Many horse owners want to understand feeding fats to horses. In this video, Bryan Cassill, MS, MBA, gives us tips and advice on types and amount of fats to feed horses. Cassill is the Commercial and Formulations Manager for Mars Horsecare and BUCKEYETM Nutrition.
(Editor’s note: The content of this video is the expert’s approach to the topic. Please consult with your practitioner if you have questions.)
Feeding Fats
“When feeding horses in general, the most dangerous things we do to them is meal feed them,” said Cassill. “We feed them very concentrated, calorie-dense meals in small amounts. That’s not what they are designed to do. They are designed to eat forage all day.”
He said one of the safest ways we can add calories to their diets is by adding those calories through fats.
“Adding fats into the diet will make one of the densest, calorie-rich feed you can have in the smallest package,” he noted. “There is some natural benefit to adding calories through fats and decreasing the amount of concentrate you are feeding.”
Trying to add extra calories through grains can cause digestive upset. This is due to their high amounts of non-structural carbohydrates, sugars, and starches. Those can affect the hindgut and the microbial population in the hindgut. This can lead to a cascade of events that eventually can result in colic or laminitis.
If those starches and sugars are absorbed in the small intestine, they can cause a spike in insulin response. For senior horses that could be insulin compromised, it can put them in a bad place metabolically.
“By feeding fats, we avoid those risks,” said Cassill.
What Fats Can Do
By adding fats to the diet, you are increasing energy two times more than by just feeding carbohydrates, said Cassill.
“That fan can create less heat, and can create more stamina in the animal,” he added. “So, there are benefits for those senior animals that are still performing.”
Horses are Tolerant of Fats
Cassill said horses are very tolerant of fats in the diet. “When you think of the omega-3s that are in grasses and the amount of grass an animal will eat during the day, they digest quite a bit of fat naturally,” he said.
He said that’s why we can add fats to the diets and the horses tolerate them well. Cassill said to start with a small amount of added fat and ‘stair-step’ the amount up over time.
“Start replacing those grains over time with more and more fats,” he recommended in order to get the body condition and performance you want.
Forms of Fats
Cassill said there are many forms of fats. Those include soft forms, pellet forms, and liquid forms. The sources can be soybean oil, flax oil, or coconut oil, among others.
Choose the fat based on what your horse needs, and by palatability (what the horse will consume).
Final Words
By replacing some of the calories in your horse’s diet with fats instead of grains, you can create a safer, more calorie-rich diet for your horse. That means your horse can gain condition or perform the way you want him to.
Further Reading
- A Guide to Equine Body Condition Scoring. Sarah Nelson. MySeniorHorse.com
- Energy-Producing Nutrients for Horses. MySeniorHorse.com
- Help! My Senior Horse is Losing Weight. Dr. Nettie Liburt. MySeniorHorse.com
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Editors of My Senior Horse are journalism professionals, most of whom are lifelong horse owners.View all posts