I have been feeding my two mares pelleted rice bran for a while for weight gain. I recently increased them from 1/2 lb. each twice a day to a full lb. each twice a day. I have shied away from using any oil, because they are boarded out and I have been trying to be the “easy” boarder. It is so messy and I worried about it going rancid in the heat. There are, now, other horses in the barn using the rice bran oil and of course, it is now cooler, so I’m not so worried about spoilage. Which is better, ie. cheaper, to use for weight gain. A 40lb. bag of rice bran pellets is about $22, I think. A gallon of oil is about $28. I can’t figure out how much oil would equal 1 lb. of pellets.
Rancidity
There are a few people at my barn that like to add some rice bran to their horses diets. They use an unpelleted form that is just like a powder. I know that they specifically do not use the liquid because it tends to go rancid quickly…even where we are in WI.
I use oil in the warmer weather but in the winter/cold weather it turns into a thick blob in the bottle. I can’t be bothered to carry a gallon bottle in and out to the barn from the house every time I feed…so I go to the pellets in the winter. I have not had any problems with rancid oil. I liked the powder over the pellets but the local feed store quit carrying the powder/didn’t sell as well as the pellets. I got a case of the RB oil at a resturant supplier for the cost of 1 gallon at the tack/feed stores. The restaurant supplier carries it 2 ways: with and without preservatives. With preservatives may be why I have not had a problem with it going rancid…
Are there advantages to feeding the rice bran oil over, say, canola oil? As far as I can tell it’s just more expensive with an even more whacked out Omega 3:6 ratio?
I’d assume the oil is pure fat, whereas rice bran pellets are (IIRC) only about 20% fat, the rest being “other” stuff like protein, carbohydrates, minerals, etc.
So it depends on what you want: pure fat? Or a fat-rich grain-type product?
For just weight gain, I’m a fan of adding just plain oil (doesn’t matter which) if the ration is otherwise suitable and correct. If I’m looking at starting fresh with a skinny one or a hard keeper, I really like something like a ration balancer and rice bran pellets, or something like Ultium.
Rice Bran Oil is a very good option; it contains balance of anti-oxidants, fatty acids, and vitamins which is essential for skin. This oil always uses for human, horses and dogs.
