Oil from the supermarket?

applestroodle

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I realise there is a lot of posts abt this but I really am confused at what one to use and the best. What does everyone use, I have realised its far cheaper from your local supermarket than saddler or feed merchant.

Thank
 
I buy any pure, one type (not blended) vegetable oil, they are all fine.... you can get pure soya oil from the supermarket, that is a highly used and widely recommended one. I have also used corn oil, (may be a bit heating for a hot horse) rapeseed oil, (I am using at the moment) sunflower oil, I just don't use a mixed one but know people who do.

You are not meant to start them off on oil for the first time, with too much, so just use about a teaspoon first time, then about two, over a week building up to approx half a wineglass full. I give it in one feed of the day.

It really helps keep the weight on, the coat shine, the hooves healthy and all supposedly without blowing their minds!
 
are different oils used for different things? i.e. if i wanted a weight gain oil for a fizzy tempermental mare which would be the best one? sorry bannanas if im taking over your post!
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All the available oils will be conditioning, give energy and give a shine to the coat. I think whether they are good for the joints depends on the ratio of omega 3s to omega 6s. Linseed oil is high in omega 3s and rapeseed oil also has a good ratio, although not as high as linseed.
 
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or just something conditioning and full of energy for a lethargic horse?

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Soya oil certainly gave my boy more energy. The loony, spooky, stupid energy but still.....
 
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Someone said that it also has an effect on their joints - a good one. Is that right?

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Soya oil can lead to inflammation as it contains omega 6. If you are buying own brand veg oil you need to check which veg its actually derived from.

If you want an oil with ANTI inflammatory properties you should look into omega 3 which is found in, for example, linseed.
 
Corn oil is apparently the most easily digested...there can be problems with allergies to rapeseed oil.
Theoretically you can feed up to a couple of pints of oil daily...but I don't know how you'd get your horse to eat it!
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S
 

I would NOT feed Vegetable oil or Rapeseed oil as these are not that good for horses.

Corn oil is cheapest and most digestable
Linseed/omega oils are also very good.
 
I buy my Soya Oil in bulk (as much as I want, I just supply the container) from my local farm feed store. Most of those sorts of places have big tanks of the stuff and its way cheaper than anywhere else.
 
My vet told me I could feed a cup a day of oil, for weight gain but to be careful to supplement with vitamin e, as I feed TopSpec its fine. I feed soya oil, he didn't like the corn oil!
 
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I would NOT feed Vegetable oil or Rapeseed oil as these are not that good for horses.

[/ QUOTE ] Could you elaborate?
 
I used to buy pure vegetable oil from the supermarket, and I never had any problems with it... I added half a cup of it to every feed for my 12.2hh pony, and I used to give my 16.1hh Danish Warmblood a cup of it in every feed. I have been using Baileys Outshine instead of pure vegetable oil for a while now though...
 
Generally if you are feeding oil, the more viscous the better. Veg oil is quite thick therefore does not get absorbed into the gut as easily as something like sunflower oil. Corn oil is thinner again and some believe can help with stomach ulcers and general digestive well being.

Having fed all three over the years, I have personally found corn oil the best, but probably depends what sort of horse you have and why you are feeding it.
 
My mare gets 650 mls of oil a day as she has EPSM. I mix it into Alfabeet which works a treat at masking the taste. Those feeding oil in large quantities though need to be aware of the need to supplement Vit E and Selenium as well.
 
My TB gelding had a horrible allergic reaction to supermarket blended oil. The lumps all over his body were so bad they started to join up into one huge lump! Finally found it was the blended oil I was giving him. The pure sunflower I originally fed him was OK but I tried to save money by using blended oil. Never again!!!!
 
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Generally if you are feeding oil, the more viscous the better. Veg oil is quite thick therefore does not get absorbed into the gut as easily as something like sunflower oil. Corn oil is thinner again and some believe can help with stomach ulcers and general digestive well being.
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This is spot on. Veg oil is often made from rapseed (as is 'blended oil') this is not very digestible for horses. Sunflower oil IS better, but soya, linseed and corn oil preferred. (as these are all from a digestible source)
 
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