Bran might seem like an ‘old school’ feed stuff, but can be very useful for the modern horse too.

Some people like to feed their horse bran in the form of a ‘bran mash’.  This consists of bran and warm water, and other ingredients such as apples, carrots and oats may be added to the mix. Not only is bran mash a warm, tasty and comforting treat, but it also is said to stimulate the intestinal tract and provide the horse with an alternate water source. Moistening the bran in this way also keeps it from damaging the horse’s respiratory tract.

Bran is a high fibre and low density feed.  It has less roughage than hay or grass but more than hard feed. It has a high phosphorus to calcium ratio.  This means that it needs to either be fed alongside calcium supplementation – or it needs to be balanced out by being fed with alfafa or another kind of legume hay.  Small amounts won’t harm, but it is essential to get calcium from other food sources.

An imbalance in phosphorus and calcium can lead to:

• Metabolic problems
• Digestive irritation
• Orthopaedic problems 

For this reason, some recommend that you avoid feeding bran daily and maybe stick to once per week or as and when the owner believes it’s needed. Many recommend it for its laxative properties and for the prevention of constipation.

Good times to feed bran are:

• after excessive work
• after racing/shows/competitions
• cold days in winter
• after a long trip
• post illness
• after colic
• brood mares after foaling

If you have any questions about feeding, most feed companies offer a free advice service to help you select the right feed or combination of feeds for your horse.