and foals on a high plane of nutrition with insufficient trace mineral nutrition are at a particular risk. Combining a fibre and oil based ration with a stud specific feed balancer helps to encourage a steady rate of growth while ensuring trace mineral nutrition. They are also sympathetic to the foal’s behavioural and digestive health and can still provide plenty of energy to support growth.

Not all fibre is the same and using highly digestible fibre sources like high temperature dried alfalfa, grasses and sugar beet can make a significant contribution to energy intake. Alfalfa combined with oil, as with Dengie Alfa-A Oil, provides as much energy and protein as a stud mix or cube, but without the starch. Oil has the additional benefit of providing a real shine to the coat.