Post by Calaminty Jane on May 16, 2013 10:18:43 GMT -5
Bran Mash
In terms of macro mineral balance, bran mashes can be problematic. While
no cereal grain or grain by- product contains an equal ratio of calcium to
phosphorus, wheat bran contains an exorbitant amount of phosphorus.
If fed often enough, the imbalance in wheat bran may cause skeletal
problems, particularly in young horses, but the occasional bran mash will not upset
body-wide mineral levels. Avoid feeding bran mashes to young horses,
and do not allow mashes to constitute more than 10% of the daily ration of
an adult horse. In recent years, bran’s long-standing laxative properties have been
under fire. For decades, horsemen have believed that bran may prevent colic in
horses by keeping ingesta flowing smoothly through the digestive system.
Research, however, suggests otherwise. In fact, a study conducted at Cornell
University completely denounced this tightly held myth. Fed wet or dry,
wheat bran was found to have no notable effect on the moisture content
of stool. Even when fed in its most sloppy state
Researchers explain the loose manure that many horses offer up the day
after a bran mash is given? Pin that on subsequent, though mild, digestive
upset caused by the sudden change in diet, researchers believe. Other
scientists feel that bran mashes may even have a negative effect on the
gastrointestinal tract’s resident population of fiber-fermenting microbes.
Contrary to popular belief, a bran mash will not warm a horse in the bitter cold.
That job is most effectively achieved by meting out appropriate amounts of
forages, as more body heat is generated through the digestion of hay and
other roughages than any grain or grain by-product. While up-to-date research
puts the lore and lure of bran mash on shaky ground, periodic feeding may have its
place in the diets of some horses. A finicky eater may not be able to resist the
temptation of a warm bran mash, and there simply may not be a better way
to disguise medications than to diffuse their bitterness in the pleasantness of a bran
mash. If medications are added to the mash, sprinkle them in just prior to feeding
because cooking may alter their effectiveness.
In terms of macro mineral balance, bran mashes can be problematic. While
no cereal grain or grain by- product contains an equal ratio of calcium to
phosphorus, wheat bran contains an exorbitant amount of phosphorus.
If fed often enough, the imbalance in wheat bran may cause skeletal
problems, particularly in young horses, but the occasional bran mash will not upset
body-wide mineral levels. Avoid feeding bran mashes to young horses,
and do not allow mashes to constitute more than 10% of the daily ration of
an adult horse. In recent years, bran’s long-standing laxative properties have been
under fire. For decades, horsemen have believed that bran may prevent colic in
horses by keeping ingesta flowing smoothly through the digestive system.
Research, however, suggests otherwise. In fact, a study conducted at Cornell
University completely denounced this tightly held myth. Fed wet or dry,
wheat bran was found to have no notable effect on the moisture content
of stool. Even when fed in its most sloppy state
Researchers explain the loose manure that many horses offer up the day
after a bran mash is given? Pin that on subsequent, though mild, digestive
upset caused by the sudden change in diet, researchers believe. Other
scientists feel that bran mashes may even have a negative effect on the
gastrointestinal tract’s resident population of fiber-fermenting microbes.
Contrary to popular belief, a bran mash will not warm a horse in the bitter cold.
That job is most effectively achieved by meting out appropriate amounts of
forages, as more body heat is generated through the digestion of hay and
other roughages than any grain or grain by-product. While up-to-date research
puts the lore and lure of bran mash on shaky ground, periodic feeding may have its
place in the diets of some horses. A finicky eater may not be able to resist the
temptation of a warm bran mash, and there simply may not be a better way
to disguise medications than to diffuse their bitterness in the pleasantness of a bran
mash. If medications are added to the mash, sprinkle them in just prior to feeding
because cooking may alter their effectiveness.