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.
Currently, I am discontinuing new questions. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, please know that It has been a true pleasure serving you.
Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought.
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All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hello RJ,
I prefer the Equi-Jewel to Copra because Equi-Jewel is a stabilized rice bran product. Rice bran, when stabilized and has added calcium to correct the inverted calcium to phosphorus ratio, is beneficial for weight gain for two reasons. First, it is high in fat that is beneficial -- mostly mono-unsaturated fats which are good for your horse's heart. And second, the fat that is in rice bran, contains a substance known as "gamma oryzanol." Gamma oryzanol is excellent for helping a horse gain muscle tissue.
Copra, on the other hand, is from the kernal of the coconut and 91% of the fat content is saturated, which is not balanced. Horses require some saturated fat, but are designed to have mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats as the majority of the fat in the diet. This is because horses are herbivorous and saturated fats are typically found in animal sources (with the exception of tropical oils such as coconut).
I hope this is helpful in making your decision.
All the best,
Dr. Getty 
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO