# Linseed oil in horses diet?



## Ehound679 (26 May 2018)

I recently saw an article on how linseed oil is really good for a horse as its high in omega 6. I was wondering other peoples views and what benefits they knew off and if so how much do u give ?


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## ILuvCowparsely (26 May 2018)

Ehound679 said:



			I recently saw an article on how linseed oil is really good for a horse as it&#8217;s high in omega 6. I was wondering other people&#8217;s views and what benefits they knew off and if so how much do u give ?
		
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I give 50 ml to my pony with IBD - so I use it as I was adviced too.


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## Shay (26 May 2018)

Linseed is one of the oldest feeds for horses - because it is safe and it works.  Oil is relatively expensive (flax seed oil is in fact the same thing) but micronised linseed, linseed jelly or linseed tea have been about for a long time.  No-one bothers with cooking linseed now -I'm not even sure where you would find raw seed.  But micronised is cost effective, easily available and safe up to fairly large amounts.  It is an easily absorbed source of energy - presumably why ILC was advised to use it in IBD.  Its non heating.  In small amounts it improves coat and skin condition.  In large amounts it will add condition.  More than  2 cups per day there may start to be issues with the Calcium / Phosphorous balance - but that will depend on amounts elsewhere in feed / forage.

You do find linseed in many compound feeds these days.  What deficiency are you trying to address OP?


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## Ehound679 (27 May 2018)

I wanted to improve my horses coat and maintain a healthy diet. And as I heard it was high in omega 6 which is what most horses lack. But Im by no means an expert on it so wasnt sure if there was any point in it or whether it has shown results


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## Shay (27 May 2018)

Many do report a positive impact on coat health at low doses.  It is very cheap (the micronised stuff anyway) so well worth giving it a go.  The oil is more expensive - and the texture is not always well tolerated.  But you should be able to get a small bag (4kg) of plain micronised from your feed shop for about £4.  If it works you can actually get 20kg sacks for about the same - but it is an oil based feed so will go rancid over time.  You can also get linseed mixed with other herbs.   More expensive and a bit of a waste in my view - but some prefer it.


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## Surbie (27 May 2018)

My horse loves it. His coat was glorious when he was on it. He isn't at the moment and I have noticed the coat is less great. I have tended to use oil, but that is mostly to add a bit more palatable moisture to a tiny feed that has a large amount of brewer's yeast in it.


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## deicinmerlyn (27 May 2018)

I thought it was high in Omega 3 not 6 (which is inflammatory)


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## oldie48 (27 May 2018)

I use it during the winter. I don't feed any hard feed but use micronised linseed and speedibeet with Dengie hi fi. I really rate it, it's great for keeping condition and good skin but just doesn't fizz my horse up at all.


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## HuT (31 May 2018)

Ehound679 said:



			I recently saw an article on how linseed oil is really good for a horse as its high in omega 6. I was wondering other peoples views and what benefits they knew off and if so how much do u give ?
		
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I just feed linseed meal. It is cheap and last for ages. One of the best forms of protein and also great for weight gain, skin and costs


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## Nudibranch (3 June 2018)

It definitely improves coats. I buy micronised, which they seem to prefer over the cooked meal stuff sold in small bags (don't ask me what the technical difference is). Micronised they'll even eat on its own.


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## HuT (4 June 2018)

Nudibranch said:



			It definitely improves coats. I buy micronised, which they seem to prefer over the cooked meal stuff sold in small bags (don't ask me what the technical difference is). Micronised they'll even eat on its own.
		
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Micronised and Cooked are the same thing

https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/p...erformance/marriages-cooked-linseed-20kg.html


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## criso (4 June 2018)

HuT said:



			Micronised and Cooked are the same thing

https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/p...erformance/marriages-cooked-linseed-20kg.html

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Yes and No.  Micronised is a form of cooking however Charnwoods have their own process which is trademarked - Micronized®.  Alot of the linseed sold actually comes from their plant but others like Marriages have developed their own process.  
If you compare the nutritional specs for Marriages and Charnwoods the starch levels are very different so they are not exactly the same.  

Incidentally the Farm and Pet Place have accidentally listed the specs for Charnwood on the Marriages page just to confuse things.  
http://www.charnwoodmilling.co.uk/horse_specs/micronized whole linseed.htm
http://www.marriages.co.uk/downloads/Marriages-Linseed-Meal.pdf


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## ester (4 June 2018)

what criso said, they aren't the same one involved infra red, the other doesn't. 

Farm and pet place changed their stockists they used to stock charwoods then switched to marriages, I did tell them it wasn't the same and that I would be changing suppliers so nice to know they now have both in  

OP you might find this useful too

http://davidmarlin.co.uk/portfolio/...o-horses-and-how-to-choose-which-oil-is-best/


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