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ES Epigenetics: equine nutrition programs the foal of the future.
April 18, 2025
Am I allowed to be frustrated?
May I pour out my heart unfiltered?
Can I shout it from the rooftops?
A broodmare is not a byproduct of breeding!
The amount of a decent car is easily spent today on a straw semen from a popular stallion - with a pedigree that reaches from here to the Imperial Palace of Kyoto. Or the price of a small house to an embryo of a foal that excels genetically even before it is born.
But the mare?
The bearer of that capital?
She who is responsible for how all that potential develops, physiologically as well as mentally?
That's "just a broodmare."
A discarded sport horse. Disposable. Too good for the slaughterhouse, unfit to perform anymore, so let's squeeze out another foal. And if possible, two. Or more. Not because we have to. But because we can.
As if her only value is still in her womb, not in her health. Not in her genes. Not in her story.
While just the mare lays the foundation for the foal. Not only genetically, but especially epigenetic. The conditions in which an embryo develops determine which genes are expressed - and thus how the foal develops and functions.
We call that fetal programming. What the mare eats, how much stress she experiences, how her intestinal flora works, whether she has deficiencies - it affects the development of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, immune system as well as the foal's metabolism.
And that is not an alternative theory. It has been demonstrated repeatedly in studies in horses as well as other animal species. Among other epigenetic markers such as DNA methylation, changes in RNA expression and mitochondrial activity.
There is a world of difference between what is selected in practice - and what is should counting. (Not necessarily in this order
| Commercial & jury-driven | Sustainable & horse-oriented |
|---|---|
| Movement (spectacle, show factor) | Hoof quality & hoof mechanics |
| Exterior (symmetry, appearance). | Mental resilience & stress resistance |
| Bloodline (name & reputation) | Intestinal health & food processing |
| Family tree (as complete as possible) | Sustainable biomechanics (no exaggeration) |
| Color & markings | Genetic diversity & hereditary balance |
| Show content (before judging) | Functional exterior |
| Hoof quality (only if noticeable) | Temperament & trainability |
| Mental resilience (often ignored) | Immune health & resistance |
| Intestinal health (invisible, forgotten) | (And only then:) color & appearance |
Note that the order in both columns is indicative and depends on the type of horse, the breeding goal and the context. What is certain: ALL elements in the right-hand column contribute to health, welfare and sustainability - and thus should not dangle at the bottom of the priority list.
But what I really want to say:
It sometimes seems as if - so to speak - tail length is more important than, say, hoof quality.
Because let's face it - for those hooves we can find a patch. But what is a dressage horse without a dramatic swishing tail?
A mare who becomes pregnant with a zinc or copper deficiency passes that deficiency on - directly to the foal, which consequently develops weaker tendons or horn structure. A mare who is insulin-resistant or inflammatory increases the risk of metabolic problems in her offspring.
Nutrition, therefore, is not an after-treatment. It is the start of hereditary health. And that requires preparation, balance, knowledge - and respect.
I repeat -and I will keep repeating it until someone listens: It is time to stop using the mare as an incubator and recognize her again as the key to successful, healthy horses. Not every sport horse needs to become a broodmare. Not every cycle needs to be utilized. Not every stallion needs to go "across the country."
The future of our horses is not determined by their studbook number, but by the choices we make before conception, and the care we give during gestation.
Those who understand that don't breed papers - but potential.
I am that woman who constantly loses her glasses, forgets her keys, never finds her phone. But my opinion? I always have it ready.
Half wolf, half woman - literally in my Facebook profile picture, figuratively in everything I do. I am someone of extremes. Intuitive and astute. Calm and storm. Silence and voice. Soft to what is vulnerable. Tough on what deliberately damages. I am not a perfect version of myself. An honest one, though.
I work with people, systems, food, chaos and vision. Sometimes with horses, often with principles. I believe in truth over diplomacy, and in nuance without wooliness.
Here I share what concerns me. What chafes, what moves, what knocks. Welcome to my head. It's a little wild there - but always real.
#more than power supply #MIRA