# Feeding oil for weight gain?



## Bounty (30 September 2008)

How much oil can I safely feed for weight gain without needing to supplement vit E/Selenium?

Also, which supermarket oil would you choose?

Thanks


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## BigRed (30 September 2008)

Personally I don't because A. I think it's horrible to load a horses feed with sloppy oil. B.  It is completely unnatural, and as you point out, ultimately causes other deficiencies that you have to supplement. Where does it end ?

I like my horses to have natural food.


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## Bounty (30 September 2008)

Helpful insight there, thanks!


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## TGM (30 September 2008)

The amounts suggested by 'experts' about the quantities seem to vary - I've seen amounts from 100ml to 500ml.  Personally, I've fed up to 500ml a day without supplementation over a period of years and the horse shows no ill effects yet! 
	
	
		
		
	


	








  Plus she maintains her condition well and her coat gleams.

I use supermarket veg oil (which comes from rapeseed) because it has a good ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s and also because it is the cheapest, but a lot of people seem to use soya and corn oil as well.


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## CBAnglo (30 September 2008)

I tried feeding my anglo sunflower oil when I first got him as he was really underweight and he was not amused.  I swapped to linseed (ground but also available as an oil) and that put the weight on really quickly and he loves it.  I feed it with fenugreek to encourage muscle development and you can get it ready mixed from Equus.

I also feed linseed lozenges as treats - they would eat the entire container if given the chance.

When I fed the oil, I put about a cup (approx 250ml) in per day mixed between 2 feeds but the woman next door always fed a pint glass a day to her horse and he seemed fine at age 18 and she swore by it for his joints.


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## Rowreach (30 September 2008)

A nutritionist colleague of mine recommends feeding Flora oil because it contains added vitamin E.


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## scotsmare (30 September 2008)

I use D&amp;H Soya Oil which you feed roughly a 1/4 - 1/2 pint of per day - bulk it out with other feed / chaff and it won't be sloppy.  I feed it to a couple of mine at 1/4 pint per day and go through 1 container per horse per month - I buy mine for £10.50 a container. Has put a lovely shine on their coats - I feed it alongside calm and condition.


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## jillianc (30 September 2008)

i buy vegetable or sunflower oil from the supermarket.  Whatever oil you feed, they essentially do the same thing, they are natural as all plants have an oil content.  Generally, up to 500ml a day can be fed without supplementation, but 500ml is a lot(!) and i doubt you would feed that much.


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## dingle12 (30 September 2008)

Ive found feeding alfa a oil is very good and also spiller conditioning mix is excellent.


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## Holloa (30 September 2008)

I was chatting to my feed merchant the other day about oil as weight gain as i have been feeding soya oil, but i was told to try this new equi-jewel by saracen, apparently.....  taken from the website.... ( Am finishing off my soya oil, then using this..) 

'Its calorie-rich design is intended to help maintain and aid weight gain on "hard-keepers" and horses with elevated energy demands such as the hard working equine athlete'
FEATURES &amp; BENEFITS...
 Highly digestible and efficiently utilised
 Contains Super Fibres &amp; Oils for long lasting controlled energy release
 Adds calories to any ration without excessive cereal intake
 Low starch level which will help avoid the behavioural &amp; metabolic problems associated with feeding high grain diets
&amp;#65533; Produces lower lactic acid levels than cereal diets in hard working horses, so optimises stamina
 Supplies a highly palatable and digestible form of oil for outstanding coat gloss &amp; skin condition, whether for the show ring or sales preparation
 Ideal for helping to maintain and optimise condition on all types of show horses and hard keepers
 Adds calories to a ration without excessive grain intake.
 Supplies a highly palatable and digestible form of fat
 Contains balanced ratio of calcium to phosphorous
 Provides fatty acids essential for healthy skin and hair.


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## star (1 October 2008)

i dont feed oil.  i feed equijewel and outshine - yes, they're expensive, but i hate giving oily feeds (which they are if you're adding enough for weight gain).  i dont mind adding a bit for coat condition, but the amounts needed for weight gain make the feed horrid.  much easier to feed little pellets like equijewel/outshine.


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## kittykatcat (1 October 2008)

You can feed up to 100ml per 100kg of horse, so for a typical 15.2hh, that's 500ml per day, however that is quite a ot and i doubt your horse would eat it. I'd go for a conditioning type feed instead and make sure you are feeding the correct amount!


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## Bounty (2 October 2008)

Thankyou to everyone for their advice 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I am avoiding concentrates like the plague as they don't do Her Gingerness any favours in terms of her temp or cribbing habit, hence the enquiry about oil! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I can't justify the cost of Equijewel/Outshine at the moment - Madam was meant to be by buy-bring on-sell project to help pay to get my others through winter; she turned out to be a keeper so now I am not only minus my autumn influx of cash but I am having to look at spending to get another horse through the winter too! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Self inflicted I know!


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## ischa (3 October 2008)

corn oil i use it is really good for weight gain and i put in about a 1-2 tbs in each feed


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