Corn oil.....?

Question

what does it do?

how much should you feed an underweight horse?

is it only recommended for underweight horses?

just curious

thanks!

Answer 1

Corn oil is vegetable fat and studies have shown that horses need more fat in their diets than they have traditionally been getting. It is good to give a horse about 1/2 cup of corn oil a day. It helps their coats to look nice. It is good for their hooves and can help to prevent colic. Any vegetable oil will work, but it seems that most horses prefer corn oil over others.

Rosi, whoever told you beet pulp will swell in a horses gut unless it is soaked in water is wrong. This myth probably got started because beet pulp was recommended to be fed to senior horses. They would soak it in water to make it easier for them to chew. You can soak it if you want to but it isn't necessary. They put beet pulp in complete feeds and no one soaks that.

Answer 2

Corn (or any vegetable oil)  is calorie dense,  gives a shiny coat, and help muscle metabolism.  It's a good calorie source as it doesn't make a horse edgy, as can simple carbs, such as found in sweet feeds.  

It's good for any horse, except perhaps one who needs to lose weight (and then could be fed at 1/4 c. if desired)

You can feed up to 1c. per day.  (Although I have heard of feeding up to 2 cups).  You can check with your vet on that one.  It needs to be introduced slowly into the diet.  I feed it to all the horses who get grain.

Answer 3

corn oil helps horses gain weight. you dont have to only give it to them if they are under weight..some people feed it to help the horses feet and coat look nice too.  Most people dont really agree with feeding it but it doesn't harm the horse in any way. Most people would rather spend tons of money on some weight gain supplement than feed corn oil but I guess that is just a matter of opinion. I rescued a horse that need several hundred lbs put back on and in months of feeding him corn oil he looked amazing as my vet also agreed. I would def. consider it. All you do is mix it in with your horses feed. it really depends on how much you feed but besides that there really is no "exact amount" you just dont want to go crazy. I feed my horse 2x a day and he would get about 1/2 a cup mixed in with his grain. hope I helped.

Answer 4

its one of the quickest and easyest ways to have a  horse gain weight. It also helps their coat too.  Just put about 2 cap fulls and mix it in their feed everyday it works wonders. I use it for all my show horses when their underweight

Answer 5

The only thing that I have to add regarding feeding corn oil to horses...it does everything that everyone else says it does, plus...it lays in a reserve of stamina that doesn't make the horse hot, but when he has to reach down and get that extra "umph", it's there...I have used it for years and will always use it, for this reason and for all of the reasons that have already been mentioned.

Answer 6

Helps put weight one,  and coat.  Feed one cup to a day, mix in slowly for 2-3 wks and they love it:)

Yes it can help with colic as well, but you can give a 1000 horse up to a cup a day.  Also corn oil is better than vegatable oil.

I also give it to my dogs, but only a tablespoon for a 80 pounder, and 1/2 teaspoon for the little 16# girl.  It's wonderful with the coat, muscles, and really helps with the shedding, dry icthy skin gone.  Wonderful for them as well.

Not the cats:(  They don't like it, but they get tuna in water, every 3 days, only about a tablspoon of water and tuna, great for control of hairballs, urinary tract health and skin and coat/

Answer 7

I'm in California and if I have a horse who's starting to look a bit "ribby" or I've purchased some rack of bones,  I go out and buy a 50LB sack of A&M (Ground alfafa and molasses) (In the mid west they use beet pulp BUT I've been informed that you HAVE to add water to it or it will swell in a horse's belly causing colic), dump it into a tub or feeder in the horse's stall, then top it with some rolled barley corn that is mixed with corn oil and apple cider vinegar. (I feed a 3LB coffee can of the barley corn mixture once a day.) The horse will normally devour the first couple of bags of A&M, but then they will slack off as they get used to it (Never had an issue with colic or founder)...

I haven't fed oats or any mixed feed in decades, basically because I've had running horses and TBs I'm trying to keep quiet, so I feed the rolled barley corn mixture to them for weight, NOT heat.

I also give my horses a hot bran mash twice a week with a 1/2 CUP of apple cider vinegar and corn oil (I can mix the barleycorn into it.).  I feed 1/2 a 3 LB coffee can of red wheat flakey bran and add enough water to it so that it looks like oatmeal in consistancy.

I make sure that they get 2 flakes of alfafa hay per feeding.

Thanks Horsybil!  I have NEVER fed it (I do the A&M bit) so when I'd heard it from one or more folk back east, I figured I'd best list it.  Would HATE to have somebody free feed it like I do A&M and have their horse colic on it.

BTW Thumber downers, you're rude, if you don't like my post then do what Horsybil did, post something contrary with your knowledge behind it!

Answer 8

I used to use corn oil for the extra fat to keep weight on my hard keeper, but it was such a mess to handle that I switched to rice bran, which I highly recommend.  It comes in bulk, and is in powdered form...I add it to his senor feed...only a cup in summer and two in winter.  I was feeding 2 to 4 oz of corn oil (I think...it's been awhile) per day.  There is no reason to feed extra fat to a horse that doesn't need to put on weight.