Omega 3 balancing act: Is your horse getting enough?

Your horse has a query: Are you feeding me omega 3s day-after-day?

You already know that the reply is meant to be “sure”. However through the years, I’ve discovered that there’s a 50:50 likelihood that this query can be answered “no”.

Not due to neglect, however just because many horse homeowners are usually not conscious of why they’re necessary, and even what feeds comprise them. Or they merely assume that the business feed they’re feeding already incorporates sufficient.

However right here’s the reality … most commercially fortified feeds comprise extra omega 6s than omega 3s, which creates an imbalance that damages your horse’s well being. And that hay you’re feeding … properly, it misplaced its omega 3 content material a very long time in the past

Why are omega 3s so necessary?

There are solely two fatty acids which are known as “important”, which means that they completely should be within the weight loss program day-after-day as a result of the horse’s physique can’t produce them. The primary important fatty acid is an omega 6, often known as linoleic acid (LA) and the opposite is an omega 3, often known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Each have particular roles, however, omega 3s, in particular, are concerned in features equivalent to:

• defending the blood vessels, coronary heart, lungs, digestive tract, bones, and joints.
• creating hormonal steadiness, together with helping with insulin resistance.
• selling a wholesome immune response and safety towards allergic reactions and pores and skin issues.
• defending the mind towards inflammatory situations, most notably PPID (Cushing’s illness) and leptin resistance.

Not solely do each need to be within the weight loss program, however they should be current within the correct proportion to 1 one other. Ideally, there ought to be extra ALA (omega 3) than LA (omega 6). Nevertheless, if LA is greater, it should lead to elevated irritation all through the physique.

Wholesome pasture grasses, of their rising seasons comprise, on common, loads of each ALA and LA, in a 4:1 ratio ALA to LA¹. And in case your horse is fortunate sufficient to graze on pasture a lot of the 12 months, you usually don’t must concern your self with further supplementation (until your horse is affected by inflammatory situations that have an effect on immune perform, allergic responses, and continual ache).

Supplementation for hay-based diets

Important fatty acids diminish when the grass just isn’t actively rising, so your horse probably depends on hay throughout the colder seasons. 12 months-round supplementation is important for horses consuming hay-based diets as a result of as soon as residing grass is reduce, dried, and saved to make hay, most, if not all, of the important fatty acids have been oxidized and destroyed.

Your business feed might not be a very good supply of omega 3s. A lot of the fats content material from commercially fortified feeds is from soybean oil (typically known as “vegetable oil”) which is extraordinarily excessive in omega 6s with little or no omega 3s. Some newer formulation, nevertheless, are together with flax and chia seeds to enhance the ratio.

Select natural when possible

Feedstuffs which are organically grown have a decrease detectable stage of pesticides and herbicides. Publicity to those chemical compounds, particularly over time, may be detrimental to your horse’s heath. Curiously, vitamins equivalent to antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids are extra plentiful in natural crops as a result of they aren’t oxidized by business chemical compounds.²

Concentrated sources of ALA

Floor flax or chia seeds are the preferred entire meals sources for ALA. The good factor about feeding these is that in addition they present protein, thereby enhancing the general protein high quality of the weight loss program. USDA licensed natural variations³ supply the best dietary profit in your horses.

The next dosages are beneficial:

• Floor flaxseeds: 2 ounces by weight (equal to 1/2 cup) per 400 lbs of physique weight (120ml per 180kg of physique weight).
• Chia seeds: 2 ounces by weight (equal to 1/4 cup) per 400 lbs of physique weight (60ml per 180kg physique weight).

Quantities may be lowered for obese horses and elevated for horses with particular well being wants.

Algal oil incorporates an omega 3 fatty acid known as, “DHA”. Inside your horse’s cells, ALA is transformed to DHA. DHA is very energetic in decreasing irritation, protecting again metabolic conditions.

Hemp seeds are interesting. The fats present in hemp seeds is great, though the ALA to LA ratio is inverted. There are 2.8 occasions extra LA than ALA, so it will be helpful to additionally embrace some flax or chia. However what makes the fatty acid content material of hemp seeds exceptional is its gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) content material. GLA is an omega 6 fatty acid, however, in contrast to different omega 6s that enhance irritation, GLA reduces it.

Oils which are excessive in ALA embrace flaxseed oil and camelina oil. Flaxseed oil just isn’t very straightforward to make use of. It will get “sticky” and oxidizes simply, making refrigeration essential.

Camelina oil comes from the edible Camelina sativa seed. It’s excessive in ALA with a 2.4:1 ratio of ALA to LA, and its shelf life is much superior to flaxseed oil. That is due to its remarkably excessive vitamin E content material: 100ml (barely lower than half a cup) of camelina oil incorporates 150 IU of pure vitamin E which protects the fatty acids from oxidative harm when uncovered to air, humidity, and lightweight.

Backside line

Wholesome, rising pasture grasses present the horse with loads of important fatty acids in the precise proportion. Diets that encompass hay, in addition to most business feeds, are out of steadiness, and even devoid of the mandatory omega 3 fatty acids that should be fed each day. Including chia seeds, floor flaxseeds, or different entire meals will help your horse keep vibrant well being for a lifetime.

1 Boufaied, H, Chouinard, P.Y., Gremblay, G.F., et al., 2003. Fatty acids in forages. I. Elements affecting concentrations. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 83(3), 501 – 511.
2 Mayo Clinic. Organic foods. Are they safer? More nutritious?
3 Natural floor flaxseeds and natural chia seeds can be found in Dr. Getty’s Free Shipping Store.