Difference in Whole, Crimped & Sweet Oats for Horses

Grain in a horse's diet provides energy. The energy level your horse needs depends on its age and life stage, how hard you work it and the current climate conditions. Oats are well-suited for horses because they also contain a lot of bulk, or fiber, making oats less likely to cause diet-related problems such as laminitis (founder) and colic. Whole oats, crimped oats and sweet oats are the same grain, processed differently.

  1. Whole Oats

    • Whole oats are the least-processed type of oat and the least expensive. They are harvested, cleaned and dried. Whole oats include the groat, or seed, encased in the hull, or shell. Heavy oats, also known as "race horse oats," have a larger groat. The larger the groat, the more energy the oats contain.

    Crimped Oats

    • Crimped oats are whole oats with hulls that have been slightly crushed by corrugated rollers, partially exposing the groat. Some horse oats are steam crimped, meaning they are steam-heated before being crimped, which cleans and help preserve the grain. Crimped oats are harvested earlier than dried whole oats and have a higher protein, energy and moisture content. They are virtually dust-free.

    Sweet Oats

    • Sweet oats are a type of sweet feed made by mixing molasses into whole oats. Some sweet oats are roasted prior to adding molasses. Molasses provides an additional source of energy and is sometimes added to low-quality oats to make them more palatable and less dusty. Sweet oats tend to mold quickly in hot, humid weather and become sticky and solid during very cold months. They are appropriately used to encourage ill or underweight horses to eat.

    Which Type of Oats Should You Feed?

    • According to Robert Kline of the Ohio State University Extension and R.J. Coleman of the University of Kentucky, whole oats are the best choice for horses. The extra expense of crimping or rolling the soft oat hull does not improve digestibility or nutrient availability. You should not feed horses a sole diet of whole oats, but feed them as part of a balanced ration. Do not give sweet oats to young, growing horses or older horses because molasses consumption is linked to orthopedic disease in foals and insulin resistance in mature horses. High sugar and starch consumption is also linked to laminitis.