Sunflower Oil?!

[thatblackfriesian]

Hi.

I am moving yards soon and went to look around the other day. I went at feeding time and saw that lot's of the owners put a glug of sunflower oil into their horse's feeds. Apparently it's too make their coats shinier and smoother but I was wondering if anyone else has found this? I only saw two of the other horses whilst I was there and they're coats didn't look shiny like I thought they would?

TIA

 

[Dave's Mam]

IMO a bit of oil is a good thing, but then, I add a glug of stout now & then too. As long as not lashed in oil, just a drop or 2 can't be bad.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I've never used sunflower oil but I used seaweed powder & that helped the coat to shine. I find grooming makes the coat shine as well

 

[hibshobby]

For my first horse, I fed about an eggcup full of sunflower (or vegetable) oil every day. It's enough to do a lovely job on the coat but not enough to affect behaviour. I agree with Toby Z though, grooming is great to make a coat shine.

 

[pennyturner]

Grooming is great for a stable-kept horse, and will put a lovely shine on it, but if your horse is out, leave it alone. Too much grooming removes the natural oils in the coat.

Sunflower oil is great for adding a few calories to the feed of a horse without adding sugar - fab for oldies and natives. Not sure it would do much for a coat, as there's nothing there in terms of vitamins or minerals... unless you apply it topically, of course.

 

[AmyMay]

Oil added to feed is fantastic for coats. Corn or soya oil is preferable to sunflower oil though.

 

[Cobbytype]

I fed my cob sunflower oil - the Flora brand with added Vitamin E. Great stuff.

 

[Leo Walker]

Oil added to feed is fantastic for coats. Corn or soya oil is preferable to sunflower oil though.

And micronised linseed it better and almost certainly cheaper than all of those

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

feeding oil helps my mud fever prone horse to not get it

 

[sunnyone]

My vet recommended adding oil to my TBX feed. She said to use what ever oil I wanted. Sunflower oil is produced locally to me now and is the cheapest of all so that's what she gets.Probably a couple of tablespoons per meal, twice a day at the moment.
As a foal her coat gleamed so she was called Copper, and at 26 it is still gleaming despite living out 24/7.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I read a thing about feeding turmeric (I know its old and boring!) but apparently the vet guy did some research and found the best oils are coconut, linseed or olive being anti-inflammatory. Not sure if this is true but as i have an arthritic horse even though i dont use turmeric i would stick with one of those oils personally. Last winter i used micronised linseed as Frankiecob has suggested and it was great. A handful is easy to chuck in with feeds and wont solidify/spill or go manky. Also works out very cheap as a sack lasts forever.