Maternal influence on foal development and the final size of the mature horses

The process of development in horses could be divided into three phases: fo etal, nursing and maturation. It has been demonstrated that the maternal ef fect is the greatest during pregnancy. The bigger the placenta, the heavier the foetus and newborn foal. During the nursing period the intensity of gr owth is genetically dependent. The foals that were small at birth grow more rapidly. Increased feeding results in weight gain but does not accelerate growth rate. The process is continued during maturation. However, irrespect ive of the intensity,the foals, which were small at birth are not able to c ompensate for losses in the foetal phase. The ring, which had suitable nutr itional and growing conditions in the foetal phase become taller and have l ong bones in the limbs when mature.