Dr Derek Cuddeford, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh.

Firstly, what is a myth? It can be simply defined as a traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience. Not surprisingly many horse owners depend on the wisdom and experiences of others to guide them in the management of their horse/horses. It is easy to believe somebody is right and knowledgeable about horses if they have kept them for a long time and have several that all appear to be in good health; success in the show ring or in competitions merely adds credibility! Thus it is easy to understand why myths persist in the horse industry. A pertinent quote from Arnold Glasgow is The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion and this is why it is often difficult to persuade horse owners that what they do is often unnecessary or even bad for their horse. So I will take this opportunity to see if I can explode a few of these myths..............
Bran Mashes are good for my horse
This is a popular misconception and is largely based on the premise that they are laxative and will give the horse a good clear out! Wheat bran is the primary component but often, all sorts of other ingredients (based on personal taste, metaphorically speaking, and witchcraft) are added to create secret, personalised concoctions. Bran mashes are not laxative. But you say my doctor tells me to eat bran to keep me regular so it should work for my horse. No, this is not the case. Wheat bran is not a high fibre feed (11%) having the same fibre content as oats and a lot less than Timothy hay (35%). So how is it that wheat bran acts as a laxative for humans and not for horses? The average horse is going to consume at least 3.5kg fibre per day whereas a normal human diet will supply up to 30g daily. It should be clear that adding bran to a human diet will have a significant effect on the overall fibre supply but would not be noticed by the horse. Bran mashes are a very good vehicle for supplying medications but, because they are so different from the normal diet, one-off usage can upset the gut flora and cause diarrhoea (hence the claimed laxative effect). If you want a laxative effect for your horse forget using bran mashes but if you get that warm, fuzzy feeling from preparing a treat, carry on but do it every day to avoid gut dysfunction. If you feed more than half a kilo daily you must feed alfalfa or beet pulp to balance the phosphorus in the bran. At the end of the day, the effort of feeding bran mashes is simply not worth it!
Beet pulp must be soaked before you feed it
The belief in this myth is so great that it has spawned new preparations of sugar beet pulp (SBP) that fully hydrate in a matter of minutes compared to the 3-4 hours needed by conventional SBP. The myth has generated new products to meet consumer demand (people not horses!). SBP swells when water is added leading to the misconception that if fed dry it will absorb saliva, block the oesophagus or, absorb gastric juices and rupture the stomach-no surprise then that owners wish to soak SBP! Oesophageal choke is usually the result of aggressive feeding behaviour combined with feeding pellets that are insufficiently chewed. Choking is not due to dry feeding SBP per se but rather it is a function of feed particle size and rate of feed consumption; it is not a function of the feed itself. SBP cannot soak up saliva quickly enough to swell (remember it normally takes 3-4 hours in water) and equally, it does not reside long enough in the stomach where there is plenty of capacity (10 litres). Free access to clean water is however essential but then this applies to all horse feeding situations. Up to 50% of the diet has been fed as dry SBP without any untoward effect. Thousands of tonnes of dry SBP are fed annually in the USA straight out of the bag where it is routinely incorporated into compounded mixes and it is also used in mixes for old horses in the UK without any problems occurring. If you want to soak and have the time and energy, then soak.........if you have a greedy eater, then soak!
Rolled oats are better than whole oats
I have been told that whole oats are less digestible than rolled oats because the owner has seen a whole oat in the droppings-one swallow does not make a summer......and these so-called whole oats are just the hulls, the kernel has been digested. The difference in digestibility is minimal and there can be no justification for physically treating oats by any means (clipping, bruising, rolling, crimping, etc). Once physically treated the oat grain is kaput and is thus degrading as any dead body does. The unsaturated oils can become rancid and the vitamin content reduced. Your horse/pony has been gifted with a superior set of gnashers which are incredibly effective at grinding up whole oats. Whole oats are cheaper to buy and they store well so why waste the pennies on buying dead cereal-plant a whole oat and it will grow, plant a rolled oat and it will rot!
Maize and barley are heating feeds
So what is heating? Do the horses get temperature hot or, mentally hot? In relation to body temperature, when we give a horse food it has to digest it and then metabolise the end products of digestion. These processes result in the generation of heat and if we rank feeds on their ability to generate heat in this way, fibrous feeds would be highest and fats lowest. Thus, in a hot environment forage should be restricted and fat fed to increase the dietary energy supply. Both maize and barley generate much less heat than forage so are less heating in this context. Fat horses get hotter than thin horses when exercised but this is simply due to overfeeding calories and not to the type of feed given. Many people will blame certain dietary ingredients for making their horses mentally hot. A fit horse in peak condition will be hot to handle unless it is singularly laid back such as Kauto Star. An animal in this condition must be regularly worked so that it is in energy balance. An underworked, overfed horse is a disaster waiting to happen. It is common enough to hear people say that if I feed more cereal/compound my horse gets high. You have to accept that a horse in positive energy balance will feel well and it must be trained to behave so that the energy can be channeled into better performances unless of course you wish to starve it into submission or spend a fortune on potions credited with attitude adjustment.........
Compounded feeds are not as good as simple mixtures of feed ingredients
This suggests to me a degree of mistrust and it is simply not true. It brings to mind a quote from Joan Gussow who said I prefer butter to margarine, because I trust cows more than I trust chemists. This rather ignores the fact that the milk that is used to make the butter will be affected by the nature of the diet and thus the contribution of the feed manufacturer (?chemist) will be key. However, I have to agree with her in so far as I would be happy not to eat margarine that contains the various E numbers and substances included in margarine for spreadability, etc. Nowadays horse feed manufacturers go to inordinate lengths to make sure that the horse owning public gets the very best products in terms of quality and value for money to feed to their horses.
I could go on..............but instead will leave you with a quote from Confucius:
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.


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