The benefits of oils
QI’ve heard people talk about feeding oil to their horses. What benefits will this have and which oils are best? Rita Smythe, Sheffield
AHorses are good at digesting oil and it’s an excellent, concentrated source of calories, ideal for helping with weight gain and providing slow-release energy for work. A diet that uses oil as an energy source rather than carbohydrates is often recommended for excitable horses who tend to ‘hot up’ on traditional barley (cereal) based diets. Including additional oil sources in your horse’s feed can increase the calorie content of the diet without increasing meal size, so a high oil diet isn’t recommended for good-doers or overweight horses. Adding oil is useful for those with limited appetites or who lose weight easily, despite being fed ad lib forage and the maximum recommended amount of concentrate feed for their size and work load.
Which oil to use
It’s important to know that not all oils are equal in their nutritional value. A horse’s
diet needs to provide them with essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6, in a balance that reflects his natural forage diet. Linseed is an excellent source of essential fatty acids in the correct balance for horses and can be added to the normal bucket feed in either an oil form or as a micronised meal. To avoid upsetting his digestive system, introduce an oil supplement gradually and increase the amount slowly according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. When feeding a high-oil diet, ensure suffifficient antioxidants are provided to counteract the effects of oil digestion. Any concentrate feed or ready-made oil supplement should already contain appropriate antioxidants, but when adding straight oil to his diet, using a vitamin E supplement will benefifit him. Oil should be stored in a cool place and kept out of sunlight to prevent it from going rancid.