Page 105 - Speedhorse April 2021

Horses can adapt to higher fat feed if time is allowed for adaptation.
Fat is digested mostly in a horse’s small intes- tines, and any that escapes into the large colon won’t create the adverse effects on bacterial flora that grain starch does when it enters the large intestines. Although most all fats are well absorbed by the equine digestive tract, not all fats are equal
– they differ in palatability and energy density. In general, a fat supplement provides about 2.25 times the energy as an equivalent weight of grain.
Fat is an ingredient and a calorie source that has demonstrated benefits beyond simple calorie content for performance in some horses but adding fat to a mediocre diet doesn’t make it a high-performance diet, it just makes it a mediocre diet with fat in it.
Vegetable oil makes an excellent fat supple- ment and is usually highly palatable. Stabilized rice bran is a useful fat supplement that doesn’t seem to have problems with rancidity. Animal fat products are also available, but these solidify in cold weather, making them difficult to
feed, and there is a concern for rancidity with lengthy storage.
Besides storing fat supplements in cool, dry places, antioxidant protection is important. A
horse that is off pasture should be fed a vitamin E supplement. Many commercial high-fat feeds already provide vitamin E, so supplementa- tion may not be necessary, but when feeding straight vegetable oil, add 600 – 6000 IU vitamin E per day to the food.
Slowly introduce fat into a horse’s diet to avoid digestive upset. Start with 1⁄4 cup twice daily, working up to as much as 1-1⁄2 cups twice a day (if needed) over the course of several weeks. Be cautious not to feed too much fat. The capacity of the small intestine to digest
fat may be overwhelmed, resulting in loose, greasy stools if the horse is fed an excessively high amount. There is individual variation in tolerance to dietary fat. As fat amounts increase in grain, some horses become less enthusiastic about eating it, and some will just back off completely, while others love it. Fat is con- sumed best when mixed with a small portion of complete feed and/or a beet pulp mash.
A horse’s metabolism seems to adapt to fat supplementation in three weeks; some studies suggest 6–11 weeks as necessary for full fat adaptation. It may vary depending on type and level of exercise as well as expected benefits. Once fat-adapted after several
weeks, the horse is maintained on that diet
for as long as the benefits may be needed. Five weeks without adding fat will reverse any meta- bolic adaptation to fat supplementation.
In addition to all the advantages in per- formance and weight control that fat offers, another benefit appears in the sheen of a horse’s hair coat as a result of
feeding oils.
In summary, fat supplementation is an effective tool in provid- ing an energy source
to fuel exercise while sparing glycogen reserves to delay the onset
of fatigue. Calories
are abundant in fat supplements, which
can replace conven- tional grain products
to minimize medical and musculoskeletal problems for horses of any age.
VETERINARY VIEWS
Vegetable oil makes an excellent fat supplement and stabilized rice bran is a useful fat supplement that doesn’t
seem to have problems with rancidity.
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