Bran??????????
 

I have been doing some research on bran. I am not sure what or why, but the research I have done and from my experience in shoeing, horses that have been fed bran with their normal feeding for any length of time tend to have really sorry feet. Their feet are spongy and difficult to keep shoes on. I have heard that beet pulp is a great alternative to bran. Other than genetics, why does it appear that bran is causing such problems with their feet? Any and all feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Bran??????????
 

Calcium is a necessary element for cell cohesion, particularly in the stratum corneum of the keratinized epithelia (Rothman, 1954). The mitosis of cells is raised by higher concentrations of calcium and lowered by its reduction (Carradino). One of the best ways to improve calcium/phosphorous levels is to avoid feeding bran. A study conducted by Comben and others involved a winter diet of bran and chaff which rendered the horse calcium deficient, and as a result, frequent shoe loss and crumbly wall. You might want to consult an equine nutritionist for more details, as this is all the info I can come up with in my materials.

Re: Bran??????????
 

I fed bran for years and stopped about 5 years ago. I was taught that feeding bran was to prevent sand colic, it supposedly helped clean out the system. I use to give the horses a cup once a day and a bran mash in winter. I read an article a few years ago on equine myths and bran is one of them. I didnt realise how it affected calcium levels, that is good information. Be a good one to get out to horse owners, I bet a lot of people still feed bran and are thinking it is a good thing to do. A lot of old school ideas out there that need to be looked into. 5 years ago I talked to a Equine Nutritionalist and totaly changed how we feed our horses, I am very happy with there feet, coat, overall health, energy levels not too hot not too lazy. Feeding good qaulity hay and Poulin Endure. Poulin also gave me a great tip for feeding, they recommend feeding a flake of hay 1/2 hour before graining, helps digest more of the grain and get all the nutriants they can out of it. There is Beat pulp in the Poulin Grain. The Endure is low carbs and protien higher fat.

Re: Bran??????????
 

I read on the equine cushings group files that animal feed quality bran has not had all the white flour removed and will provide for a very strong rise in blood sugar in horses. This will contribute to the horse becoming IR and having lousy feet. Apparently human quality bran is more finely seperated with all of the flour removed and just the bran remaining.

George

Re: Bran??????????
 

Bran is extremely high in Phosphorus, which may screw up the cal /phos balance , unless it is being fed in conjunction with an alfalfa based diet (which would be too high in calcium to phos ratio if you didn't feed the bran) (look up "big head disease" in some of the old horse books) .
Now here is something else to make you think... once at a farriers gathering many many moons ago an old timer pointed out that the horses he did who were on a lot of alfalfa had the worst feet. They didn't grow, and had weak, fragile walls. Now I didn't put two and two together as to what the connection could possibly be at that time. However years later I was reading "Beyond the Hay Days" by Rex Ewing, a great little book about common sense horse feeding. He mentioned that Alfalfa is really high in calcium. Later in the book he was talking about the importance of Zinc for growing hair and hooves, and guess what....too much calcium blocks the absorbtion of zinc. Now he didn't get into how these two things may be related, as they were in completely separate parts of the book. And he did not mention what the alfalfa may have to do with feet. But I think way too much,(I really don't have a life) and therefore came up with this... it makes sense that perhaps the lack of zink being absorbed because of the calcium from the alfalfa is the culprit in the bad feet ...something to think about at least huh?

Another thing that calcium does is compete for the same amino acids (in order to be processed )as Magnesium. Therefore (this is strictly my own theory here) too much clacium MAY be one of the culprits in the low magnesium levels that the insulin resisant horses often have, maybe one of the reasons that alfalfa founders some of them even though it is low sugar.
Any Docs here, what do you think? Patty

Re: Bran??????????
 

(By Dr. Susan Sempson, DVM, noted hoof researcher, Royal School of Veterinary Studies at Summerhall in Edinburgh, Scotland)
Zinc is a micronutrient known to be essential for healthy skin. Vitamin A and zinc responsive dermatoses (Yager and Scott, 1995) show a diffuse parakeratosis. This results in a defect in the stratum corneum. Parakeratosis has also been seen in horn trimmings from horses with weak horns and bruised feet. This type of defect has been most commonly seen in horses receiving dietary supplements high in methionine but not balanced for zinc and copper. This can be reversed by replacing the offending supplement with additional zinc. Methionine is an essential amino acid, highly toxic when fed in excess and will also block the absorption of zinc, copper and iron. One of the best sources of calcium for horses is alfalfa as it contains a higher percentage of calcium than found in timothy hay or grass. In alfalfa, the calcium is bound to protein and is more readily absorbed than calcium in timothy hay. The traditional diet for hunters in Great Britain has been oats, bran, chopped hay and long hay. They were fed this diet when they came into work in the autumn and throughout the hunting season. The feet of many hunters would deteriorate until they were turned out to grass in the late spring without shoes. Then their feet would slowly improve in time for the next hunting season. They were on a cycle of low calcium during the winter and higher levels with grass in the summer. The correct ratio of dietary calcium to phosphorus for horses is 1:6:1. Roughages such as alfalfa and hay are relatively low in phosphorus, so care must be taken if the only feed supplied is alfalfa. Horses fed nothing but alfalfa are likely to suffer chronic phosphorus deficiency. Very high levels of either calcium or phosphorus may interfere with the absorption and metabolism of the other.

I've seen alot of healthy feet in New Mexico where they have free choice alfalfa. Is there anyone from that area who can fill us in on what is actually happening out west?

Re: Bran??????????
 

I would like to thank each one of you for your feed back. I have been somewhat in the dark up to this point, at least now I know what direction to go!!! Thanks again any and all information is greatly appreciated. Thanks again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!