Adding vegetable oil to equine feeds or to equine diets has been a standard practice for literally hundreds of years. Old horse traders knew that adding oil could help slick up a horse for sale long before the science of measuring digestible energy was developed.
There are multiple ways that vegetable oils are added to horse diets. A common practice among horse owners is to add various quantities of oil on top of an existing diet. A cup of oil will weigh about 8 ounces and contain about 2,045 Kcal (Calories). A 500 kg (1100 lb) horse at light work requires about 20 Mcal or 20,000 Kcal, so that oil would provide about 10% of the required DE per day. For comparison, a pound of oats, as fed, provides about 1,320 Kcal, so adding oil provides a lot of Calories in a small package.
A key element to consider in adding oil on top of an existing diet is that oil adds only Calories (crude/unrefined oils may also contain some Vitamin E), so it is possible to alter the nutrient to Calorie ratios in a diet. With the addition of moderate quantities of oil, this is unlikely to create issues. If a substantial amount of oil is added on top of an existing diet, the diet may no longer be meeting the horse’s requirements for other nutrients. Corn oil, soy oil and other vegetable oils may be used for top dressing diets.
Feed companies also add oil to formulated feeds and will declare the minimum amount of crude fat on the tag. This is primarily from the oil in the grain and the added oil if above 3-3.5%. A feed that is tagged at 7% will generally contain about 3-4% added oil. Internal formulations systems will also calculate the total DE of the feed, which includes energy from fat as well as from NDF (neutral detergent fiber), NFC (non-fiber carbohydrates) and protein. This allows the company to maintain the balance of energy sources as well as appropriate nutrient to Calorie ratios.
If a product refers to Omega 3 or Omega 6 fatty acids, the actual quantity or % of each fatty acid may also be declared on the tag or on the bag. The ingredient listing will generally identify the oil or oils that may be included in the product.
Top dressing with oil is a common practice, which can be done successfully, when done in moderation with a careful eye on meeting the total nutrient requirements of the horse as well as the energy requirements. Adding too much may result in other nutrient issues.
I’ve added vegetable oil to my horses feed for about 13 years now. It not only helps with their coat and calories, but it also helps with digestion. During the season change horses tend to colic more often, if not closely watched. The oil tends to keep everything flowing nicely so to speak! I use a squirt pump that fits right onto a large bottle of oil. I just top their daily ration with one squirt! The beautiful coat is just an added treat!
I do the exact same thing as Lea. My TB was colicing, adding a 1/4 cup corn oil to his feed helped with his digestion and no issues since!
I am in the process of switching my horse’s feed to Nutrena’s Safe Choice. I have noticed that his “output” is drier and have started to add back oil to his ration. Coming into winter, the extra calories help keep his weight steady as well.
Hello Leslie, Thanks for commenting. Adding oil is a good way to provide extra calories.
As we come in to winter, it is also important to make sure that we provide salt free choice, preferably loose form, and fresh clean water at temperature above freezing. As temperatures drop, horses are a bit less likely to lick salt blocks. Water consumption may drop also as temperatures drop and water is cold. In some cases, dry manure may indicate that water consumption has dropped and the moisture content of pasture grass has dropped.
Thanks ~ Roy J.
OH YES Oil in horse feeds such a good Idea depending on the type of oil never wanna go cheep good quilty name brand is best I advse people on how to care for and feed their horses if specalized care seems to be needed I will do that. for the most part Horse people undarstand and figuar it out and respect my input add this oil for this or this oil for that. There are horse people who are old school Bully’s they call them selves trainers who will ignore my advice. And the part time hobby people who just say ok and do it. Then the wanna be’s who get on the internet to look up EVERYTHING come back tell you that it is wrong to feed oil because. the truth is its good sroce of Cal. with out producing hot energy. Also helps things moving along.
Hi, I’m planning on adding vegetable oil to my horses diet as the pasture is lacking grass at the moment. He is a 15.3 Thoroughbred, being hacked out a few times a week, what sort of oil to I buy… Normal vegetable oil from a supermarket? Also, how much should I give to him and do I add it to his usual feed? Thanks, Kayleigh
Hi Kayleigh, Thanks for checking in. Yes, you can use regular corn or veggie oil from the grocery store. We recommend 1/4 cup per day, but make sure to start out with adding just a few table spoons per day, until the horse gets used to it and work your way up to 1/4 cup. You can do more than that if needed but you want to keep the feed palatable also keep an eye on their stools.
Thanks~ Gina T.
Hi, I have a 7year old welsh gelding and with him living out full time his coat isnt looking as shiny as it should at the moment. Ive heard people talking about how oil helps but just wanted to check. Will normal vegetable oil from the local supermakerts be okay to put into his feed if I gradually get him use to it?
Thanks,
Millie
Hi Millie, Thanks for the question. Yes, you can use regular vegetable oil right from the supermarket. You will definitely want to start out just a little with every feeding, and gradually work up to a 1/2 cup or so per day. Going to fast may result in some loose stools as the digestive system adapts to the extra oil.
Also, you may want to consider evaluating his overall diet, to check for any imbalances or lack of nutrients. Especially with some of the lower quality hay supplies this year, this is something many horses may be facing.
Good luck ~ Gina T.
Hi Gina, thanks for getting back to me. I will deffinetly try it and see if it makes a difference. His feed at the moment consists of normal pasture mix with apple chop and as he lives out he has fibre beet to keep his weight on. I hope it works, where hopefuly going to be showing in a couple of months and want him to be looking his best!
Millie