Arthritis, Farmalogic, Feeding Tips, Foundations of Good Nutrition, Horse Health, Immune Support, Joint Health, Laminitis, Nutrition, Omega-3, Reproduction & Fertility, Skin and Coat, Weight Management
Why do horses need an omega-3 source?
Fresh grass. Horses love it!
Nothing can beat it as the basis of most horse diets. It provides essential fibre, energy, protein, vitamins, some minerals and healthy fats that shine through in a healthy-looking coat. Unfortunately we can’t always give our horses green grass – paddock size, laminitis risk, mud, drought and stocking rates often mean that pasture is limited.
When fresh grass is not available, the next best thing is dry grass or grass hay. Hay contains most of the minerals, protein and calories that were present in the pasture from which it was made. But the process of drying grass to make hay means that it loses much of the original vitamin and healthy omega-3 fatty acid content.
As owners, if we are to provide horses with food as good as grass, we need to feed grass hay and add vitamins, balancing minerals and essential omega-3 oils.
Fresh grass contains around four times as much omega-3 oil as omega-6. Omega-3 is a fragile molecule easily destroyed if exposed to heat, oxygen or light. The resilient omega-6 molecules survive the hay making process unlike their fragile omega-3 cousins.
Therefore we need to give horses a concentrated source of omega-3 fatty acids if we want to rebalance the diet to give similar proportions as those present in fresh grass. Until now, the best options available to give omega 3:6 balance were:
- Whole linseeds – if your horse digests them;
- Freshly ground linseeds – extra work at feed time, often not possible if agisting;
- Fish oil – can be smelly and have palatability issues;
- Algal-sourced DHA and EPA omega-3s; or
- Cold-pressed and stabilised linseed oil – keeps best at cool temperatures away from light.
At Farmalogic we recognise the difficulties faced by many horse owners in storing and using omega-3 sources. We have been working hard to develop a palatable, stable, easy to store, resilient form of omega-3 fats that can be kept in the feed shed and fed straight from the bag. We wanted a dry form that could be added to feeds ahead of time to suit the needs of owners working late, relying on others to feed or keeping horses on agistment. We’ve scoured the world for the best quality omega-3 ingredient sources that are tough enough to survive normal horse feed shed conditions, and are proud to bring you…..
FARMALOGIC OMEGA BALANCER – a rich source of stabilised omega 3 & 6 fatty acids from plant, algal and fish oil sources that stores safely in a feed shed environment.
Farmalogic Omega Balancer is a:
- Convenient and cost effective supplement to replace omega-3 oils in the diets of horses with limited access to green grass.
- Coat and skin conditioner for the ultimate natural show shine from the inside-out!
- Good way to boost Omega-3 levels in breeding horses to promote fertility and semen viability.
- Simple way to balances omega-3:6 ratios when oil is fed as an energy source in performance or underweight horses.
How much Farmalogic Omega Balancer do I need to feed?
- To balance high hay rations or no green grass feed horses: 35-70 g/day and ponies 15-35 g/day.
- Coat & skin conditioning, general anti-inflammatory effect: Horses: 30 g/day, Ponies: 15 g/day
- For reproduction purposes on mares 6-10 days pre-foal and 50-60 days post foal, 120 g/day. Click here to read more about feeding pregnant mares.
- For reproduction purposes stallions during breeding season for sperm motility and count, 120 g/day.
- When canola oil is used as an energy source, feed 1 g Omega Balancer per 1 ml oil.
Farmalogic Omega Balancer is available in 900g, 2.8 kg or 8 kg packs. Ask for Farmalogic Omega Balancer wherever you buy horse feeds, or purchase online from www.farmalogicglobal.com.