Topdressing a horse's feed with oil has long been an affordable horse-health hack to add calories to to an equine's diet. What hasn't been clear is exactly what type of oil is best. Dr. Carey Williams of Rutgers University told EQUUS magazine that no oil is “bad,” but some types are better for horses than others.
Horses must ingest both omega-3s and omega-6s as their bodies cannot synthesize them, but it's important to have the proper balance between the two, said Williams.
The ratio of omega-3s and omega-6s can differ depending on the oil source. Corn and some vegetable oils contain higher amounts of omega-6s, which can contribute to inflammation. Fish oil, flaxseed and linseed oils are all rich in omega-3s, which have multiple health benefits.
Studies conducted at the University of Florida showed that two or three cups of flaxseed oil has the same amount of omega-3s as 22 pounds of cool-season, grass hay like orchardgrass or timothy. This would mean that horses on an all-hay diet would have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 0.3:1; horses on all pasture would have a ratio of 0.6:1.
Adding corn oil to these diets would increase the ratio to about 8:1. While this is significantly higher, there is no recommended ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in horses since there have been conflicting study results on the effects of omega-3 supplementation and its ability to reduce inflammation.
Williams suggests that horses fed lower-quality hay and pasture may benefit from the addition of flaxseed or fish oil to their diet as these oils are rich in omega-3s. A horse ingesting good pasture or cool-season grass hay harvested early may already have a good ratio of omegas, so feeding rice bran (19:1) or soybean oil (7:1) instead of corn oil (53:1) may give the horse the added boost he needs without disrupting the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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