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Wheat bran has an inverted Calcium/Phosphorus ratio  --   0.13% Ca to  
1.13% P   (So does rice bran if it hasn't been balanced:  0.09% Ca to  
1.57% P -- it is even worse in this respect. )

Feeding large amounts of as part of the regular diet can mess up the  
horses Ca:P ratio if you feed a grass hay.  It has also been  
implicated in the formation of stones when fed with alfalfa hay  
(again, as a standard diet) -- but I don't think that has been  
established as a true cause.  Susan Garlinghouse has an article  
talking about some of this.  I haven't read it lately, so I don't  
want to try paraphrasing it -- if you are interested, go take a look  
at her web site.

Twenty years ago, out here in the west, everyone fed Alfalfa hay +  
wheat bran once a week.  That regimen (possibly in conjunction with  
the hardness of the water) was implicated in the formation of  
stones.  With the move toward grass hays, you have to be more careful  
about feeding wheat bran OR rice bran, so as to make sure your  
Calcium / Phosphorus ratio stays balanced.

As for feeding wheat bran at vet checks during a ride .. feeding it  
for one event isn't going to throw off the Ca:P significantly, I  
don't believe (my own, unsubstantiated opinion).  Of more concern  
would be colic and other upsets because the horse has eaten something  
that he isn't used to, during an event that puts his system under  
stress, in enough quantity to cause a problem.  If you go to a LOT of  
rides, say once a week, then there might be an issue.


On Jun 27, 2007, at 1:00 PM, rides2far@xxxxxxxx wrote:

> > > > > I don't know about the east coast but here on the west coast ride
> > managers provide a bran mash instead of beet pulp.
>
> I used to feed bran mash at vet checks...then seems like I heard it  
> was
> really high in phosphorous?? So I thought it would further mess  
> with the
> Calcium/Phosphorous ration possibly??  I admit I spend almost NO time
> looking at technical stuff like that. Just got the hunch and quit  
> feeding
> it. Any comments from someone who knows?
>
> I think folks out west provide more stuff when their vet checks are  
> less
> accessable. Since ours tend to be back in camp as often as not  
> that's one
> less thing for the manager to worry about.
>
> Angie McGhee
> http://www.lightersideofendurance.com
>
>
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