365 Days in Horse Country – Bran Mash
On days when the weather is crisp, doting horse owners like to give their horses hot mash to eat. The theory is that it helps keep the horse warm while giving him a nice treat.
Whether a hot mash really does anything to help keep a horse warm is up for debate, we do know two things about hot mashes; they make horse owners feel good, and horses love to eat them.
Most hot mashes are made from bran. Horse owners like to mix bran with 1/3 bucket of warm water, a few chopped carrots or apples, and a cup of molasses to create a yummy winter treat. Although a bran mash provides very little nutritional value to horses, it’s ok to give it to them, but only on occasion.
The truth about bran is that if you feed too much of it, you can cause your horse to develop enteroliths – stones that form in the intestines. Bran can also disrupt your horse’s calcium and phosphate ratio, causing metabolic problems. Bran also irritates the lining of the horse’s intestines, and it can give him soft stools, although it doesn’t necessarily help with constipation.
So is it alright to give your horse a hot bran mash on chilly winter days? Sure, as long as you do it in small amounts and infrequently.
Michael