After several bouts of ulcers with my Arabian/Hanoverian gelding, Ricci, I was looking to shift away from large amounts of grain and have him eat a diet with more forage. While he easily switched to a more limited amount of grain and increased rations of alfalfa-timothy chopped hay, I was struggling to keep the weight on him and maintain his show ring shine. After doing a bit of research, I decided that I wanted to incorporate ground flax seeds and chia seeds into his diet as alternative forms of fat and protein.
I quickly realized that in order to maintain the integrity of the flax seeds in the feed room, I needed to purchase stabilized flax seeds to prevent it from becoming rancid. In looking into my various options, I grabbed a small bag of the Omega Fields Omega Horseshine to try, and frankly, I’ve never looked back. This premium Omega-3 supplement is made with stabilized, ground, whole flaxseed, so it fit the bill.
Following the feeding instructions, I slowly increased his serving to a cup of the Horseshine twice a day. Within two weeks, I was able to discern a slight increase in his weight. However, the most surprising result of feeding Ricci the flaxseed supplement was his coat. Just three weeks after incorporating it into his diet, he was body clipped. Being a black bay, he was normally a mousy brown after body clipping. Instead, this time, he presented a deep brown with black highlights and an amazingly shiny coat after I had removed his thick winter fur.
Both my trainer and I were impressed by the health of Ricci’s skin and coat. The transformation continued into the spring and summer months when he developed dapples for the first time ever. Despite eating a smaller amount of grain, he was still able to maintain his body condition and build a stronger topline with increased work over the summer months. Ricci also stayed dark and shiny, even when he was turned out in the sun; in previous years, he sunbleached quickly regardless of wearing a UV-protective flysheet.
I also noticed an unexpected benefit of the omega-3 stabilized ground flaxseed supplement. In addition to his incredible coat, Ricci’s hooves became stronger and he (knock on wood) has not pulled a shoe since beginning the new feeding regime.
The dense flaxseed meal is extremely easy to feed. Being ground seeds, it is slightly oily, which means that it is not at all dusty like some powered supplements can be. It has a fresh, nutty aroma, and Ricci seems to find it highly palatable. He does not get much grain, so he is often served the Horseshine and his other supplements on a bed of soaked alfalfa cubes… my once picky horse gobbles it right up and licks the bucket clean!
My experience with Omega Fields Omega Horseshine and Ricci has been nothing short of amazing. The product has truly exceeded my expectations for a supplement. After seeing his results, I now feed it to my retired Arabian gelding, Lance. It has helped him to maintain a shiny coat throughout his senior years. If you are looking for a way to incorporate healthy omega-3 fatty acids into your horse’s diet, which results in increased skin, joint, and immune system health, I would highly recommend giving Omega Horseshine a try.
Jennifer Roberts-Keating is an e-commerce copywriter at The Cheshire Horse. When she’s not sitting at her computer writing about horses, you can either find her at the barn with her two horses or with her two daughters at a gymnastics competition or soccer game.