• • • • • • • Respiratory well-being Digestive function and gastrointestinal health Hair and hoof strength Energy needs for athletes Nervousness and behavior Tying up prevention Insulin resistance reduction example, two ounces (by weight) of ground flaxseeds will fill a ½ cup measure (which is 4 fluid ounces in volume). In the directions below, I give you volumetric amounts to make things easier to measure. 2 ounces by weight is the same as 57 grams and fills a 120-ml measure. Feeding Directions A word about the lignan content in flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are a rich source of lignans, plant chemicals that act simi-larly to estrogens in the body. They are found in the cell wall of many fiber-rich foods including berries, seeds, grains, nuts, and fruits. There are many studies to suggest that lignan metabolites provide health ben-efits due to their antioxidant and weak estrogenic activity, and may also reduce cancer risk. It has been suggested, however, that pregnant wom-en should not over-consume flaxseeds. Relative to broodmares, there does not appear to be any reason to avoid feeding flaxseeds and can be nutritious in moderation. Nevertheless, I generally tend to rely on other sources of omega 3s, such as chia seeds and algal DHA during pregnancy. Horses who are not accustomed to eating ground flaxseed do best when it is introduced slowly, over a 2 to 3-week period to allow the hind gut bacterial population time to adjust. If your horse is getting at least 8 hours of fresh, healthy pasture during the growing seasons, you do not typically need to add any ground flaxseed, unless he is having health issues that would benefit from it. During cold seasons and hay-based diets, I recommend the fol-lowing amount of ground flaxseeds per day: For an adult, 1100 lb. (500 kg) horse (adjust for smaller or larger breeds) : • Maintenance, overweight: ¼ to ½ cup • Maintenance, of healthy weight: ½ to 1 cup • Maintenance, underweight: 1 cup to 1 ½ cups • Working or performing horses: 1 ½ to 2 cups For young and growing horses: • Foals do best with a creep feeding approach: ¼ cup • Yearlings and growing horses: ½ cup to 1 cup For full-sized adult horses with health conditions that warrant additional ground flaxseeds: • Feed 2 cups, up to 4 cups (480-960 ml). Adjust amount to less than 1 cup if the horse is overweight and is not exercising. • More than 2 cups per day should not be fed long term, but only until you see improvement. Then reduce to maintenance levels. Ponies, donkeys, and minis: These animals are genetically predisposed toward becoming overweight and while dietary fat is important, it should be provided at more moderate levels than what you’d give to a full-sized horse. As with horses, EFAs must be in the diet because their bodies are not capable of producing them. Ground flaxseeds are worth adding in lesser amounts if the animal is not getting EFAs from pasture, supplements, or fortified feeds. Whole or ground flaxseeds? Flaxseed oil? Whole flaxseeds are wasteful. Flaxseeds are tiny, and are not ad-equately chewed, leaving an intact outer hull. As a result, two things can happen: The hindgut bacteria can digest the fibrous hull, and ferment the seeds’ contents. This would provide energy for your horse, but nothing more, since the EFAs cannot be absorbed from the cecum and large colon; or the whole seeds may escape digestion altogether and end up in the manure. Ground flaxseeds provide the best bioavailable source of EFAs. If you grind them yourself, limit the amount to two or three days’ worth and store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Expo-sure to light, heat, and moisture will trigger an oxidative rancidity reaction, making them not only unpalatable, but unsafe to feed. Oxi-dation of EFAs creates free-radicals, molecules that are chemically missing an electron and will seek to obtain one by damaging tissues throughout the body. Flaxseed oil is especially vulnerable to oxidation and starts to go rancid as soon as you let air into the bottle. Naturally occurring vitamin E is an antioxidant and will protect the EFAs from oxygen but will soon run out, leaving the fatty acids defenseless. Further-more, the oil only provides fat, whereas the ground flaxseeds offer far more nutritive value. Bottom Line Is there cyanide in flaxseeds? Essential fatty acids (EFAs) must be in the diet since they cannot be produced within the horse’s body. Pasture grazing during grow-ing seasons offers plenty of EFAs. However, when hay is the primary forage source, EFAs must be supplemented. Ground flaxseeds offer an economical, palatable, and nutritious source of EFAs. NWHS Yes, but you would have to feed more than 2 pounds of raw flax-seeds for this to be a concern. Flaxseeds contain cyanogenic glu-coside enzymes that, when activated by water, create cyanide gas. Your horse’s stomach acid denatures (inactivates) these enzymes. Hot water also renders them inactive, but boiling flaxseeds is not recommended because it destroys the EFAs. Soaking whole seeds or ground raw seeds in cold water will cause this gas to be released. So, when adding your own ground flaxseeds to a moistened meal, add them last and feed immediately. Or better yet, choose a commer-cially stabilized ground flaxseed product because the stabilization process exposes the ground flaxseeds to enough heat to inactivate these enzymes. All sources and footnotes for this article can be found at www.gettyequinenutrition.biz/Library/Feedingflaxseeds.htm Measuring ground flaxseeds can be confusing. If your product’s directions are in “ounces” you must determine if they are describing “ounces by weight” or “ounces by volume.” For www.nwhorsesource.com Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. is an independent equine nutritionist with a wide U.S. and inter-national following. Her research-based ap-proach optimizes equine health by aligning physiology and instincts with correct feeding and nutrition practices. Dr. Getty’s goal is to empower the horseperson with the confidence and knowledge to provide the best nutrition for his or her horse’s needs. Learn more at www.GettyEquineNutrition.com . January 2018 Online Exclusives The Northwest Horse Source OE-4
The Northwest Horse Source NWHS 0118 Issue: OE-4
