There are very mixed opinions on the usefullness of Bran, some think it's the cure all where others think it's the worst thing ever. I personally don't find a need to use it but if someone were going to use it, it is something I would consult with a experience nutritionist on first and customize it to your horses diet slowly. If it's introduced right and fed properly really there is nothing wrong with it but just giving bran mashes can be more harmful than good.
Copying quotes for right now..
"Wheat bran has an extremely inverted calcium phosphorus ratio. As a result, it should never be fed in large quantities on a daily basis, as it is likely to trigger "bran disease"-sometimes called "big head", a condition in which the horses system leaches calcium from the bones in order to try to balance the high concentration of phosphorus being taken in."
"The result is porpous, brittle bones, and it can be irreversible".
Any sudden change is diet- such as giving a "mash" of something the horse has never had can cause digestive upset. Any change to the diet should be done over a 2-3 week period.
Wheat Bran
To start, the main two products causing all the fuss are wheat bran and rice bran. Wheat bran is more similar to the bran products humans eat for its laxative effect. However, in horses it would take at least a 50 gallon drum full of wheat bran to exert any kind of laxative effect simply due to the unique intestinal design of the horse.
However, wheat bran may improve your horse's water consumption especially when feeding it as a wet mash. Although there is no direct laxative effect from the bran, it may improve water intake, in general. Too much bran can be constipating, so should be limited to a volume equivalent to less than a one pound coffee can each day. Wheat bran is also extremely high in phosphorus so should be fed to foals and growing horses with caution as it could create dietary imbalances of calcium and phophorus ratios. On the other hand, because of its high phosphorus content, it is useful to counterbalance the high calcium component of most legume hays. Consult your veterinarian in how best to manage the mineral balances in your horse's diet.
By weight, wheat bran has 12 % less energy than oats and 25 % less energy than corn. By volume, corn has four times more energy than wheat bran, while oats has twice as much energy as wheat bran. So to use this product as an energy substitute would be false logic.
Wheat Bran
Though wheat bran is a good source of fibre, do not feed it to horses in large quantities for prolonged periods of time. It is extremely high in phosphorus and will cause potentially debilitating calcium/phosphorous imbalances. Feeding horses excessive amounts of bran can cause nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism or Big Head syndrome. Bran is also fairly high in protein (16%). If feeding it as a supplement, limit it to no more than .45 kg (1 lb) per adult horse per day and carefully balance the calcium/phosphorus ratio with calcium supplements. Wheat bran is not recommended as a major forage substitute. Wheat bran can also contain Fusarium-related mycotoxins during wet growing years.
I am going to stop with those it should be plenty proof.
ratio, and if the ration is not balanced WRT to Ca
