Myth: A Shiny Horse is a Healthy Horse

Fat from any source will make your horse shiny. A fatty substance called sebum secreted from the sebaceous glands in your horses skin increases when the diet is higher in fat. It coats the hair making it reflect the suns rays. Any fat will do the type of dietary fat doesnt matter when it comes to making the hair coat shine but it sure does matter when it comes to your horses health.
The opposite is true A healthy horse is a shiny horse as long as hes shiny for the right reason because you are feeding the right type of fat! But with so many feeds and supplements available where do you start?

Start with what comes naturally
Fresh grass contains two to three percent unsaturated fat consisting of a variety of fatty acids that vary in their chemical profile. There are two specific essential fatty acids that the horses body cannot produce and therefore must be in his diet The omega3 known as alpha linolenic acid ALA and the omega6 known as linoleic acid. Grasses contain both of these in a 41 ratio of ALA to linoleic acid. Most commercially prepared horse diets however have an inverted ratio of these two fatty acids because high omega6 fat sources such as soybean and corn oils are added to boost the fat concentration. When the omega6 content exceeds the omega3 content you are asking for trouble.
Linoleic acid leads to inflammation
While some linoleic acid is important too much can exacerbate your horses inflammatory response. Horses in training working or performing produce inflammation in their joints and muscles that can worsen when high amounts of linoleic acid are present. The aging joints of older horses are more painful when this omega6 fatty acid is fed in large amounts. And inflammation leads to oxidative stress which can damage all tissues throughout the body
Omega3s block the formation of inflammatory molecules that are readily formed from omega6s. Take a close look at the fat sources you are feeding to confirm that enough omega3s are in the diet. Read the ingredients and note the concentrations. Manufacturers of products that are high in soybean oil for example will often tout that the product contains omega3s. This is true but misleading. Soybean oil does contain about seven percent omega3s. But what they dont tell you is that 50 percent of the fatty acids in soybean oil are from linoleic acid omega6.
Coconut