My horse has a dull coat and could stand to gain some weight, so my trainer suggested adding corn oil to his grain, for extra fat. But I’ve read recently that corn oil actually isn’t that good for horses – is that true? I’m confused! Thanks for your help, JR, Maine
Dear JR,
Adding fat to your horse’s diet is a great way to add calories for weight gain and essential fatty acids to improve the coat. But you’re correct that using corn oil isn’t the right way to go about it. In fact, you might be doing more harm than good!
That’s because all fats are not created equal. Corn oil contains almost all Omega 6 fatty acids—generally pro-inflammatory—and very little of the anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids that have so many health benefits. While our bodies need both types, keeping the proper balance between the two is important. For horses, experts feel that a ratio somewhere in the range of one part Omega 6 to two parts Omega 3 (a 1:2 ratio) or even a 1:4 ratio is ideal. However, our methods of modern horse keeping have shifted the balance by restricting access to Omega 3-rich fresh grass while providing feed high in Omega 6 fatty acids such as grain-based concentrates.
To help you better understand where these two types of essential fatty acids come from and how the balance easily becomes skewed towards the pro-inflammatory Omega 6 side, here’s a chart of the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratios in some common horse feeds:
| Feed | Omega 6:Omega 3 |
| Pasture | 1:5, good |
| Commercial, fortified grain | 8:1 |
| Whole grains: oats, corn, barley, wheat, rice | 24:1 |
| Vegetable oils: corn, sunflower | 87:1, 199:1! |
| Vegetable oils: canola, soybean | 3:1, 7:1 |
| Flax seed | 1:4, good |
| Fish oil (includes the specific Omega 3s EPA & DHA) | Virtually all Omega3! |
In a perfect world, we’d all keep our horses turned out on green grass for its benefits to the body as well as the mind! But since that’s not realistic for most people, just try to feed as little grain and grain oil as possible to avoid filling your horse with pro-inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids—instead use a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement or ration balancer to fill any nutritional gaps from your forage. Then if you want to add fat for extra calories or a shiny coat, use flax seed or fish oil and fill your horse with healthy, anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids!
9 Responses to “The Truth about Feeding Horses Corn Oil”
I have never seen FISH oil for horses…how exactly is that used? I would not know how to feed it, quantities, etc.
Are you saying oats are inflammatory Omega 6 and should not be fed? How does a grazing animal who is a vegetarian process fish oil efficiently? How would you get a horse to actually eat this foul smelling oil?
I currently order barn bag from you and supplement with crimped oats. Help!
Thanks, Mara
I tried many things to improve my horses coat, hooves and also to help keep the weight on my Thoroughbreds. I found the most economical and efficient solution was to research and find a good horse feed. Even though my horses are all 10 and under, the vet recommended a senior horse feed. It has worked out very well and was much easier and cheaper than feeding supplements. However, of all the supplements I like the Omega Horseshine the best, with the recommended Omega 3s. Saw an improvement in hooves, coat and attitude. My horses seem a little bit “hotter” on the senior feed than when supplemented with Omega horseshine.
I agree. I’ve done lots of reasearch of peer reviewed journals & have read the same thing. I feed flax seed & use a burr coffee grinder or boil it. They become very, very,very, shinny with this. Also, tribute is an excellent feed w/ proper omega6 & 3 ratios.
Thank you for this article…I have seen so many riders going crazy with all this oil!
What about Draft horses that need more fat for energy?
What SmartPak supplements contain Flax seed or fish oil? If you get Flax seed at the feed mill, do you really have to grind it daily to allow your horse to get the nutritional benefits?
Can you explain more what you mean by Omega 6 are “pro-inflammatory”? and what other harm is a high level of Omega 6 doing to horses vs the good of Omega 3? thanks again for the information. I have never heard someone mention corn oil being bad for my horse before.
regards,
Nina
You really should try the SeaBuck fruit. It is rich and balanced in all omegas and vitamins. The ancient name for seabuck is “hippophae rhamnoides” which translates to shiney horse.