Switching Ulcer Prone Horse to Ration Balancer & Rice Bran. Which brands?

[Bosspaige]

I have been reading through these forums for days to try and figure out what to do for my normally easy keeper, turned skinny horse. I will be putting him back on Ranitidine as it seems he did much better on it but I want to get him off all the grain he is on (Nutrena Compete).

I would like to put him on a ration balancer and rice bran pellets. The RBs I have access to are Buckeye Grown N Win, Triple Crown 30%, MVP and the Purina one (can't remember the name). Can anyone suggest one over the other for an ulcer prone horse?

Also, I have never fed rice bran but the pellets seem like the way to go. Is there a specific brand to look for (I am in Connecticut). I had read on one of the threads about making sure it was balanced but not sure what I am looking for.

I am thinking about just adding a little of the rice bran in slowly after I get him switched off his grain to the RB which I will do slowly,
Thanks!

[JB]

Given your options of ration balancers, I'd start with the TC and see how that works. My 2nd choice would probably be Buckeye, then Purina Enrich. I don't know anything about MVP.

Rice bran - brand doesn't matter, whatever cost and formulation (meal, pellet, nugget) suits you and your horse :)

As for the "balanced" part, unless you're feeding a lot of alfalfa, you want the rice bran that is fortified - added calcium. I bet you'd be hard-pressed to find unfortified rb on the East Coast, though I'm sure it's around.

You also definitely want it stabilized - added vit E - to preserve it. Otherwise you, with one horse, won't use it fast enough before it goes bad. If you have a freezer you can keep it in, and only take out a week's worth at a time or so, you could do that.

[Foxtrot's]

There is a brand of pellets called Equicare (by Performance Horse Nutirition) marketed up here, but available elsewhere even if it is under another name. It is scientifically formulated and has no grain/molasses in it but lots of bio-mass, probiotics and - I think - soyhulls, although I did not look it up specifically. My young horse is on it upon advice from an equine nutritionist. I also feed alfalfa, oil (Omega 6), rice-bran (omega 3), TC vit,min, and add Aloe Vera. He gets local hay, but the alfalfa is a proven tummy bufferer. He is growing and putting on some of his lost weight, and bright and perky again.

If your horse is in dressage, it seems the kind of work they do causing the stomach to push up acid into the oesophagus and cause what we would call acid reflux. He says it is common.

That's all I know from personal experience.

[mypaintwattie]

I use Natural Glo rice bran for my ulcer horse, it comes in the pelleted form or the plain meal, and is stabilized and has vitamin E added. I've been very happy with the results- my horse is gaining weight, has a nice sheen on her coat, and isn't hot. I pay about $25.00 for a 40 pound bag, lasts about a month.

[Loves to ride]

MVP is by Poulin and I think is mainly available in the New England/east coast area?

Great product. Many barns in New England feed it and the horses look terrific....

[maunder]

Do you find that you have any trouble with palatability and rice bran? I think it smells wonderful but when attempting to feed my horse some he said, "ug...blech". He won't even touch his feed if there is a remnant of rice bran in the feed tub (had to scrub it out and he had to give it the sniff test ;))

I've had him on SmartGut by SmartPak for about a week and the difference in his demeanor is incredible. He was happy and content before but now his eyes sparkle and he is playful. I'm hoping now that he'll start to gain some weight.

[Laurierace]

I have never had a horse that would willingly eat rice bran. Sometimes you could get a small amount into them if there was enough other stuff in there to disguise it. I haven't even attempted to feed it in years for that reason.

[walkinthewalk]

I feed pelleted rice bran as the main staple to all my horses and have never had problems with any of them eating; I feed pellets.

I prefer the pellets because they are more palatable and the horse thinks he is actually getting something to eat - lol lol

As long as the rice bran bag says "equine" on it, it should be stabilized and calcium fortified. Some companies will say they have added extra vitamin E on the bag.

I know that Manna Pro makes a powder and a pellet form of rice bran that I think is called Maxi-Glo.

Equi-Jewel is a great rice bran made in Kentucky, so I'm not sure it's available in CT. Heck I live in Middle Tennessee and I can't get it anymore:(


Producer Feeds makes rice bran, but when I bought it and the feed store HANDED me the G/A tag (guaranteed analysis) and there was nothing on the bag to say I was buying pelleted rice bran, I told them to refund my money and keep whatever it was in that bag.

We have Co-ops down here and they are now making their own feed, including rice bran, so I now buy "Co-Op Winner's Cup Brilliant" rice bran for horses.

Hopefully the OP won't have to drive 87 miles to find rice bran for horses:)

[deltawave]

My three mares have been on Purina's Enrich (12 or 32, depending on the year's hay analysis) and Natural Glo pellets for 3 years. All are healthy and well and glossy, no ulcers. FWIW. :)

I don't like the rice bran "crumbles" and the mares weren't wild about it either--too dusty and mushy. But if you feed wet meals it would probably be nice for mixing.