Bran mashes

[horse99]

So it's getting to be that time of year again where it gets cold and the horses don't want to drink as much. I like to give a bran mash a couple times a week. I do it after my ride as a treat and I make it with warm water. How often is too often for giving bran mash??

[peppysan]

Bran mashes although they are a good comfort food for the horse and are a good way to help keep "things moving" in the digestive system, should not be fed more then a couple times a week due to the high phospherous content. The bran will leach the calcium right out of the horse's bones if fed too much so be aware.

[striderrider]

When it gets very, very cold, I will give a bran mash every day until the cold snap is over. Usually it does not stay too much below freezing here for very long so I might do the bran mash from 2-5 days in a row. I hear as long as you feed alfalfa if you are feeding a lot of bran, you should should be ok because of all the calcium in the alfalfa.