By L.A. Pomeroy

“To hit the ground running” entered our lexicon around the same time Americans began heading westward-ho “to hit the trail,” “hit the grit (road),” and “hit the flat (prairie).”  Its attribution is speculated to include Pony Express riders, and even Eadweard Muybridge, whose famous photographic series on animal locomotion proved that a galloping horse does indeed have all four feet off the ground.

            Whatever the source of the phrase, its inspiration is obvious:  the horse.  Why not?  Few animals more perfectly embody absolute preparedness than a foal, which can be on its feet 30 minutes after birth, walking within two hours, and trotting and galloping alongside its dam and the herd two hours after that.

           

It’s our responsibility, before and after birth, to be sure our foal is nutritionally on track to build the healthiest limbs and joints possible so they, too, can “hit the ground running.”

            During a mare’s pregnancy, balanced nutrition is important to support proper growth of her foal, and growth should be balanced and paced.  By this, we mean bone and joint development should be proportional to weight gain.  Bone development and bone maturation need to be paced to prevent skeletal deformities, as imbalances can lead to Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD).

            "Orthopedic disorders are extremely common--namely, angular limb or flexural limb deformities,” said Robert Franklin, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of the Equine Medical Center in Ocala, FL, in an interview with TheHorse.com regarding a National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) survey on top foal health concerns. DOD can indicate a variety of problems, including contracted tendons, crooked limb foals, and wobblers.

            A sound foal starts with proper nutrition of the mare during gestation and lactation, but after weaning, the foal is on its own to take in sufficient minerals to support structural growth.  For certain DOD conditions, the “age of no return,” i.e., when deformities may become permanent, is between five and 12 months (yearling). 

With so narrow a margin, it is imperative to start supplementing a foal as soon as it will accept solid food, as this will put them at the best advantage to mature into a strong, sound two-year old ready to begin their career.

STEADFAST^® Equine Growth is daily health product specially formulated for growing foals to support proper growth and conformation. That includes encouraging the healthy growth of bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments through an exclusive combination of TêlaFIRM^®Y and Sodium Zeolite A (a bioavailable source of silica for proper development and maintenance of connective tissues and bones).

Silicon in young horses has been shown to decrease racing-related injuries, and additional studies (2001) have demonstrated decreased bone resorption in yearlings and increased bone synthesis (through osteocalcin levels) in lactating mares.

TêlaFIRM Y helps avoid DOD during that “age of no return” through a carefully balanced, proprietary blend of trace minerals: copper (studies have shown a correlation between low copper diets and incidence of DOD), zinc and manganese (critical to structural development of bone, cartilage, tendons), selenium, and bioactive sulfur.   These trace minerals are more than building blocks for structural integrity, they may be the ‘wheelhorses’ driving antioxidant systems during recovery from inflammatory stress. The bioactive sulfur in TêlaFIRM Y also plays a dual role, both strengthening cartilage, and as part of the antioxidant system.

Another antioxidant, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), found in STEADFAST Equine Growth, is a co-factor for synthesizing collagen and growing bone, by supporting ‘cross-linking formation’ necessary for proper joint growth.

Consider this:  According to a 2001 study by Gibbs and Cohen, 44% of farms fed unbalanced diets to young horses, particularly weanlings.

Given that, during the first year of life, a horse will achieve 90% of its mature height and 70% of its mature weight, weaning is an incredibly important period to focus on proper feed intake and growth.

If foals have not been conditioned to eating feed before weaning, they may get inadequate amounts of solid food, causing a drop in growth rate.  But don’t play ‘catch-up’ with a young horse’s nutrition.  Rapid, compensatory gain can also result in a greater risk of DOD and flexural limb deformities like contracted tendons. 

The answer is a daily supplement that will not replace a properly balanced ration, but will offer key nutrients that may not be present in appropriate amounts in a grain/roughage diet.  STEADFAST Equine Growth offers a winning blend of ingredients and trace minerals that help promote strong bone growth, healthy cartilage, tendons and ligaments, development and growth of connective tissue, and normal bone remodeling in young horses just when they are most vulnerable to DOD.

It’s the right choice to help a young horse “hit the ground running.”