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"Today I learned _______. What did you learn today?"
Above is the daily post of a personal friend of ours on Facebook. The nugget he puts in that blank is sometimes comical and sometimes practical, but always interesting and valuable.
Today we learned much upon reviewing some very useful information for our readers, about a little brown seed... flax! In the equine world, there is much conflicting information floating about in regard to the value, safety, and proper feeding of the much talked about shiny little wonders. We hope this month's newsletter will be of assistance to you, that you might learn some "flax facts", to the benefit the health of your equine partner.
The next time you discover nuggets of horse-sense, impart your tips and tricks on our Long Riders Gear Facebook Page. While you're there, enjoy some other great reads and fun videos!
Happy Learning!
-–The Gals at Long Riders Gear
Old School, New School: Lessons From the Barn Aisle About Feeding Flax Seed
by Debranne Pattillo, MEBW
If you ask the same question of different horse owners, barn owners, caregivers, trainers, and veterinarians, you may get a different answer or view from each one. Recently while at a barn, the owner asked about feeding flax seed. Years ago I remember we soaked flax seed overnight prior to feeding it to the sale horses. This “liquid gold” was supposed make the coat shine. While these horses always looked great, was it the flax seed and was that the way it should be fed? Many would answer, “absolutely” as if it were the gospel truth. Recent studies have shown otherwise.
Whenever a nutritional question arises I defer the question to a qualified individual in nutrition. Having owned a feed store previously I am quite aware of how we tend to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for amounts and preparation and often those suggestions are not always correct. I asked Dr. Eleanor Kellon VMD of Equine Nutritional Solutions in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, who is one of a handful of experts in the field of applications of nutraceuticals for horses. She is an authority in the field of equine nutrition as well as conditions affecting performance horses. Her site, www.drkellon.com hosts a wealth of online courses in on topics in equine health care and science such as Nutrition, Nutrition As a Therapy, Nutrition for the Performance Horse, Cushings and Insulin Resistance, Understanding Bloodwork, Neuro and Muscular Disorders, Arthritis and Other Lameness and Comprehensive Care of the Older Horse.
Why would one wish to feed flax seed? Dr. Kellon answered: “Flax seed has a profile of essential fatty acids that mimics fresh grass. Essential fatty acids are fats that the horse’s body cannot manufacture and must be present in the diet. These include alpha-linoleic (omega-6) and alpha-linoleic (omega-3). The omega-3 fatty acid is present in fresh grass at a level that is at least 4 times higher than omega-6. Omega-3 is also much more fragile than omega-6 and disappears in baled hay. Grains, brans and other seed meals and oils are also high in omega-6. Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory while omega-6 is pro-inflammatory. We feed flax to get the fat profile in the diet back to one that mimics fresh grass.”
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Author, Debranne Patillo is president and founder of Equinology, INC® & Caninology, in Gualala, CA.
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While researching facts on flax seed I read from several sources that flax seed becomes unstable once it has been exposed to air and loses nutrients. Soaking flax seed overnight as we did “way back when” was probably not the best thing to do. I noticed that some supplements containing flax seed listed it as being “stabilized.” In regards to stabilization, Dr. Kellon replied: “Stabilization methods are proprietary. Low temperature heat treatments in combination with the method used to prepare the flax seed.”
Many sources now say that it is best to grind it up for each use and then feed it immediately. This seemed like a time consuming effort especially if you were feeding a large barn. Dr Kellon did say that you could “grind up a few days’ worth in advance and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, e.g. load into Ziploc bags and force out any air before sealing. Whole or ground stabilized flax seeds should be stored under the same conditions as a grain-stable temperature, protection from light, avoidance of high humidity or heat. Flax can also be refrigerated for a longer shelf life, preferably in airtight containers.” It was also noted that you should clean your grinder each time you prepare it. An important clarification from came from “Lucinda” on “The Horse” Blog in regards to feeding ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal if one were considering it as a source of omega 3 for your horse’s diet. She wrote, “Ground flaxseed does contain omega 3. Flaxseed meal (aka linseed meal) is what is left over after the oil is extracted and contains virtually no omega 3. The terms are not interchangeable.”
The suggested amounts to feed sometimes are excessive. I noted two clients feeding considerable amounts so I asked Dr. Kellon what amount she would suggest. She said that in order “to reach the full fatty acid advantage you would feed upwards of 8 oz/day, but clear benefits in coat and skin are seen with 2 to 4 oz/day.”
Dr. Kellon also confronted some of the hazards that have been reported about feeding flax seed ports that there have been “concerns about feeding flax center over cyanogenic glycosides and phytoestrogens. Fact of the matter is that no cyanide problems related to flax have ever been recorded in any species. Te phytoestrogen effects of flax are in the fiber portion (lignans). These actually have an anti-estrogen effect by binding to estrogen receptors and blocking estrogen. For the vast majority of horses at the amounts fed, this is simply not an issue. There may be individuals with underlying hormone abnormalities or high body burdens of other phyto or xenoestrogens that would react to flax but this has never been documented either.
There are some studies that are looking into feeding flax seed targeted at horses. In a small pilot study “it was concluded that; in this small pilot study, flaxseed was able to reduce the lesional area of the skin test response of atopic horses, alter the fatty acid profile of the hair, reduce inflammation, and did not elicit any negative side-effects in the experimental horses.” See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC227015/
Whenever you decide you would like to add or remove something from your horse’s diet, it is best to consult a specialist in nutrition. Owners are often feeding expensive supplements that are unnecessary or possibly unbalance a diet. Consideration of what to feed should be weighed by the demands of the sport or workload, the health and age of a horse and the current feeding program. An owner will save themselves time and expense by taking a course such as Dr. Kellon’s to make healthier decisions for their horse and ask better questions of the specialists.
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About The Author...
Debranne Pattillo owned and operated a sport horse lay-up and boarding facility for six years. During that time she discovered the benefits of equine sports massage for the rehabilitation and the preventative care of these equine athletes. In 1993, she sold the ranch to enable her to work on an established monthly clientele of various disciplines, which included: dressage, hunters, jumpers, endurance, cutting, pleasure, as well as the geriatric retiree. This passion led her to developing Equinology, INC® in order to raise the standard of education for those in the equine health care industry.
For further details about Debranne and Equinology, see her home on the web, Equinology.com.
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