I feed the TC ground flax to my 2 older horses and they LOVE it! I mix it well with their Senior (which is easier to soak than alfalfa pellets) and after I mix it, I pour it into the bucket they eat from and pour hot water on top - enough to soak it to a soupy level. They lick it clean and the bucket it is mixed in is not coated with the wet, gummy stuff. I LOVE what it has done with their weight and coats - one is 27 and one is 28. The other, younger ones like it as well. I feed about 1/2 lb 2 x day.
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Well, it looks like wetting it down is indeed the answer - I think I knew this all along, just needed confirmation that it was common with the flax and not just me!
I tried it both last night and this morning, soaking their feed using the ground alfalfa pellets, and adding a small scoop of flax to it as it sat. The ground alfalfa and the flax absorbed the water almost immediately, but the TC pellets took a little longer. Still, I had no reservations about feeding the mix without waiting for the TC to turn to complete mush, and it caused no problems that I could tell - the girls lapped it up and had no issues with âcloggingâ at all. The filly was never really enthusiastic about the dry pellets, but she sure dug into this! Seeing her happily tuck that away made my heart smile. I also really like the idea of the added hydration it gave her, sometimes she would stop eating mid-meal, go get a big drink of water (this was even without the flax added), and then finish. Now she doesnât have to.
So yeah, itâll be a pain to rinse buckets and feeders doing this, but I have running water and a hose right there at the feed room so really have no reason to complain. I think I can now slowly increase the amount of flax to the recommended amounts, and I feel really good about that. Grinding the alfalfa pellets isnât really a big deal either, I have a small electric chipper-shredder that I use and I can grind a fairly large volume pretty quickly. So, I guess all thatâs to say Iâll just suck it up, grind it up and soak it!
Thanks again to everyone that took the time to respond and let me know I wasnât crazy. You know how it goes when youâre trying something new and it doesnât quite work out like you thought it would!
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Thank you!
Still, I had no reservations about feeding the mix without waiting for the TC to turn to complete mush
I soak the timothy pellets ahead of time, then add their concentrates flax supplements etc and mix it all together then serve right away⊠never an issue 
IMO soaking the feed is a good practice for any horse anyway⊠it takes a little extra fore planning etc, but once you get into the habit itâs really no extra time.
If you are just using the alfalfa pellets to make the balancer more palatable then you may want to consider using TC Sr instead of the pellets. That is what I do for the horses that donât need hay pellets - just something to make meals a little tastier. The Sr soaks up super fast and the horses love it.
Ooooh, thatâs a good thought. Can I still feed that to the two air ferns? It would be a token amount, just so they donât think they are being starved. I was actually looking at changing to the Sr if I couldnât make the flax work, but I donât want to feed that much volume (recommended amount) if I donât have to. I was thinking it might be better for the baby (actually a long yearling) than a ration balancer until JB assured me the RB was fine :D!
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I use the TC Sr as a âsweetenerâ for my easy keepers. The easy keepers are on TC Balancer Gold and then I add a small amount (like a cup or two) of TC Sr Gold to make sure everything gets eaten. So, yes, it is fine for easy keepers if you are just feeding a small amount in addition to their ration balancer. For a while I was soaking a bit of beet pulp and Timothy or alfalfa pellets to add to the ration balancer, but all of that soaking and bucket rinsing got old. I am a lazy feeder and would really like to keep things simple. Also, the horses love the Sr feed and think they are really getting something good. I never got that much enthusiasm with beet pulp.
I throw a little handful of TCS in my ponyâs meals so that sheâs more inclined to eat it all⊠sheâs IR so itâs pretty important that she clean up her meals. It definitely helps. If youâve got some fatties, I would not give them too much of it though. Itâs very calorie dense.
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Iâm starting to get into a bit of a rhythm now with the soaking and rinsing, and itâs working great for getting the flax in them. They are hoovering down the ground alfalfa pellets, so I think Iâll just stick with that. At this point I feel they need more foragey stuff than they do calories, so I think theyâre fine. While this is not a process Iâd ask someone else to do (i.e. wonderful husband), I donât mind the extra time and effort - at least for now. Is it sustainable? Only time will tell, LOL!
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Glad itâs working out so farâŠ
Many bagged feeds have flax in them. For air ferns, you might not want that but Purina Strategy Healthy Edge is just one of many.
I came across this thread after recently deciding to feed something high in Omega-3 for a dry coat on one of my horses. Iâm glad I did! I havenât started feeding it yet, but what Iâve got from the posts is that I should buy whole flaxseed and grind it myself? Also, I usually donât give feed, so Iâm thinking of buying a cheap bag of sweet feed. Any tips on how to feed flax with this? Thanks! (Are there any other types of omega-3âs that I should consider before buying flax?)
Buying a bag of whole flax and grinding it yourself is a whole lot cheaper than buying ground, stabilized flax. Mine get a cup of ration balancer and I pour the ground flax over that. They lick the plate clean.
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We buy whole flax and feed a quarter cup with the morning and night grain. I know lots of folks say that a horse will get nutritional benefit more from ground flax than wholeâŠthe idea being that the horse will swallow much of it whole and not grind it up while chewing for better absorption. This may be true, but in our little empirical survey, all three of mine are in wonderful bloom, with a beautiful, dappled coat, bright eyes and strong feet. I think they are getting benefit from the whole flax. YMMV.
Same experience. In my herd, I see noticeable results with whole flax. I have seen no results with purchased, stabilized ground flax.
I have never tried to grind my own flax fresh for two reasons:
- I am happy enough with the results from the whole flax
- Grinding flax daily for the entire herd is extra work I donât need in my life
Same here. I have tried ground, stabilized flax; whole flax ground daily; and whole flax feed whole. All had the same results for my horses. As an aside, I have never seen a flax plant on my property.
Another thought - since I have ALWAYS fed flax but my homebred mare (now 8) âdecidedâ that she no longer liked it a couple of years ago; I think it was the texture. I had also tried to get her to eat Succeed - which has a similar texture, and yeah, no.
I feed these:
https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/HorsâŠsaAvJkEALw_wcB
Flix biscuits. They are compressed flax in biscuit form - and she WILL eat them! (score), though I have to break up the longer ones. They are shaped like little tubes, and are crumbly enough to break into smaller pieces. No additives, just flax.
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Has anyone tried chia seeds? I have one that hates ground flax, but loves chia seeds. But more $$. I havenât tried whole flax.
Here is a great article on all things flax. https://gettyequinenutrition.com/pages/feeding-flaxseeds-do-you-have-all-the-facts
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yes MUCH cheaper⊠I can get 50# from my feed mill for $30 so compare that to a 20# of Omega Horseshine for $50⊠Iâll grind it myself
