Fats, in general, are highly digestible (76 to 94%) by horses when added at up to 15% of the total ration. Fats are used to increase the caloric density of horse rations without as much risk of metabolic disorders caused by fermentation of starch from grains. Now that fats are widely accepted as energy sources for horses, the new focus is on comparison of available fat sources.

Animal Fats

• Provide about 3.61 Mcal/lb digestible energy (DE) as fed.

• Are the cheapest source of dietary fat.

• Are usually less palatable that vegetable oils.

• Are less digestible and more hydrogenated than oils.

• Contain more impurities.

• Can become rancid if not preserved.

• Do not have ideal fatty acid profiles for horses.

NOTE: New, highly refined powdered animal fats are now being developed. They are more palatable and digestible than other animal fats, but also cost more.

Vegetable Oils

• Provide about 4.09 Mcal/lb DE (or 1.9 Mcal DE per cup as commonly fed).

• Are more expensive than animal fats per Mcal DE.

• Of the vegetable oils, corn and soybean oils are the most palatable for horses.

• Are 100% fat. Therefore, additional protein, vitamins, and minerals must be provided along with the added fat so that the total ration is not diluted of these nutrients when the oil is added.

• Are messy to feed and must be fed with some grain.

• Often don’t mix well with pellets.

• Some horses will not eat top-dressed pure vegetable oils.

Recent research indicates that pure oils might reduce the prececal digestion of starches in grains when large amounts of grains are top-dressed with oil. This can result in disruption of the microbial populations in the hindgut and disorders such as colic and founder.

Rice Bran (source of rice oil)

Raw rice bran — Most books and articles about horse nutrition that were written prior to 1990 have no reference to rice bran as a horse feed. That is because raw rice bran goes rancid very quickly (in as little as 24 hours), is frequently contaminated (dirt, hulls, bacteria, mold), and has never been considered to be a safe horse feed by most people (See “What is Rice Bran?”).

NATURAL GLO® Stabilized Rice Bran

• Provides about 2.4 Mcal/lb DE (relative).

• New technology developed about 16 years ago has allowed stabilized rice bran to be a highly nutritious and safe feed for horses (and food for people).

• NATURAL GLO contains 20% fat and high concentrations of antioxidants (including gamma oryzanol), vitamins, minerals, and hypoallergenic protein (13%) with a complete amino acid profile and has a shelf life of over one year.

• NATURAL GLO is made to human food grade standards and is hospital sterile when bagged. The same product that you buy as NATURAL GLO to feed to your horses is purchased by national cereal companies to be included in breakfast foods and nutritional snacks for people.

• In fact, NATURAL GLO has become so popular that most general nutrition articles written in the last few years refer to rice bran as a fat source. However, many authors are unaware of our new technology, so they look up rice bran in older texts and use the nutrient values for raw bran as a cattle feed when they make comparisons of rice bran and other feeds. Don’t be fooled by these comparisons. For correct nutrient content of NATURAL GLO, see “Attributes of NATURAL GLO Stabilized Rice Bran as a Horse Feed.”

• Raw rice bran and NATURAL GLO are as different as dusty, brown, moldy old hay and clean, bright, green, early-cut, mixed hay. All rice brans and all hays are not alike!

Other Rice Bran Products

Unfortunately, the success of NATURAL GLO stabilized rice bran has led to the development of a group of products that contain either raw rice bran or rice bran processed by inferior methods.

These products usually contain preservatives and do not have the same nutrient content or shelf life as NATURAL GLO.

Since raw and unstabilized rice brans are good media for the growth of bacteria, use of these products puts your horse at increased risk of Clostridium botulinum (botulism), E. coli, and Salmonella spp. bacterial infections.

Choosing a fat source for your horses involves knowledge of the available products, comparison of attributes, benefits, shelf-life and cost of each, and a personal decision. With the addition of NATURAL GLO® stabilized rice bran to the list of available fat sources, it is now possible to feed a product with a one year shelf life that provides fat along with high concentrations of antioxidants, gamma oryzanol, vitamins, minerals, and balanced amino acids. And, NATURAL GLO, fed as part of a Forage First® program, is guaranteed to improve your healthy horse’s performance, appearance, or endurance within 3-6 weeks or your money back!