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Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Omega Fields and welcome to our Health-E-Letter. We give thanks for you every day and want to extend a special Thanksgiving Offer to you to save $5.00 on orders over $50.00 – Use promotion code WEB1106. Inside this issue of Omega Fields’ Health-E-Letter: “ I recently saved a young pony from going to slaughter and am now looking for a hoof supplement to help her.” You and your animals are what you eat. Made with stabilized ground flax -- rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids – Omega Fields’ healthy award-winning supplements are excellent choices to eat and be healthy.
Winter Nutrition for HorsesBrrrr! It’s cold!! We know winter is just around the corner. We also know the importance of a good warm coat at this time of year to help maintain body temperature. 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 or 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 or 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, when the horse is on a hay-based rather than a grass-based diet (because of seasonal or health reasons) 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 is stabilized whole ground flaxseed which has a 3:1 Omega-3 to Omega-6 essential fatty acid ratio -- identical to that of fresh grass. (Omega Horseshine® -- (Note: Serina – link to Omega Horseshine page on website) stabilized whole ground flaxseed – offers the richest source of Omega-3 that tastes great and is easy to serve. 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 (besides an increase in hay and rather than over-supplementing with grain) would be beet pulp and stabilized rice bran (Omega Stabilized Rice Bran (Note: Serina – link to Omega Stabilized Rice Bran page on website) – convenient, stabilized, calorie-rich source of energy and essential fatty acids. See more information below under Product of the Month.) Dehydrated grass (hay) also means that the vitamin and mineral balances found in fresh grass are also going to be distorted, with the calcium to phosphorus ratios being important ones to check on. An example is Vitamin C – non existent in hay -- yet found in quantities up to 500 mg/lb in fresh grasses. Hay analyses will help you determine the vitamins and minerals you will need to supplement with a hay-based diet. Another very important nutritional factor in caring for your horse in winter is the availability of water. Because the winter months are often cold and dry, the horse may actually needs must as much, or even more water during this time than in the summer. Not only is frozen water unavailable for drinking, but horses will also avoid drinking water if it is too cold. Water should be checked twice daily and provided at all times as horses will drink 8 to 12 gallons a day. You should place the water in a sunny location. This will help keep the water warmer for a longer period of time. In addition to placing the water more towards the sun, you can also add a bucketful of hot tap water in order to make sure the water says warm. Furthermore, you can scrub water buckets and keep them in a room to warm to room temperature before placing the buckets back in the stalls. If a horse knows there is warm water available the horse usually will be more eager to drink this water than if it was cold. In fact, 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. 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. If you have any questions concerning Omega Horseshine® (Note: Serina – link to Omega Horseshine page on website) and Omega Stabilized Rice Bran (Note: Serina – link to Omega Stabilized Rice Bran page on website), or any of our other equine supplements, please email info@omegafields.com call Bonnie at 1-800-962-9536 ext 105. Winter Nutrition for Horses contains some information garnered from: |
Product of the Month
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. Omega Stabilized Rice Bran is an excellent source of easily-digestible, palatable vegetable fat (without the mess of adding vegetable oil or other high-fat supplements many horses don't like), Vitamin E, B-Complex Vitamins, essential amino acids. All natural (no chemical additives or preservatives). Your horse gets 2.25 times the energy per/unit weight compared to carbohydrates. Omega Stabilized Rice Bran is also naturally high in Vitamin E – which is likely to be deficient in the diets of horses that are working very hard or are experiencing high-stress conditions such as training, transportation or harsh environmental conditions. Also Vitamin E is required when horses are fed increased fat levels. For your horses when they need:
Better than the competition: Stabilized Rice Bran Guaranteed Analysis:
Digestible Energy = 2,400 Kcal/lb. Recommended Usage:
One year shelf life at room temperature with no signs of rancidity or loss of nutritional value. Best if stored in a cool, dry place to protect against oxidation. Keep out of direct light. Sizes Available: Omega Stabilized Rice Bran is sold in 50 lb. (22.68kg) bags - approximately 50 daily servings. |
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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® (Note: Serina – link to Mega Omega page on website) and Simply Omega-3 (Note: Serina – link to Simply Omeg3 page on website) 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. |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:QUESTION: ANSWER: |
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founders every spring from what my farrier calls 'seedy toe'. I started feeding