Feeding Flaxseed
Flaxseed also known as linseed is a valued feed ingredient amongst horse people. How it should be used has long been the subject of considerable debate. Its safety for horses has always been under question and methods of preparation are many and varied.
What does flax add to a diet?
Flaxseeds best known attribute is its high Omega 3 essential fatty acid content. Flaxseeds are over 40 oil and more than 50 of this oil is the omega 3 fatty acid αlinolenic acid. A horses natural grazing diet is high in omega 3 fatty acids. However as we add grains like corn and barley to a horses diet their diet can become skewed towards having high levels of omega 6 fatty acids. Flaxseed provides a natural way to keep the levels of omega 3 in a horses diet balanced without using expensive omega 3 fatty acid supplements. Adding 100 grams of flaxseed to your horses diet will add over 20 ml of omega 3 fatty acids.
When can flaxseed be used?
Flaxseed is useful for horses on a high grain and therefore high omega 6 fatty acid diet or when they are eating hay that has been in storage for some time or grazing low quality pasture. Flaxseed may also be used when horses have a dry coat and skin if they have problems with inflammation including arthritis and sweet itch or when high omega 6 oils like corn oil or sunflower oil are being fed as an energy source in the diet. Flaxseed itself can be used as a source of energy in the diet and because of its high fat attribute is often found in supplements intended to promote weight gain in horses.
Because flaxseed is such a small seed it is best to grind flaxseeds immediately prior to feeding to break the seed coat otherwise the seeds will pass undigested all the way through the gastrointestinal tract. It is important to grind the seeds fresh just prior to feeding as the oils in flaxseed are prone to rancidity and will go off very quickly if ground and left exposed to air. A small coffee grinder is commonly used for the
