Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
from your friends at Omega Fields -- and welcome to our first Health-E-Letter. Each month you will receive interesting health-related news, up-to-date research info, relevant resources, and thought-provoking FAQs.

• Equine: Omega Horseshine®  & Omega Nibblers®
• Canine: Omega Canine Shine & Omega Nuggets
• People: Mega Omega® & Simply Omega-3
  
  

Winter Nutrition for Horses

Brrrr! It’s getting colder!! You know how important a good warm coat is at this time of year! Falling temperatures, wind and wet conditions cause a tremendous demand on the horse’s body for heat production. How much body condition a horse loses depends on the severity and duration of the cold season and the amount of energy the horse receives from its feed.  As with all warm-blooded animals, horses must maintain their body temperature to survive. A heavy winter coat is a horse’s first defense from the cold. When allowed to grow, a horse’s natural hair coat acts as a tremendous insulator and provides as much warmth as the best blankets.

Horses may need more calories to sustain them through the cold months as well. An all-you-can-eat, high-quality diet of hay should be provided. Adult horses should consume between 1.5 and 2 percent of their body weight in hay -- a 1,000 lb horse will eat 15 to 20 lb of hay per day. The hay is not only important for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system of the horse, but the digestion process also generates heat. If possible, calculate the horse’s total hay ration and break that amount into at least two – preferably three – meals.

Did you ever wonder why the beautiful bloom on your horse seems to disappear in winter – when your horse is on a hay-based diet? This is because there are important nutritional differences between a horse eating fresh grass and hay (dehydrated grass) – and these differences can affect a horse’s health. Fresh grass is a rich source of essential fatty acids, especially Omega-3 essential fatty acids. The ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in natural fresh grass is 3:1. However, when the grass plant dies -- some of the essential fatty acids, found in the cell walls of live plants, are lost completely. The more delicate Omega-3 fats do not survive the dehydration process so the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in hay becomes 0:1. Therefore, Omega-3 essential fatty acids are likely to be deficient in the diet. Sufficient Omega-3 essential fatty acids are vital to a well balanced diet and have been shown to alleviate problems with a dull thin coat, poor hoof growth, and stiff immobile joints.

One of the most natural ways of supplementing the horse’s diet with Omega-3 essential fat is stabilized whole ground flaxseed which has a 3:1 Omega-3 to Omega-6 essential fatty acid ratio – the same asfresh grass!

Omega Horseshine®  is  stabilized whole ground flaxseed that tastes great and is easy to serve. Our proprietary stabilization technology locks in nutrition and guarantees 12-month freshness!

Other safe higher calorie additions to the diet to ensure that the horse is getting enough calorie supplementation (rather than adding more grain) would be beet pulp and stabilized rice bran.

Omega Stabilized Rice Bran is a convenient, stabilized, calorie-rich source of energy and essential fatty acids.

Dehydrated grass (hay) also means that the vitamin and mineral balances found in fresh grass are also going to be distorted. Hay analyses will help you determine the vitamins and minerals you will need to supplement with a hay-based diet.

Because the winter months are often cold and dry, your horse may actually need more water during this time than in the summer.  Water should be checked twice daily and provided at all times as horses will drink 8 to 12 gallons a day. Not only is frozen water unavailable for drinking, but horses will actually avoid drinking water if it is too cold. It is possible to increase a horse’s intake of water by 60 percent or more if water is maintained at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Place the water in a sunny location to keep it warmer for a longer period of time. You can also add a bucketful of hot tapwater in order to make sure the watersays warm.

A word of concern about snow as a source of moisture: Forcing a horse to produce moisture by eating snow is counterproductive. Six times as much snow must be eaten to provide an equal amount of water. Furthermore, calories are used to melt the snow that should be used for body warmth.

By paying attention to your horse’s nutritional needs during these winter months, you can ensure that your horse stays healthy and ready for a productive spring.

Winter Nutrition for Horses contains some information garnered from:
www.cbm.uiuc.edu – College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois
www.umext.maine.edu – University of Maine, Cooperative Extension
www.horse-abc.com
John Lyons Perfect Horse, February 2001 issue

State of Mind -- Depression or Contentment – It’s Your Choice!

One of the most intriguing new discoveries about fat is that it is inextricably linked with your state of mind. The kind of mayonnaise you spread on your sandwich and the type of dressing you pour on your salad may influence your moods, stress levels, impulsiveness, feelings towards others, even your ability to learn.

One reason that fat has such a profound effect on your mind and moods is that your brain is largely made up of fat. Fifty to sixty percent of its solid matter is fat, making the term fathead an apt description. Furthermore, the fat in your brain is not depot fat – the kind you pack around your middle and thighs to ward off famine – but structural fat – the kind that forms your cell membranes and plays a vital role in how your cells function.

Another unique feature about the brain is that your neurons, the cells that transmit chemical messages, are unusually rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. There is five times more DHA in your neurons than in your red blood cells.

Astounding research news from mental health and nutrition research centers in Australia reports a conn3ction between depression and low levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Australian mental patients whose blood was relatively high in Omega-6 fatty acids and low in Omega-3 fatty acids were more likely to be severely depressed than those with a more balanced ratio.

Since more than 19 million Americans suffer from depression each year, irregardless of educational, economic, racial, and ethnic groupings, the time is now for all people to increase their Omega-3 intake by consuming more stabilized whole ground flaxseed and fish and cutting down on their intake of polyunsaturated fats that contains lots of Omega-6, like corn or safflower oil -- by substituting olive oil or canola oil. Flaxseed is the richest plant source of Omega-3 essential fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid). The body can convert the Omega-3 fatty acid in flaxseed to EPA and DHA (as in fish oil) as it is required by the body.

Mega Omega®and Simply Omega-3 stabilized whole ground flaxseed products contain benefits for health and longevity! Both can be mixed in a fruit smoothie, hot or cold cereal, cottage cheese, juice of your choice, yogurt or pudding, or ice cream AND you can use them in baking and cooking. Both have an unprecedented full twelve month freshness guarantee.

Mega Omega® is a stabilized ground flax, plus plant-based antioxidant, plus vitamin and mineral supplement to restore essential nutrient balance, necessary for optimal health and longevity. Omega-3’s and antioxidants have been shown to help prevent depression, cancer, heart disease, and many other debilitating diseases that steal years from life, and life from years.  Simply Omega-3 is a pure stabilized, ground, fortified flax seed supplement - with 2500 mg of Omega-3 per 15 gram (2 Tablespoons) serving.

 State of Mind -- Depression or Contentment contains some information garnered from:
The Omega Plan – written by Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

QUESTION:
I recently saved a young pony from going to slaughter and am now looking for a hoof supplement to help her. One of her hind feet has at one time sustained a severe injury which was obviously not cared for and consequently it now looks like a cow’s foot. However with her age and a lot of good nutrition I am confident she will be ok. She does not appear to be lame on it. So my question is do you have any products that would help promote growth for her feet?  I am currently searching for a product and have never used Omega Fields before. Thank you so much for your time.

ANSWER:
Thank you for your email and the wonderful rescue work you are doing. Thank you also for your interest in Omega Fields products to help with your young pony's hoof growth. We recommend Omega Horseshine® -- the ideal stabilized ground flax Omega-3 supplement for horses. Click here for more in-depth information on Omega Horseshine.

Please see the attached photo of new improved hoof growth sent to us by one of our loyal customers -- William Honeyager, Wisconsin. Here is his testimonial, as well: "One of my horses...founders every spring from what my farrier calls 'seedy toe'. I started feeding Omega Horseshine® and in just over 6 weeks, my mare has 1.5 inches of new hoof growth. In all my 45 years of raising Saddle Bred Horses ... I've never seen this kind of rapid growth before!"

Problems with poor hoof growth, cracking/splitting hooves, dull coat, dry itchy skin, arthritic pain, allergies, etc. can be attributed to an Omega-3 deficiency in the horse's body. The stabilized ground flax used in Omega Horseshine® is very high in Omega-3 essential fatty acids (flax is the richest source of Omega-3 in the plant world).  This makes it ideal because it is heavily tipped in favor of the Omega-3s your horse's diet is missing.  Also essential fatty acids are the first fats that are used by the body because they are essential to the working of the body -- the outer layer of every cell in the body is made up of essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids do not normally get stored as fat. When the body has proper functional nutrition, in the right balance -- the level of optimal health improves.

Our customers who have experienced Omega-3 deficiencies (or similar distressful problems) with their horses, have shared their successes with us. They agree that the horse needs to get a higher dosage every day for the short term in order to overcome the Omega-3 deficiency in their horse's system -- at least 2 to 3 cups of Omega Horseshine® per day (based on a 1,200 lb horse), for the short term, until the symptoms/condition of the Omega-3 deficiency are alleviated. Then, they would go back down to what was the maintenance amount for their horse -- for the long term. Note: With Omega Horseshine® you don't have to keep supplementing at the high level for the long term. One-half cup to one cup (use standard size measuring cups) is the recommended daily maintenance amount for Omega Horseshine® for a 1,200 lb horse (adjust proportionally for weight of your pony).

Product of the Month: Omega Stabilized Rice Bran

The calorie-rich (energy dense) supplement to help performance and show horses meet their requirements – for horses in all life stages. Omega Stabilized Rice Bran supplies horses with:

• Over 200% more energy per unit weight than carbohydrates.
• Additional calories per pound of diet, without adding more grain.
• Easily digestible energy, without messy vegetable oil.

Omega Stabilized Rice Bran is a convenient, stabilized source of high energy and Vitamin E supplement for the diets of your show and performance horses, as well as your young growing horses. The dietary fat in Omega Stabilized Rice Bran functions as a calorie-rich supplement that helps horses meet their energy requirements. It also serves as an additional energy source that does not require feeding more grain in the diet. The additional calories provided by Omega Stabilized Rice Bran can increase the number of calories per pound of the diet.  Therefore, it can replace the amount of grain that must be fed to maintain top condition – reducing the chance of colic associated with overfeeding grain. (Read More …)

Words to Ponder:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”

Abraham Lincoln, “Proclamation of Thanksgiving”, Washington, D.C., October 3, 1863