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Calcium Balanced Rice Bran?! ARG!

12K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  AlmostThere 
#1 ·
The thing is, I want to add rice bran to my boy's diet to help balance the calcium in his alfalfa hay (and to help him gain some weight). I don't want already balance rice bran - that defeats the purpose.

I'll check a different feed store tomorrow, but today where I was looking all I could find was stabilized (good) calcium balanced (arg!) rice bran.

Sigh.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
The reason you won't find equine rice bran that is not calcium fortified is because the CORRECT BALANCE of calcium to phosphorous is important.

If you have spoken with a degreed equine nutritionist who has suggested adding additional calcium, well and good; they should have also told you how much to add without throwing the calcium:phosphorous ratio completely out of whack.

No extra minerals should be arbitrarily fed to a horse unless hay and/or pasture have been tested, and also without seeking the advice of an equine nutritionist. Sometimes vets can help in the department, sometimes they can't:)
 
#6 ·
The reason you won't find equine rice bran that is not calcium fortified is because the CORRECT BALANCE of calcium to phosphorous is important.

If you have spoken with a degreed equine nutritionist who has suggested adding additional calcium, well and good; they should have also told you how much to add without throwing the calcium:phosphorous ratio completely out of whack.

No extra minerals should be arbitrarily fed to a horse unless hay and/or pasture have been tested, and also without seeking the advice of an equine nutritionist. Sometimes vets can help in the department, sometimes they can't:)
I'm not trying to add calcium to the diet, that's why I was so frustrated finding calcium balanced rice bran. I want the extra phosphorus to help balance the alfalfa my guy is mainly fed. Other hays are lousy out here in Arizona (at least the ones I've found), so my guy eats mostly free choice alfalfa, because he was underfed for at least the last eight months of his life (I don't know his history past last July - at least not since he retired from racing in 2001). I've had him for just over a week, and I'm trying to put weight back on him.

I don't need a nutritional expert to tell me his calcium/phosphorus intake is out of whack, given how unbalanced alfalfa is naturally. I was hoping to find natural (non calcium fortified) rice bran to add some phosphorus to his diet, and also help pack on some weight.
 
#5 ·
It is well known that Alfalfa hay is high in calcium, above the recommended ratio of Ca:P for horses, so adding rice bran or flax, that is high in phosphorus, is a good idea for horses getting more than 50% of their forage in Alfalfa.

Uckele sells just a phosphorus supplement:
Equi-Phos

Or, if you're feeding less then the recommended amount of grain for your horse, Uckele makes a vitamin/mineral mix for alfalfa diets that is high in phosphorus.
Equi-Base ALFALFA

But, really, I'd talk to the people at HorseTech.com--Horse Nutrition Supplements--Equine Nutrition on the Net and ask about a custom blend in their flax base. They'll mix something up for you based on your hay, feed, and supplements. They're custom mixes are quite affordable and shipping is free.
 
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