Question

My grandfather has told me that he frequently fed his horses ear corn years ago. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to feeding ear corn?

Answer

Although not commonly used today, ear corn was once a popular feed for horses. While it remains a useful feedstuff for horses, ear corn does have three primary drawbacks.

First, in its natural state corn may be rather indigestible by some horses due to its hard kernel casing. Aged horses with poor teeth, for example, may not be able to crack the casing. Due in part to this resilient shell, corn is usually rolled, crushed, cooked, or otherwise processed before being added to feeds so horses can maximize its starch content during digestion.

Second, there is a risk for mold proliferation on ear corn, particularly on corn that has withstood drought or excessive moisture. Fumonisins are noxious mycotoxins that proliferate on corn. Only a small concentration of a fumonisin is necessary to induce a fatal neurologic condition called moldy corn poisoning or equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM). High-quality, processed kernels, those normally used in textured feeds, rarely harbor fumonisins.

Third, feeding straight corn can be a touch and go proposition as it contains twice as much energy as an equal volume of oats. Overfeeding corn (or any energy-rich meal) may cause obesity and high-spiritedness. Corn contains minimal fiber, so feeding large quantities of it may more readily lead to colic, diarrhea, or founder than feeding a meal of oats. The shortcomings of ear corn have curtailed its widespread use in modern feeding management.