Re: Rice bran vs. oil

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

One pound a day is not critical.  People that feed pounds and pounds of
it a day, especially with a ration that is otherwise low in calcium,
is.  So you're certainly not causing any outright harm to your horse by
feeding a pound a day---although I would suggest that the excellent
results you see are probably more due to the other high-quality
components of your feeding program, certainly not just the rice bran.

However, yes, you can certainly replace the rice bran with just a dollop
or two of oil, though with the ration you're currently feeding, I doubt
you really even need that, unless you'd like to see more weight on
them.  Any vegetable oil will do just fine, the shelf lives between
sources is pretty close.  Try to buy in quantities that you will use up
within about two weeks, or if you buy a larger container, keep it
refrigerated if possible and pour of two-weeks-worth into a smaller
bottle.  The less you expose your main source to heat, light and air,
the better off you'll be nutrition-wise.

Horses have been fed amounts of oil up to 20% of their diet, but lesser
amounts usually fill the bill for most horses.  Start out slowly, try to
break up the oil into several meals rather than one big dollop all at
once and try to mix it into something else to extend the eating period,
like beet pulp or something like that.  You can work up to several cups
a day if you need to.  Oil does have some physiological effects in the
GI tract, but honestly, nothing to be concerned about at your end. 
They're just things that nutritionists like to dabble around in, don't
worry about it.  Really.  If you get to the point of feeding more than
about a cup and a half, you might consider adding some additional
vitamin E into the diet.  Still not a life or death issue.

Hope this answers your questions, 

Susan G

JOltmann@FANCYPUBS.COM wrote:
> 
> After reading the posts about rice bran, particularly Susan G's article, I
> am a little alarmed about the amount of rice bran I am feeding (about 1 lb a
> day). I have been feeding rice bran to my horse for almost two years. My
> total combined feeding program (grass hay and alfalfa, a complete
> performance feed and rice bran) has netted excellent results. My horse is
> very healthy, has developed good bone mass, is never ill, maintains good
> weight and finishes rides in the top 10, regardless of distance, looking
> like he hadn't been ridden. However, the only reason I feed the rice bran is
> because, like many, I thought it was an excellent source of fat. I have
> always cringed at the price, but fed it anyway because my horse seems to
> benefit from it. So, in light of the recent information about rice bran, it
> would make sense to switch to an oil as a source of fat. I've heard,
> however, that too much oil can coat the intestines and interfere with
> absorption of nutrients. I've also heard that certain types of oil have a
> short shelf life and spoil relatively quickly. My questions are these: How
> much oil is "too much?" Are some oils better than others? And, what type of
> oil is most recommended/used/preferred for endurance horses? I'm reluctant
> to just yank the rice bran, because I'm not seeing any negative affects, but
> Susan's article has created some concern.