Feeding Bran and Pollard to Horses
Wheat bran, wheat pollard, and rice bran are common ingredients in pelleted feeds for horses, but are also used by horse owners as separate feedstuffs.
Bran is the seed coat or outer layer of a cereal grain. The most common bran available to horse owners is wheat bran, followed by rice bran. Wheat pollard is a finely milled blend of bran and wheat middlings. Both wheat bran and pollard are by-products of flour milling, and rice bran is removed in the process of milling white rice.
Bran (both wheat and rice) is typically high in phosphorus and low in calcium. Excessive phosphorus in the horse’s diet can inhibit calcium absorption. Feed manufacturers using bran as an ingredient will take this calcium/phosphorus skew into account when formulating feeds and some standalone bran products will have added calcium to balance out the ratio.