I’m getting mixed information regarding proper way to feed my horses flaxseed. If I add water then I risk it becoming toxic when fed. Since in a boarding situation I’m not in a position to grind every day so hence Triple Crown product. Helpful thoughts or expertise appreciated
Soaking flaxseed doesn’t make it toxic. It’s commonly added to products that are intended to be watered down.
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There’s a difference between soaking, and wetting down
Yes, soaking for long enough releases cyanide. Just wetting it doesn’t
That said, the amount of cyanide, combined with the horse’s relatively high tolerance, doesn’t generally cause an issue, but it’s still not something I’d do on a regular basis
Adding it right before feeding a soaked meal is totally safe
Besides soaked flax becomes a gooey gelatinous mess
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I add flax to my overnight oatmeal and my horses feed that gets soaked for a good 30-45 minutes to sometimes an hour and we are still alive.
It’s fine. I wouldn’t soak overnight but I don’t know boarding barns that soak overnight don’t heat and bugs.
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I’ve been feeding Triple Crown Naturals Golden ground flax for years …horses all love it
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Pardon my ignorance. Is this to add calories or what?
Good for coat, feet, skin, etc. Provides more omega 3, which is good for reducing inflammation and balancing out omega 6 (which many diets are heavy in).
I’ve also learned that because of flaxseed’s mucilage content, it’s a pretty good daily option instead of monthly psyllium purges of sand. My gelding has been on daily flaxseed for 16 of his 17 years and knock on wood has never had a problem with sand even though we live in a sandy area. I’ve never used any of the psyllium products on him in all that time either.
I figure if it can offer overall health benefits and help clear sand, it’s good stuff to feed.
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Psyllium has been proven to not be very effective at moving sand out, flax wouldn’t do any better (or chia or anything similar). Good ol’ hay is far superior.
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Does flaxseed have to be soaked?
Flax does not need to be soaked. A lot of horses won’t eat it soaked, barring the flax meal that’s inherent in a commercial feed mix.
Some horses need whole flax to be ground, as they can’t/don’t chew it properly. And even when they do chew properly, there’s some more benefit to grinding
Some flax is truly ground, and since that makes it unstable, it must be stabilized.
Some is actually milled, which means it’s actually sliced into small pieces. This keeps the fatty acids protected. Triple Crown’s “ground” flax is actually milled, and has a shelf life of 2 years. True ground flax would go rancid long before that
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I fed it back when I could not find whole flax. It cost twice as much as whole flax that I ground myself and I think the horses preferred the freshly ground flax. Due to the cost I preferred it too. I feed a mixture of ration balancer with alfala pellets and Unbeatable forage plus ground flax. I noticed that my horses were coughing a little with this menu so I started spraying their food with water right before I fed to let the fines soak up and not be dusty. Due to the heat I do not let the food soak very long before I feed it. I will have to admit the ground flax smells wonderful when it is damped down with the mix. The horses love it too. I don’t think the heat-treated smells as good as freshly ground.
I tend to agree, and a decent hay, not the ultra fine coastal Bermuda that so many feed where I am. Still, I’ve always stuck with the flaxseed just in case as there is SO much sand at the barn where I am now. But my more robust Timothy/orchard hay, fed in the most non-sandy areas possible (stall or grassy places, is what I definitely think keeps things cleared out the best. Nearly every horse around here that I’ve known of to get in trouble with impaction colic eats coastal Bermuda.
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Yes, horses don’t really tend to ingest a lot of sand even when their hay is fed on the ground because they’re picking up the hay pieces with their lips, not digging into the ground to get a mouthful. Still, it IS better to feed hay on a mat or something, as opposed to the sandy ground. But considering how many horses living on sandy soil and either eating the grass growing on it (Floriday, coastal regions of many Eastern states) and/or having their hay thrown on the ground in their sandy dry lot, it’s just not as big of an issue as many think. Yes, some horses really do end up eating problematic sand, they’re not the norm though 
And 100% Coastal (not just any Bermuda, Coastal specifically) has strong ties to cause ileal impactions, especially lower quality stuff. The more you can dilute Coastal, the better. Getting better quality cuttings (younger grass, not overly mature stuff) helps. I boarded at a barn for a couple decades where Coastal was the only hay fed, it was delivered roughly once a month, always cut young, and out of the 30-ish horses there for most of the time, with 1-2 hours turnout most days, most getting ridden at least a little since most were lesson horses and the rest were boarders who were pretty good at working fairly regularly, there were very, very few colics.
Thanks
I would say that a fairly substantial portion of people who feed soaked grain are feeding a product that includes flax or are adding flax in addition. I’ve never heard anyone say or seen a product labeled that extended soaking presented a risk. Flax is probably the third or fourth ingredient in my ration balancer of choice and is soaked a solid 12 hours twice a day.
KER posits that a horse would need to eat several pounds of freshly ground and then extended soaked flax for there to be any health concerns
https://ker.com/equinews/answer/flaxseed-meal-horses/
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