Wheat Germ vs Rice Bran Oil for Performance

[madelyn]

I shop for stuff for my trainer and have started to get involved with the supplements side of things, and here is my question:

He has been using a Wheat Germ Oil BLEND as a supplement for the added fat and vitamin E content. I contend that he might be able to feed less per day (lower cost) if he used Rice Bran Oil, since the vit E content in RBO is much higher than in the Wheat Germ Oil Blend, since the wheat germ oil is the least % content in the blend - I think it's mostly vegetable oil. Pure wheat germ oil has a strong flavor and is expensive and highly perishable.

Are there any experiences out there relating to wheat germ vs rice bran oil? Thanks in advance..

[photofinish]

The wheat germ oil blend I found out here was mostly soybean oil . I switched from oil to Purina's Amplify nuggets. They have actually turned out to be less costly in the long run as far as bang-for-the-buck return. The pure wheat germ oil supplements and the rice bran oil supplements are pretty spendy, and like you said, the "blended oil" is pretty much crap. I have been using the Amplify for about 6 weeks now and am pleased with the coat quality and weight on my horses, esp. the ones who were needing weight.

[drewsbadboy]

I feed the Amplify nuggets too and love the results. Horses look and feel fantastic on this supplement.

[Shannon]

I love rice bran, and the oil too. I found less digestive upset and loose manure after switching to rice bran from wheat germ, and it seems more palatable, at least to my horses. Both picked up weight and bloom very quickly on rice bran oil.

[madelyn]

Thanks, I'm looking around for a good source. Planning to try Sams Club today.

[Shannon]

Madelyn, this is what I used...It's pretty widely availible, and I paid I think about $40 for 1 gallon.
McCauley's Rice Bran Oil
Features

All natural
Highly palatable
High in digestible energy
The natural source of gamma-oryzanol
Contains naturally high levels of antioxidants
Excellent hair coat conditioner
Improves body condition
Reduces dustiness of feeds
Safe for HYPP horses
Functions and Benefits

Useful for adding sheen to the hair coat.
High in digestible energy and will add calories to the diet without extra bulk.
McCauley's Rice Bran Oil is excellent for improving the body condition of horses, especially those that are unable or unwillingy to consume more feed.
One gallon of rice bran oil is equivalent to the oil content of approximately 36 pounds of rice bran.
Natural antioxidants, notably various forms of vitamin E and oryzanols are present in significant levels.
The antioxidant property of vitamin E helps to maintain cell membrane structure, red blood cell stability and capillary blood vessel integrity. Furthermore, the more active the cell (e.g. muscle cells), the greater the risk of tissue damage if vitamin E is limiting. Hence, vitamin E helps prevent muscle damage, inflammation and "tying-up" in horses. Another important function of vitamin E is its role in maximizing the immune function.
Besides having an antioxidant function, gamma-oryzanol is listed in The Merck Index (12th ed., 1996) as an anti-ulcerative. Therefore, McCauley's Rice Bran Oil may also reduce the incidence or severity of gastric ulcers.
McCauley's Rice Bran Oil contains approximately 2% gamma-oryzanol. Therefore, 2.5 fluid ounces (2.28 ounces by weight) will contain 1290 mg of gamma-oryzanol, which is higher than the daily dose of most equine "body building" supplements. (Please note: After an exhaustive search, no research could be found to support the body building effect of gamma-oryzanol in horses or humans.)
Safe alternative for horses refusing to consume other vegetable oils.
Provides the benefits without most of the disadvantages of rice bran.
Less bulky (1 gallon of Rice Bran Oil = 36 pounds of rice bran).
More palatable than rice bran.
McCauley's Rice Bran Oil produces no digestive disturbances, while rice bran can occasionally cause digestive upset in horses.
Avoids imbalances of other nutrients. McCauley's Rice Bran Oil contains negligible amounts of calcium or phosphorus. Rice bran, on the other hand, can contain either a high level of phosphorus and little calcium, or high phosphorus and very high calcium depending on the manufacturer. The amount of phosphorus or calcium in rice bran has the potential to significantly alter the calcium/phosphorus balance in the total diet.
Safe for HYPP horses - McCauley's Rice Bran Oil contains very little potassium; therefore, it provides an excellent source of additional calories to HYPP horse diets. Some feedstuffs, such as rice bran and whole soybeans commonly fed for extra calories, also contain high levels of potassium and would not be recommended for HYPP horses.
Recommended for:
performance horses, such as endurance horses, 3-day eventers, racehorses and others.
conditioning horses for sale or show.
improving hair coat or body condition.
Available in 1-gallon containers.

[madelyn]

Thanks. I think, though, I want the 5 gallon box - like Tophe puts together - that they might have at Sams. It gets down in the $8 a gallon range packed like that. I was looking for something better and actually cheaper than the $13/gal wheat germ oil blend. I have plenty of one gallon jugs to dispense it into for ease of use.

My gold standard is this package
http://www.honestfoods.com/topricbranoi.html

but the shipping is quite high. So I must do the rounds of the stores in town and see if they have something like that. We also have a wonderful store called Whole Foods that might have it..

[ratherrapid]

i'd be researching effect of excessive vitamin e, a blood thinner, on horses. does thinned blood e.g. leak more easily out of lung capillaries in the racing horse. the other side of the argument might be thinner blood travels more easily at pressure. as the q is unknown, i avoid excessive e. although, if somebody feeding lots of e has less pulmonary hemorrage, would like to know!

ditto fats. needs research. how many successful jewish olympians/ african olympians? jews eat fish, african's antelope. different fats there.. omega 6 increases hardness and toughness of muscle cell membranes, omega 3 softens. which do you want for race horse. a phi beta kappa brain, or speed and hardness in muscle cells. personally i avoid high fat in race horse except to increase calories in non eating horse. that having been noted, my horses do well on Omelene 200 with its high fat content. lots of Qs!

[xfactor fan]

I've got a question about feeding rice bran vs rice oil. And please, this isn't a criticism of anyone's feeding style.

Given the horse digestive system, evolved to graze relatively low quality fodder, --something in the stomach most of the time, and having the gut break down the fodder into a usable form.

And given that there seem to be a lot of TB's that either have ulcers, or are on a medication like gastroguard, would it make sense to feed the rice bran itself, rather than the processed form?

Let the horse do the work to extract the E, from the bran, and puts a little something in the stomach.

Thanks.

[ratherrapid]

Susan Evans, equine nutrition and research geek, indicates rice bran to be an ulcer causer.

http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/ricebran.shtml

[xfactor fan]

Ok, that's a very good reason.

[Roger]

I use a lot rice brand. Mine is pretty much refined and is listed as 12-12-12. I add ag lime to the rice bran balance the calcium-ph. I have one mare that ties up and she is on rice brand and hay and it seems to help her not tie up. My concentrate for most of my horses is 1/2 rice brand one cup of soybean oil from Sams. I have not noticed in ulcer problems.
Do any of you know if there is a problem with 100% soy bean oil designed to fry with.

[Shannon]

I feed beet pulp like it's a religion, and I love it for so many reasons. My horses get plenty of hay for roughage, plus the beet pulp. The 60-100 ml of Rice Bran oil I feed doesn't make much difference to the overall roughage, as I don't use it to replace roughage, but just to add fat.

I worked in a barn of 35-45 horses that fed everything beetpulp, from 2yo's to the older campaigners, and we never had a single colic, or any horse in the barn requiring ulcer meds in the 2 years I worked there.

[ratherrapid]

tell us about beet pulp. what does it do, and why do you feed beet pulp!

[photofinish]

tell us about beet pulp. what does it do, and why do you feed beet pulp!

Can't speak for Shannon, but I, too base my rations around beet pulp. It is really high in fiber, helps keep the weight on 'em, and is high in simple sugars. I soak mine now, but have fed it dry (shreds) too. It is really handy fro the ones who don't eat alot of hay. From what I understand, you flat out cannot overdo the stuff, although it take ssome of them awhile to get to eating it well.