Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
Welcome to my forum.
Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information.
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All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Ivonne,
Yes, adding fat is a good way to help your horse gain weight (once you have ruled out any underlying medical condition that may be causing weight loss).
However, Calf Manna is not a good idea to feed to horses because it is very high in starch. Its main ingredients are corn and oats. Too much starch in the diet can cause hormonal imbalances that can lead to a variety of disorders. So, instead of feeding Calf Manna to help your horse gain weight, try adding a weight gaining supplement. I like Hard Keeper by Vita Flex, and there are many others on the market. I would also suggest giving him Ration Plus, since it is very important for the bacterial flora in the hind gut to be healthy. Otherwise, you can feed the best diet in the world and your horse will not benefit from it as you expect.
About corn oil – the only time I recommend its use is when a horse has an ulcer. Horses typically do not like oily feed, so you’re better off adding flaxseed meal to their ration. Flaxseed oil is also fine, but there again, adding oil is not palatable for most horses.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
On Calf-Manna, you said "
ts main ingredients are corn and oats." The tag indicates that the main ingredient is soybean meal. However, percentages of ingredients are not indicated. What do you consider "high starch," and are you recommending against feeding grain such as corn and oats at all? Are not all grains high in starch? Are you saying that it's not safe to feed any grain to horses?
Oddly enough, you recommend "adding flaxseed meal to their ration" for thin horses. Very many of the weight-builder formulas contain flaxseed meal as the main ingredient. If a person adds both a wieghtbuilder and flaxseed meal to a horse's diet, can they overdo the flaxseed meal? (By the way, Calf-Manna also contains flaxseed meal.)
Where are you from? TN
How did you locate this forum? searching Google
Hi Nancy,
Unfortunately, ingredient lists on horse feeds (or any animal feed, for that matter) are not listed in order of ingredient concentration. Foods for human consumption have ingredient lists where the first item on the list is the one in the highest amount, however, this is the not case with horse feed. So, there is no way of knowing which is the main ingredient, unless you get this information from the manufacturer.
In the case of calf-manna, this is a product designed for calves, not horses. And, yes, it is very high in starch. I do not recommend feeding grain-based feed to growing horses since this has been shown in dozens of studies to influence the development of orthopedic disorders. So, that includes all cereal grains (e.g., oats, corn, rice, barley, wheat, rye, etc.).
Grain can be part of a balanced diet for some horses -- those that work for a living. But, it must be fed in moderation. Horses' digestive systems are not designed to manage large amounts of starch. And, most of the problems we see with horses are related to feeding improperly -- including laminitis, colic, obesity, and hormonal imbalances (e.g., cushings and insulin resistance).
In the case of flaxseed meal, certainly too much is not a good thing. I generally recommend feeding between 2 and 10 ounces (by weight) of flaxseed meal, depending on the need. Flaxseed meal is one component of the diet to help horses gain weight, but there are other factors to consider, depending on the cause of weight loss.
Thanks for writing about this very important topic.
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Getty
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO
Hello Gwen,
Corn oil, in moderation, may be helpful for the horse that needs to gain weight or is heavily exercised. I don't like to use it exclusively since it is high in omega 6 fatty acids, which increase inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids, found in flaxseed meal, actually do the opposite -- they reduce inflammation. So, you may want to consider adding Nutra Flax to your horse's diet instead.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO