There are many benefits of oil for horses diets. Incorporating oil into your horse’s diet can help in a multitude of ways, from improving coat health, to helping the joints of older equines. Choosing which oil to feed though can be a tough decision as there are so many on the market. This article will give you a better understanding of the benefits of the most common oil, making your choice a little easier.
From plain vegetable oil to linseed oil, flax oil to fish oil, the different types of oil available to supplement our horse’s diet is immense. Each will provide it’s own benefit when used appropriately, and can aid your horse’s joints, coat, and even gut health.
With so many choices, and some feeds already containing oils, knowing that the oil you add will benefit your horse will not only give you peace of mind, but will save you pennies in the long run. Keep reading to find out the benefits of oil for your horse.
What oil should I feed my horse?
Many horse owners have an understanding that oil can be beneficial to their horse’s health. It isn’t quite as simple though as pouring whichever oil you bought in your last household shop over your horse’s feed.
Some oils contain important omega 3 and omega 6 whereas others have vitamin E and are most useful for adding calories. The fatty acids Omega 3 and 6 cannot be produced from within, and therefore need to be provided by us as owners.
The list below gives the main benefits (and drawbacks) of the most popular oils for horses:
Most popular oils for horses:
- Rice – Benefits: Rice bran oil is full of calories, vitamin E, and antioxidants. It contains both Omega 6 and 9
- Flaxseed – Benefits: Adding flaxseed oil to your horse’s diet should not only benefit the joints, but also is reputed to improve the horse’s recovery time after exercise. Flaxseed has also been shown to be of benefit to stallions and breeding mares. Furthermore flaxseed may be a useful fat to feed laminitics and those with Equine Metabolic Syndrome in certain circumstances (2,3)
- Linseed –Benefits: Linseed and Flaxseed are from the same plant and share many of the same properties. Linseed however has higher levels of Omega 6 and phytonutrients called lignans (4)
- Rapeseed – Benefits: High levels of Omega 3, good for weight gain and coat shine (5)
- Vegetable –Benefits: Vitamin E and antioxidants.
- Soya – Benefits: Another oil that contains both Omega 3 and 6 and said to give a horse’s coat a lovely shine
- Cod liver – Benefits: Overall health, coat health, vitamins A & D. Also added for joint health (7)
- Canola – Benefits: The high calorie content can be used to reduce the cereal aspect of a feed without reducing calories. Containing both Omega 3 and 6 in better ratios than some other oils, canola oil can benefit most horses. There is no sugar in this oil, so has been purported to be one of the most suitable for insulin resistant horses (EMS) and those with Cushings (8) Drawbacks: A study has shown that canola oil can increase inflammation responses (9)
Cautions….
As with most supplements or additives, oils should be introduced slowly so as not to upset the horse’s delicate gut.
Oil should be stored in a cool, dark place. This is to reduce the speed at which it will spoil.
All horses react differently to different oils. Some fizz up whilst others remain calm. As with many foods, trial and error can often be the best way to find out what suits your horse and it’s workload.
Does oil help horses gain weight?
Oil contains more calories than most hard feeds by volume. Therefore, if you don’t wish to give larger volumes of mix feed, then oil can provide the additional calories without the bulk. Feeding more calories than the horse uses will help to add weight and condition to your horse. Make sure that you do not feed too much oil though, as too much can have a negative impact on your horse’s health. Spillers suggest no more than 100ml per 100kg of horse (10) although many horse owners give far less and can begin to see benefits after several weeks.
Can I add oil to my horse’s diet?
Firstly check how much oil is already within the feed that you give your horse. If there is little to no oil, then you may wish to add oil to your horse’s diet. Which oil you choose will depend upon what you wish to achieve.
If you simply want to give the coat a boost, then a regular vegetable oil will probably be the cheapest and easiest option. Linseed oils specifically formulated for horses is well known to bring a shine to your horse’s coat from within.
Will oil help with ulcers?
There is conflicting evidence as to whether oil will help with ulcers. Some studies have shown that corn oil can help, whilst other studies have shown no benefit. Linseed oil has anecdotally been suggested for ulcers, but this too has not been proven in studies (11).
Can feeding oil help colic?
Not enough research has been carried out to determine whether the addition of oil into a horse’s diet can reduce the likelihood of colic. However, Dr David Marlin (14) has reported that he has noticed that both the episodes and severity of colic is reduced when the horse has oil added to his diet. However, colic can be brought on by difficulties processing large cereal meals. If oil is used to replace calories from cereal feed then there is less feed to be left unprocessed in the gut; therefore the chance of colic is reduced.
What are the benefits of oil for working horses?
Almost all oils report that they are helpful to a horse’s joints, and some, like flaxseed have been shown to improve recovery time after exercise.
If your horse is working hard, then providing extra energy by way of oil will help provide the necessary calories without having to give the horse a substantially larger meal.
Oil, whilst high in calories provides slow releases energy that can help a horse work hard but not get ‘fizzy’ and difficult to handle.
Horse feed oil supplements
You don’t only have to buy a bottle of oil to provide your horse with oil in their diet. There are many existing chaff and mixes that have added oil. Not only does this make life a little simpler, but you don’t need to be concerned about your oil going off whilst in storage, especially in a hot summer, or freezing winter. Some horse feed companies also provide oil in pellet form which will last far longer than liquid oil.
Are omega 3 and 6 fatty acids good for horses?
Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids can be found in many oils, but Omega 3 is also found in growing grass (13). Bear in mind that these fatty acids are slightly different when found in vegetable oil as opposed to when within fish oil (12). Apparently the omega oils found in fish are easier to utilise/digest than those found in vegetables.
Although there is no agreed upon ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6, it is generally considered that the provision of Omega 3 should outweigh that of Omega 6. Many oils contain higher levels of Omega 6, so this should be monitored.
Omega 3 is also attributed to a better working immune defence system, joint health, and eye and brain functionality (14).
Ensure that your horse’s uptake of vitamin E is also sufficient for the amount of oil you are giving.
Oil to buy
Gold Label 4 oils: Contains Evening primrose, Wheatgerm, Cod liver, and Pure salmon oil
Just Oil Linseed oil: Cold pressed to preserve all nutrition benefits
KM Elite Ultimate oil: 25lt container, so very long lasting. A blend of oils, containing 190 active nutrients. Expensive up front, but good value per litre.
Conclusion
The addition of oil in your horse’s diet can be greatly beneficial. However, some types of oil should be avoided if your horse has a medical condition such as EMS or arthritis. Other oils though provide help to joints and respiratory systems and most oils are useful when wanting a horse to gain weight. Oils should be added slowly to the existing diet, not only to allow the digestive system to adapt, but also to ensure that the meal remains palatable to the horse.
