Hi everyone - I’m hoping for some suggestions as to a coat/skin supplement or oil to add to my sensitive-skinned mare’s diet. Goals are to promote health and shine - I’ve used canola oil previously but it’s been some time since she’s been on that. It seemed to work really well for her but I’m wondering if there’s a better option available and what others experiences have been. I’m trying to keep a healthy Omega 3/Omega 6 ratio as well but like the concept of adding an oil. We often have skin issues in the summer so hoping to combat that early on - rubbing, irritations, etc. (even from where my reins touch her skin). I line everything in fleece for her to keep things comfy. I should note that I am diligent that she receives high quality care, grooming, training - just a sensitive skinned girl. Any suggestions appreciated thanks!
Canola Oil has whacky omega ratios as far as i remember.
I’ve personally had good luck with:
Rice Bran - stabilized pellets - has high starch content though, so axed it
Flax - stabilized ground - seems to work very well for lots of horse, one of mine cannot seem to manage it for whatever reason, gives her digestive upset (her diet is SUPER simple so easy to eliminate at find the perpetrator).
I’m currently on week 3 of trying out a Hemp product - it’s more cost effective than the flax and several friends have been really happy with the condition it’s helped to put on their horses. It’s high in fibre as well as fat, which I appreciate. My two seem to really like it so far. This is what I’m feeding: https://elitethree.ca/collections/equine-nutrition/products/e5-evolve-hemp-hulls I’m giving 3 cups/daily to my big guy and 1.5 to my little mare. My big guy is new to me and a bit of a rehab case. His diet’s undergone a total overhaul in the past 4 weeks so it will be difficult to really assess the impact of just one thing - I’ll be interested to see in a few more weeks’ time if I see any positive difference with my mare.
I’ve also heard good things about Camelina oil, but have not personally tried it.
I just feed a cup of whole flax every day. I gave up on grinding it daily in a coffee grinder and horse digests it fine and is super shiny in summer, no skin crud in winter. flax is affordable and stable. I buy a 50 lb bag that lasts about 6 months for $35.
much cheaper easier less messy than any oil.
I have looked at all the stats on similar and flax has the best Omega 3 ratios. Plus its a time tested horse feed.
However it’s not the only thing affected skin. You also need to make sure the copper and zinc are good, and general protein. Look at the whole diet and add a vitamin mineral supplement if needed.
I would also suggest dialing back on grooming, particularly full body baths with shampoo. Plain water is great to rinse sweat off in summer but shampoo strips the oils.
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:yes::yes::yes: Yes to all of the above. I feel like I’m on the danger zone of becoming an evangelist for analyzing and balancing diet, but it’s literally changed my horses’ lives.
@kashmere just as a FYI since you mentioned canola having a wacky 3:6 ratio, so does the hemp product you mentioned.
Pure oil is going to pack the most fat per ounce. However, if I was looking at more general coat benefits I’d do a cup of ground stabilized flax along with Ucklege poly copper and zinc supplement. Ground stabilized flax is pretty darn awesome. The TC ground stabilized flax is 35% fat, has a 4:1 ratio of Omega 3 to 6, and seems to help some horses with bug-sensitivity.
It does - though Canola oil has like a 57:1 ratio of omega 6:omega 3, whereas its 3:1 in hemp. Hemp also has GLA as an omega 6, which supports anti-inflammatory processes whereas the LLA in something like canola oil is the opposite. I am super far from an expert on the ins and outs of this stuff - I know some folks think feeding hemp is no bueno, others claim its the best thing that’s ever happened to their horse. As with most things in the horse world :lol:
I do very much like flax - but since one of mine doesn’t do well on it, I’m happy to have an alternative that seems to be working well.
where do you get your ground stabilized flax from? any brands you like more than others? or is it all really going to be the same no matter where you order from?
For my sensitive skin horse I feed flax seed or flax oil. Also vitamin E.
I feed 3/4th-1 cup of whole flax seed per day. I pay $ 22 for 50 pounds and it lasts my 2 horses a long time.
I would ask what the diet is now. If it’s grain-based, I would start by getting rid of anything with grain AND soy. I would consider feeding a good ration balancer where alfalfa is the protein source.
Extra Vitamin E and a flax product could also be added.
This is my TWH in May, 2019 - he had turned 25 a few weeks previous.
No bath, no spray of any sort, just some brushing for turnout.
He is grain & soy sensitive, has environmental allergies and is prone to Scratches & rain rot.
This horse gets a condensed vit/min supplement (HorseTech), 3000 extra IU of pure Vitamin E (no extra selenium), and 1/2 cup Omega-3 Horseshine mixed into two cups of straight Timothy pellets daily. He is on 19 acres of pasture during the day.
As [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“full”,“data-attachmentid”:10576347}[/ATTACH] others have commented, don’t over shampoo. I wash the sweat off every night in the summer with just water. When this particular horse does get shampooed, I use Malacetic.
I don’t think I could ask for a better natural glow on a retired trail horse than this:). The only reason he’s retired is because I can’t ride any more:)
Triple Crown is the first that comes to mind. As long as it is a reputable company I don’t think that there will be much difference.
Canola is a 2:1 ratio. Corn, safflower, and sunflower oil all have pretty extreme ratios so perhaps that’s what was coming to mind. I’m not inherently opposed to hemp and think it makes sense as an option if flax is not viable.
Oh. Yup it’s corn I’m thinking of.
I am not a huge fan of adding oils to feed unless they are manufactured specifically for horses. I am more of a powder/pellet supplement person and I have gotten great results using Biotin Plus. I buy it off of Smartpak and I will link it down below. My guy is a picky eater and he loves this stuff. It smells so good and his coat is SUPER shiny. This will also help promote healthy hoof growth too. He is a TB and used to be a lot more sensitive but this stuff has worked wonders. He is also on rice bran and I think the combination works wonders. You can do one scoop of the biotin or 2 if you want to increase results. Biotin Plus, rice bran, and lots of grooming in our winning combo. I also avoid using a lot of shampoo unless it is before a show. Just rinse the sweat off with water and curry curry curry! Did I mention curry? :winkgrin: I hope you find something that works!
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/biotin-plus-817
Third, fourth, fifth, whatever vote for flax seed. It makes for a super shiny coat. I have always gotten comments on how shiny my horses are when they are on it. I give a quarter to one-half cup a day of unground, whole flax seed. Contrary to popular belief, horses can digest whole flax seeds and your pasture will not become a flax field from the seeds being passed through intact. If you do grind your own flax seeds, only grind it immediately before feeding. It degrades qjuickly which is why when you buy ground flax seed it is stabilized.
I also give Bio-Flax from Horsetech https://horsetech.com/bioflax-20. As the name suggests, it is ground flax and Biotin. I know Biotin makes my own hair and nails grow like weeds. Horsetech is my favorite supplement company for so many reasons – mainly because you can order individual vitamins/minerals but also because they are a small, customer service oriented company and, most importantly, because of the free bag of chocolate cookies In every shipment!
Some people substitute chia seeds for flax. I have fed them (1/4 cup per day) but I have always fed the Bio-Flax as well so I do not know how they do on their own.
Since you referred to her as sensitive-skinned and prone to rubbing and irritation - treating for neck threadworms and removing grain/concentrates made the biggest difference in my own sensitive-skinned, allergic to everything horse who used to rub raw, oozing sores into his face, neck, tail and belly. Several years and thousands of dollars on various feeds, supplements, shampoos, sprays, prescriptions, and vet visits hadn’t helped so I took things down to as simple as possible - and it made a HUGE difference.
Daily: SmartPak’s SmartVite Thrive, Ani-Med Histall H, Coastal hay/grass pasture
Monthly: 5cc of Vitamin E+AD dosed orally (keeps skin crud at bay)
Quarterly rotational deworming with extra dose of oxibendazole in July (vet approved schedule for this horse)
If this easy keeper needs more calories, he’ll get straight alfalfa.
He is blindingly shiny, despite my distinct lack of grooming this winter. Hooves are strongest they’ve ever been, tail gets 1-2" cut off the bottom every month, and I gave up trying to keep his long, thick mane pulled. Miraculously, he hasn’t broken out into call-the-emergency-vet full body hives in the 2+ years on this plan, nor itched any more holes into his body.
