If you’ve heard people talk about feeding oil to their horses and have wondered what benefits this has and which oils are best, read on to find out the answers.
Research has found that horses digest oil well and it is an excellent, concentrated source of calories that is ideal for promoting 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.
The inclusion of additional oil sources in a horse’s feed can significantly increase the calorie content of the diet without increasing the meal size. Adding oil is useful for horses with limited appetites or those who lose weight easily despite being fed ad lib forage and the maximum recommended amount of concentrate feed for their size and workload. A high oil diet is not recommended for good doers or those that are overweight.
Not all oils are of equal nutritional value: horses require a diet that provides them with essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6, in a balance that reflects that of their 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 any digestive upsets, an oil supplement should be introduced gradually and the amount slowly increased according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
When feeding a high oil diet it is important to ensure sufficient 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 the diet, an additional vitamin E supplement is highly beneficial. Oil should be stored in a cool place and kept out of sunlight to prevent it from going rancid.
