2026 Wheat Bran for Horses: Benefits, Risks, and Feeding Guidelines

Wheat bran for horses is a subject of ongoing discussion among horse owners and equine nutritionists.

This article provides a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of wheat bran for horses, explicitly covering its benefits, risks, and practical feeding guidelines. The target audience includes horse owners seeking to optimise their horses’ diets and equine nutritionists aiming for precision in feed formulation.

The topic is especially important because wheat bran’s mineral profile, particularly its calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, can significantly impact skeletal health, growth, and overall well-being in horses when it is fed without reference to forage-based data.

Forage analysis is highlighted as an essential tool for making informed feeding decisions, ensuring that wheat bran is used as a useful feed addition both safely and effectively to support horse health.

We understand at Forageplus that this feed is widely criticised for being a by-product and being ‘imbalanced’. However, we feel the claims that it should not be fed are misleading and unhelpful. It supplies valuable horse phosphorus, where phosphorus has been identified through forage analysis as being short in horse diets.

Key Definitions

• Wheat Bran: Wheat bran is the outer layer of the wheat grain removed during milling. It is rich in magnesium, copper, zinc, and B vitamins, and contains an average of 17% protein. Produced by flour millers as a fine bran during the wheat milling process. High-quality, fresh bran products are valued for their nutritional benefits and natural origin. Wheat bran contains natural wheat germ goodness, with high essential fatty acids, which contribute to its nutritional value. Wheat bran provides moderate energy levels, typically lower than oats, but with significantly less starch. Its fibre content is about 10–15%, which is lower than that of hay, making it less effective as a primary fibre source unless mixed with high fibre bucket feeds.

• Calcium-to-Phosphorus Ratio: This refers to the proportion of calcium to phosphorus in the diet. Horses require a balanced ratio (ideally 1.5–2:1) for optimal skeletal health [1]. Imbalances, especially excess calcium or phosphorus, can lead to health issues.

• Forage Analysis: Forage analysis is the laboratory assessment of hay, grass, or haylage to determine its nutrient and mineral content. This data-driven approach allows for precise balancing of the horse’s diet, ensuring all nutritional needs are met.

Role in the Diet

Wheat bran’s defining characteristic is its high phosphorus relative to calcium content. While this has led to traditional caution, its inclusion can be beneficial when used to correct mineral imbalances in the total diet, particularly when forage and the daily bucket feed are high in calcium.

Phosphorus plays essential roles in:

• Skeletal mineralisation
• ATP and cellular energy metabolism
• Acid–base regulation
• Milk production [1]

Understanding these nutritional characteristics is essential before considering how wheat bran fits into a horse’s overall diet.

Phytates in Wheat Bran and Their Effect on Calcium

Wheat bran contains phytates (phytic acid), which are the main storage form of phosphorus in cereal grains. Not all of this phosphorus is fully available to the horse because phytate binds minerals and reduces how easily they can be absorbed [2].

Phytate can bind to calcium in the digestive tract, forming complexes that reduce calcium absorption in the small intestine. Although hindgut microbes produce limited phytase (an enzyme that helps break down phytate), calcium is mainly absorbed before feed reaches the hindgut. This means phytate can slightly reduce the amount of calcium the horse actually absorbs.

In practical terms, this is most relevant when calcium intake is already borderline low. However, in the UK, forage is commonly high in calcium (source Forageplus Forage Analysis Database). In these situations, the binding effect of phytate is unlikely to create a deficiency but should still be considered when calculating the overall mineral balance of the diet.

As with phosphorus, the key point is that mineral interactions depend on the total ration. This is why forage analysis is desirable. It allows accurate assessment of calcium and phosphorus supply rather than relying on assumptions about individual ingredients.

With a clear understanding of wheat bran’s nutritional profile, it is important to consider how mineral balance and forage analysis influence its safe use in equine diets.

Why Forage Analysis Is Critical When Choosing Horse Feed

Mineral nutrition cannot be accurately assessed visually. Forage grown in the UK is heavily influenced by soil type, fertiliser history, land use history, and species composition [2,5]. These variables frequently result in:

• Elevated calcium levels
• Inverted or exaggerated Ca:P ratios
• Marginal phosphorus relative to the requirement for breeding and young horses

Analysis of over 12,500 UK forage samples within the Forageplus database demonstrates that the blanket avoidance of wheat bran is often misplaced in UK conditions.

For young horses, pregnant mares in the last trimester, and lactating mares in particular, insufficient phosphorus relative to calcium may impair optimal skeletal development or milk mineral output if not addressed [1].

This is precisely where forage analysis becomes essential. A forage analysis allows you to find the calcium and phosphorus levels in your forage, such as grass, hay, or haylage, so you can make informed feeding decisions. Without analysis, feeding decisions are based on assumptions. With analysis, they are based on data.

With foundational knowledge of wheat bran’s nutritional profile and the importance of forage analysis, we can now explore the specific benefits wheat bran offers to horses.

What are the Benefits of Wheat Bran for Horses?

Wheat bran offers several advantages when used appropriately in the equine diet:

• Supplies trace minerals such as magnesium, copper, and zinc, along with higher levels of B vitamins compared to hay or haylage.
• Contributes moderate crude protein (15–17%), supporting overall protein intake when combined with higher-quality protein sources.
• Highly palatable, making it an effective carrier for supplements, particularly for fussy eaters.
• Can be fed as a soaked mash, supporting hydration and making it suitable for horses with poor dentition or reduced appetite.
• Contains fibre-bound antioxidants, which may contribute to gastrointestinal health.
• It can stimulate intestinal activity and help with constipation, making it useful for horses with digestive issues (but not for those with diarrhoea). Wheat bran can help encourage bowel movements.
• It is particularly useful for horses that need to gain weight, when added to fast soak fibre providers, as its high-calorie content supports horses looking to gain weight and improve body condition.
• When combined with fibre sources such as beet pulp, grass nuts or alfalfa, it can contribute to a balanced, calorie-containing bucket feed with lower starch levels than cereal-based feeds.

While wheat bran has notable benefits, its use must be carefully managed to avoid risks associated with mineral imbalances and digestive upset.

Practical Horse Feeding Instructions for Wheat Bran

How to Prepare Wheat Bran

1. Always mix wheat bran with warm water to create a mash; if feeding on its own, this prevents respiratory irritation and digestive issues.
2. Best use: Mix with linseed, beet pulp, grass or hay pellets for an excellent, balanced bucket feed with added nutrition and palatability.
3. Feed as a mash to support horses with digestive issues or those with poor dentition.

Safe Amounts and Frequency

• Maximum recommended daily amount: 1.5 grams per 1 kg of bodyweight per horse.
• Introduce gradually: Over 7–10 days to allow gut microbes to adapt and avoid digestive distress.
• Feed consistently: Ideally, as part of a daily routine to avoid shocking the digestive microflora.
• Frequency: Can be fed as part of a regimen or once or twice a week. But if a horse is constipated, then consider that the root cause is likely to be poor sodium in the diet. Consider 1 x 25 ml scoop of salt in the daily bucket feed instead to promote healthy drinking.

Contraindications

• Do not feed horses with diarrhoea, as it may exacerbate their condition.
• Avoid overfeeding: Avoid excessive feeding, as large amounts may disrupt hindgut balance and reduce overall ration quality.
• Not a primary fibre source: Due to its lower fibre content compared to hay.

Key Points

• Wheat bran is palatable and can be used as a carrier for supplements.
• Feeding wheat bran increases daily water intake and provides a palatable, high-fibre, high-protein meal.
• Using with other separates creates a balanced profile for a bucket feed.

Wheat Bran for Young Growing Horses

Growth is a mineral-sensitive process, and skeletal development depends not only on adequate calcium intake, but on maintaining the correct calcium-to-phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio. An excess of calcium relative to phosphorus can impair optimal bone development, just as a deficiency can [1,4].

Where forage analysis reveals elevated calcium and comparatively low phosphorus, the controlled inclusion of wheat bran can help support a more appropriate dietary balance.

In addition to mineral requirements, young horses require sufficient protein to support:

• Muscle accretion
• Connective tissue development
• Enzyme and immune function [1]

While wheat bran contributes to crude protein intake, it is not a high-quality lysine source compared to legume-based feeds. For optimal growth, diets should prioritise adequate lysine supply, with wheat bran contributing as part of the overall protein intake rather than acting as the primary protein source.

There are many instances where Forageplus creates feed suggestions for young horses, and supplementing the right amount of phosphorus in the total daily diet is impossible without the addition of high-phosphorus ingredients in the daily bucket feed.

This is where the inclusion of wheat bran and other high-phosphorus feeds, such as copra and oats, can become a smart, targeted bucket-feed choice.

However, wheat bran should always be incorporated as part of a calculated feeding strategy, based on forage analysis and total diet formulation. The objective is not simply to add bran, but to achieve a precise mineral balance aligned to the individual horse’s requirements.

The same principles apply to mares in late gestation and lactation, where mineral and protein demands are even higher.

Wheat Bran for Late-Gestation and Lactating Mares

The final trimester of pregnancy and early lactation represent the most nutritionally demanding phases of a mare’s reproductive cycle. During the last trimester, approximately 60–70% of fetal growth occurs, with rapid skeletal mineralisation of the developing foal [1].

This makes the balance of calcium and phosphorus critically important, not just their absolute intake. An inappropriate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio during this stage may compromise optimal skeletal development.

Where forage analysis identifies elevated calcium relative to phosphorus, which is commonly observed in many UK forage systems, total dietary phosphorus intake may be marginal unless specifically addressed. In these cases, wheat bran can provide a controlled source of phosphorus to help align the overall Ca:P ratio within recommended ranges.

An added aspect to consider is how balanced the complete feeds are for horses. Without exception, the feed companies appear not to have awareness of the high calcium content of many horses’ forage and bucket feed here in the UK. They routinely add calcium as a supplement to their formulas, seeming to follow only the information that horses need more calcium than phosphorus. Whilst this is true, not paying attention to the patterns of mineral levels means that their feeds are not balanced, or rather, they are only balanced to themselves. This is not only true for stud mixes but also for adult horse compound feeds.

Following foaling, nutritional demand increases further. Lactation significantly increases requirements for energy, protein, and macro-minerals, particularly phosphorus, which is secreted into milk and must be replaced through the diet to avoid depletion of maternal reserves [1].

Within a forage-led feeding approach, wheat bran may contribute:

• Additional phosphorus to balance high-calcium forage
• Moderate protein to support late gestation and milk production [1]

However, its inclusion should always be based on total diet formulation and forage analysis, ensuring that mineral supply is aligned with the mare’s physiological demands. The goal is precise nutritional support during late gestation and lactation, rather than the routine inclusion of individual ingredients without data.

This is where forage analysis or formulas led by data from thousands of forage analyses becomes indispensable. Accurate mineral balancing during the last trimester and early lactation supports both maternal health and optimal skeletal development of the foal.

Older horses also have unique nutritional needs that wheat bran can help address.

Wheat Bran for Older Horses

Ageing horses often experience reduced digestive efficiency, lower voluntary intake, and progressive muscle loss, making adequate protein intake increasingly important to help preserve lean mass [3].

Wheat bran can contribute moderate protein and may be useful as part of a soaked, fibre-based bucket feed, particularly for horses with poor dentition or reduced ability to consume long-stem forage.

When combined with feeds such as beet pulp, grass nuts or hay pellets, it can help improve palatability, ease of intake, and overall ration balance, while also contributing phosphorus to support calcium-to-phosphorus alignment where required.

However, wheat bran should not be considered a replacement for forage on its own. Its inclusion must be evaluated within the total diet, ensuring adequate fibre intake and appropriate mineral balance. Even in older horses, maintaining a correct calcium-to-phosphorus ratio remains essential for skeletal and metabolic health.

To use wheat bran safely and effectively, it’s important to move beyond tradition and rely on data-driven feeding strategies.

Moving Beyond Tradition: A Data-Led Horse Feed Approach

Traditional Use vs. Modern Analysis

The historical criticism of wheat bran largely stems from feeding practices where it was used without consideration of the total mineral balance of the diet. Large, infrequent “bran mashes” could disrupt calcium-to-phosphorus ratios and were not supported by nutritional analysis.

Modern equine nutrition places greater emphasis on forage-first, data-led feeding strategies, recognising that forage composition varies significantly depending on soil type, grass species, and management practices [2,5].

Analysis of UK forage consistently shows considerable variation in mineral content, particularly in calcium and phosphorus levels. This means that feeding decisions based on assumptions or generic guidelines may not reflect the actual nutritional profile of the diet.

A forage-led approach focuses on:

• Analysed forage as the foundation of the diet
• Use of simple, identifiable feed ingredients
• Targeted mineral balancing based on measured deficiencies and excesses
• Separation of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals to allow precise adjustment

This approach reduces reliance on generic “complete feeds” formulated for average conditions and instead supports individualised nutrition tailored to the horse and its forage.

Within this framework, wheat bran can be used effectively as a targeted source of phosphorus when forage analysis indicates that additional phosphorus is required to achieve an appropriate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

Despite its benefits, wheat bran is not suitable for every horse or situation.

When Wheat Bran May Not Be Suitable For Horses

Wheat bran is not universally appropriate, and its inclusion should always be considered in the context of the individual horse and the overall diet.

Due to its moderate starch content, wheat bran is generally unsuitable for horses with insulin dysregulation, equine metabolic syndrome, or a history of laminitis, unless incorporated within a carefully controlled diet under professional guidance.

It should also not be used as a replacement for forage or relied upon as a primary fibre source, as its fibre content is significantly lower than that of hay, grass, or haylage.

As with any feed ingredient, the role of wheat bran is supportive and corrective within a balanced ration, rather than a standalone solution.

Conclusion

Wheat bran is neither inherently problematic nor universally beneficial. Its value depends on how it is used within the total diet, particularly in relation to the calcium-to-phosphorus balance and the individual horse’s nutritional requirements [1].

In UK feeding systems, where forage calcium levels are often elevated relative to phosphorus, wheat bran can be a useful and practical source of phosphorus, particularly for growing horses and breeding mares when dietary phosphorus would otherwise be marginal.

For older horses with reduced ability to consume long-stem forage, wheat bran can play a role within a soaked, fibre-based bucket feed, supporting intake, palatability, and overall ration balance.

Ultimately, forage analysis provides the foundation for accurate decision-making. Precision nutrition replaces assumption, allowing feed ingredients such as wheat bran to be used effectively and appropriately.

Practical Recommendations

• Use wheat bran as a targeted, data-driven ingredient, not as a routine or bulk feed.
• Always consider its inclusion in relation to the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of the total ration.
• Introduce gradually and feed in moderate, consistent amounts.
• Avoid use in horses with metabolic disorders or laminitis risk, unless professionally managed.
• Base feeding decisions on forage analysis wherever possible.

Far from being “just” a by-product, wheat bran can be a useful nutritional tool when applied with knowledge and precision. Its value lies not in tradition, but in how effectively it is used within a balanced, forage-led feeding system.

References

[1] National Research Council (2007). Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th Revised Edition. National Academies Press.

[2] INRA (2012). Equine Nutrition and Feeding Recommendations. Wageningen Academic Publishers.

[3] Sarah Ralston (2001). Nutritional Management of the Geriatric Horse. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice.

[4] Schryver, H. F., Hintz, H. F., & Lowe, J. E. (1971). Calcium and phosphorus requirements of the horse. Journal of Animal Science, 32(3), 587–591.

[5] Pagan, J. D. (2001). Forages for Horses: More Than Just Filler. Kentucky Equine Research.