Flaxseed for my horse?

Question

what does flaxseed do for a horse?

Answer 1

The biggest thing that it does is keep their skin and hair healthy and nice looking.  It makes the fur kinda shiny so it looks clean.  That way your horse looks better if you're showing or anything.

Answer 2

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.  Best way to feed flax to a horse is ground.  The hull of the flax seed is too hard for digestion without grinding and it will simply go thru the horse without any benefit to nutrition.  You must grind per feeding as flax tends to go rancid quickly, ruining it.  You will see a shine to the horses coat that glows.  I feed my halter horses 1 cup of ground flax seed a day.  You can buy flax in bulk from any feed store, it's easily available.  A coffee grinder works great, grind fine, you can find one cheap at walmart.

Answer 3

There are many nutritional benefits with consuming flax sees for horses, other animals and people.  When I worked with race horses, we gave them flax seed (ground or whole) in their grain feeds each night. Ir is helpful in the digestion and for the health of the horse's skin and coat.

Answer 4

100 grams of ground flax seed supplies about 450 kilo-calories, 41 grams of fat, 28 grams of fibre, and 20 grams of protein.[2]

One tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of water may serve as a replacement for one egg in baking by binding the other ingredients together. Ground flax seeds can also be mixed in with oatmeal, yogurt, wafer (similar to Metamucil), or any other food item where a nutty flavour is appropriate. Flax seed sprouts are edible, with a slightly spicy flavour. Excessive consumption of flax seeds can cause diarrhea.[3]

Flax seeds are chemically stable while whole, and milled flaxseed can be stored up to 4 months at room temperature without noticeable changes in quality.[4] Refrigeration and storage in sealed containers will keep ground flax from becoming rancid for even longer.

[edit] Possible medical benefits

Main article: Linseed oil

Flax seeds contain high levels of lignans and Omega-3 fatty acids. Lignans may benefit the heart, possess anti-cancer properties and studies performed on mice found reduced growth in specific types of tumours. Initial studies suggest that flaxseed taken in the diet may benefit individuals with certain types of breast[5][6] and prostate cancers.[7] Flax may also lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels.[8] There is some support for the use of flax seed as a laxative due to its dietary fiber content[3] though excessive consumption without liquid can result in intestinal blockage.[9] Consuming large amounts of flax seed can impair the effectiveness of certain oral medications, due to its fiber content.[9]

Raw flax seed contains the chemical hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or cyanogenic glucosides which can be toxic if consumed in large quantities.[10]

[edit] Flax fibers

Flax fibers are amongst the oldest fiber crops in the world. The use of flax for the production of linen goes back 5000 years. Pictures on tombs and temple walls at Thebes depict flowering flax plants. The use of flax fibre in the manufacturing of cloth in northern Europe dates back to Neolithic times. In North America, flax was introduced by the Puritans. Currently most flax produced in the USA and Canada are seed flax types for the production of linseed oil or flaxseeds for human nutrition.

Flax fiber is extracted from the bast or skin of the stem of flax plant. Flax fiber is soft, lustrous and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fiber but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope. Flax fiber is also a raw material for the high-quality paper industry for the use of printed banknotes and rolling paper for cigarettes. Flax mills for spinning flaxen yarn were invented by John Kendrew and Thomas Porthouse of Darlington in 1787.[11]