Re: oil added to diet

Susan Evans Garlinghouse (suendavid@worldnet.att.net)
Sat, 29 Nov 1997 16:58:03 -0800

Oops, forgot to add one thing---most of the grains and grass hays are
low in Vitamin E, so if your horse isn't being fed alfalfa, then you
might want to supplement JUST A LITTLE. Adult horses only need 2-3 IU
of Vitamin E per kg of body weight, growing horses a little more. There
are some suggestions that higher levels may be beneficial to performance
horses, and that's fine, but don't go overboard too far on this one, as
it could interfere with the absorption of other fat-soluble vitamins.
Maximum levels should be under 20 IU/kg of body weight.

> A well-balanced ration is going to supply a more than sufficient supply
> of all the vitamins which might be found in vegetable oils (cold-pressed
> or refined), with the possible exception of Vitamin E. If your horse is
> getting eight pounds or so of alfalfa a day, he's probably getting
> plenty of Vitamin E. To supply an adequate amount through vegetable
> oil, you'd have to feed close to 3 gallons a day. Not likely. Or you
> could feed 1/4 ounce of a commercial Vitamin E supplement and not worry
> about it. Much easier and alot cheaper. Vegetable oils definitely have
> their benefits, but I wouldn't go spending alot of money on one oil over
> another based on whether it was cold-pressed or not. If you really want
> the most from your oil, save up the money you're not spending on
> cold-pressed oils and buy a used refrigerator to keep the vegetable oil
> in to minimize oxidation.
>
> Susan Garlinghouse