Which oils are best for horses?
Oils = Fats = Calories = Energy
Some horses require extra calories for energy and/or weight gain. This is where certain oils can be a useful addition to your horse’s feed. Oils contains varying amounts of essential fatty acids or EFA’s.
Two examples of these EFA’s are Omega 3 and Omega 6, which must be supplied in the horse’s diet. Because oil is 100% fat it is a great source of slow release energy, however not all oils contains the same levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6…
The balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 is important!
Oils which are higher in Omega 3 than Omega 6 are best for horses to correct any imbalance from other elements of their diet. Below is a table to show the Omega 6:3 ratios of some common oils:
Linseed oil is the best option to use as it contains high levels of Omega 3, has good palatability, isn’t too pricey and is suitable for a large range of horses and ponies.
Grass is a good source of Omega 3, so horses who receive little or no turnout will certainly benefit from supplementation.
Adding oil to your horse’s diet should be done gradually in order to let their digestive system adapt to the change. Bile facilitates the digestion of oil and is produced in the liver. In humans, bile can be stored in the gall bladder to be readily available when needed, however, because horses do not have a gall bladder their bile cannot be stored in large quantities and thus a sudden change to a high fat diet will result in the fat not being digested properly. By introducing oil gradually, it will allow the horse to gradually increase its bile production in order to digest it. Increasing oil content in the equine diet it also increases their requirement for antioxidants which can be supplied from Vitamin E and Selenium.
Using oil can be a great way to provide your horse with slow release energy to improve stamina and endurance whilst providing low starch calories. Other benefits of oil include aiding skin and coat health, hoof quality, as well as joint and muscle health. Omega 3 is known to have numerous health benefits such as supporting the respiratory system and aiding immune responses. Supplementation of Omega 3 can be beneficial to veteran horses and those in high impact/stress training and could improve quality of life and athletic performance.
Where possible choose to feed a pure oil such as Linseed oil rather than a blended oil, such as vegetable oil, as some horses may react negatively to those. Heat exposure can destroy essential fatty acids, therefore look to buy an oil that is unprocessed for your horse. This will rule out most supermarket products e.g. sunflower, corn and vegetable oil. Keeping oil stored in a cool place in a sealed container will also help maintain its nutritional content.
Because oils are liquid, they don’t add bulk to your horses feed. This can be particularly useful for horses that are already required to consume large volumes of feed. However large quantities of pure oil can put some horses off their feeds due to the palatability with some having a preference to one oil over another. This is where supplements with a high oil content (alongside Vitamin E and Selenium) can be a more beneficial alternative.
The type of oil you choose and the quantity you feed your horse really does depend on your reason for feeding it in the first place as well as your horse’s weight and workload.