Re: RC: Re: Muscle Tie-Up/Question?

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

> Susan:
>
> Is rice bran okay to feed ? I heard it was a big no-no and switched to
> corn oil.
>
> Marie


If corn oil is feasible to feed, then that's my preference, too.  Some
owners or horses just aren't happy with the additional inconvenience, and so
prefer rice bran as a (sorta) fat source.  Rice bran isn't a no-no in the
same category as, say, hemlock or oleander, it just needs to be fed with a
little forethought (as does everything).  There's an excruciatingly detailed
article on my website that has more, but the primary drawback for endurance
horses in particular is that it's extremely high in phosphorus.  As most
endurance are (or should be) fed grass hays, feeding more than a few pounds
of rice bran along with grass hay can invert the calcium-phosphorus ratio in
the diet, which is a Bad Thing (doing so leeches calcium from the bones).
You can correct the ratio by making sure there is more calcium in the diet
than there is phosphorus, either by providing about 1.5-2 pounds of alfalfa
for every pound of rice bran you feed; or about 2.5 pounds (dry weight) of
beet pulp; or some other source of calcium.  KER's Equi-Jewel brand is
already calcium-balanced, so you don't have to feed alfalfa or whatever to
make up the difference.

So, that's fine if you're just feeding maybe a pound or two of rice bran.
Where I think it starts getting sticky is when the idea that if a little is
good, than a truckload must be better comes in.  I've talked to people that
very enthusiastically talk about feeding 8-10 pounds of the stuff a day.
Actually, I've yet to find one that knew about calcium-phosphorus ratios and
how to check or balance one, but if they did, they'd have to be feeding 300%
of the daily calcium requirement to balance the high phosphorus.  If they're
doing that by feeding alfalfa (20 pounds worth), then you have all the
inherent problems of a lot of alfalfa in the ration---higher risk of
enteroliths, increased sweating and peeing, higher pulse rates, etc etc etc.
In addition, excess calcium from any source has been pretty strongly
implicated in higher incidence of thumps in endurance horses.

So the bottom line IMO is that while I think there are other fat sources
that I personally prefer, I don't object to a pound or two of rice bran in
the ration, as long as:
1) You know for a fact that the calcium-phosphorus ratio is okay (not
inverted)
2) You're not feeding excessive amounts (which in my book is more than about
2-3 pounds a day tops)
3) The brand of rice bran is *stabilized*---if it's not, it went rancid
before it ever went into the bag and is no better than low-grade cow feed or
very expensive compost.
4) You're not feeding it as anything other than 'flavoring' during a ride,
as the fat content slows down gastric emptying.

Hope this helps.

Susan G