Feeding Oil

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aldato_daz

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Hey people!

I want to add a little oil to my horse's feed to give him a bit of a shine. I'm wondering what everyone uses? Im on a bit of a budget and have heard of people using ordinary vegetable oil from the shop. I have tried all the other oils, carron, flax, soya etc., but as I said I'm now on a budget!

What about pure olive oil? Bit more expensive I know..

Thanks for any help!

C
 
I used Dodson&Horrell Soya Oil for years but in the last couple of years have just used sunflower oil from the supermarket, haven't noticed any difference.
I would start with a small amount, about a desert spoonful, gradually increasing to a good slug over a couple of weeks.
Good slow release energy and a lovely shiny coat:)
 
i have used cod liver oil in the past but rate veg and sun flower oil better. My horse maintains good weight through the winter with a great coat and not too expensive either :)
 
I was discussing this with a friend who is up on feedstuffs. She said if you feed any oil other than cod liver oil, then you need to feed extra vitamins or minerals too. I have been feeding cod liver oil for quite a few weeks now and mine look pretty good on it :-)
 
You shouldnt really feed cod liver oil to horses. They are herbivores and arnt designed to digest fish and it can cause liver problems! Also cod is rare now so we should save it for our fish and chip shops lol! Omega oil is very good. It contains lots of essential fatty acids to keep pony well
 
Dogstar said:
I was discussing this with a friend who is up on feedstuffs. She said if you feed any oil other than cod liver oil, then you need to feed extra vitamins or minerals too. I have been feeding cod liver oil for quite a few weeks now and mine look pretty good on it :-)
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Sorry but that is dangerous nonsese. Cod liver oil is dangerouslly high in vitamin D. It should never be fed except under direct veterinary advice. It can cause a lot of serious damage.Your friend does not know what he/she is talking about!
 
Dogstar said:
I was discussing this with a friend who is up on feedstuffs. She said if you feed any oil other than cod liver oil, then you need to feed extra vitamins or minerals too. I have been feeding cod liver oil for quite a few weeks now and mine look pretty good on it :-)
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You only need to add extra Vit E if you are feeding very large amounts of oil. For instance if your horse has EPSM and has to be on a high oil diet.

Sunflower or veg are great for a shiny coat...you probably won't notice a massive difference for a month or two, but it really does give them a healthy glow and shiny coat.

Cod liver oil is matter of choice - it has been fed to horses as recommended for joints for many many years, but as someone else said, it is an animal by-product so many do not like feeding it.

Soya is good for energy and Linseed oil is great for coat shine.

But you will prob find the supermarket stuff is just as good.
 
Thanks guys!

Was chatting to one of my tutors today and she said if i am to feed like a vegetable oil then I must make sure it is supplemented with Vit E...would this be right? She also said sunflower oil is great too. Also, some horses can take a allergic reaction to oils and so at least with sunflower oil you would know what they were reacting to.

So, I think I am going to give the sunflower oil a go!

Thanks!

C
 
Agree with spaniel about Olive oil, and the same re. cod liver oil.

Corn oil is one of the best things you can feed for condition. It is also very good for coating the stomach, so is useful for competition horses more prone to ulcers.
 
i feed my TB soya oil, he has a nice coat though getting a bit furry at the mo time for another haircut i think :)

think its been particuarly helpful at keeping weight on while he has been on box rest
 
aldato_daz said:
Was chatting to one of my tutors today and she said if i am to feed like a vegetable oil then I must make sure it is supplemented with Vit E...would this be right? She also said sunflower oil is great too. Also, some horses can take a allergic reaction to oils and so at least with sunflower oil you would know what they were reacting to.
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She is right in one way in that if you feed large quantities of oil then it is recommended that you should supplement with Vitamin E, BUT that goes for sunflower oil as well as the other types! If you are only feeding a small amount for coat shine then no need to supplement whichever oil it is.

As for the allergic reaction, I presume she is saying that vegetable oil can be a mix of oils so if a horse had a reaction you wouldn't know what he is reacting to. However, the majority of supermarket vegetable oils are actually pure rapeseed oil - just check the label and it will tell you what it is made of. Rapeseed oil actually has a better ration of Omega 3s to Omega 6s than sunflower oil, although not as good as linseed oil.
 
Charisma gets a glug twice a day of soya oil all year round, and her coat is super shiny - even when it was changing. It's also good for keeping on her condition, because she can lose it easily this time of year.
 
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