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Equimins Ltd Blog | Natural Horse Supplements, Supplies & Products Equimins specialises in producing natural horse supplies, products and supplements for the major areas associated with caring for a horse. All products are proudly made in the UK and excellent specification quality products are of paramount importance. Using this blog we want to share some of the knowledge we have gained through nearly 30 years of experience.

16 October 2014 ~ 0 Comments

What is linseed?

Linseed, also called flaxseed, is the seed from the flax plant. It’s a crop that grows in cooler areas and has blue flowers during the growing season. The shiny seeds are quite small (around 5mm), but they can make a lot of difference to a horse’s condition and coat shine when handled and used correctly!

Cooked LinseedLinseed in its raw form (as in, as it comes out of the seed capsule) shouldn’t be fed to horses before the seeds have been cooked, micronised or made into oil. Linseeds make a great addition to the horse’s diet, particularly in horses needing to boost condition. Linseed is…

  • Rich in omega 3 fatty acid
  • A great source of non-heating energy
  • Low starch
  • The perfect addition to a fibre diet and high specification balancer if extra calories are needed
  • An effective way to support coat and skin condition

There are different ways that linseed can be prepared and used…

Boiled linseed. This was the traditional way of preparing linseed until more modern methods took over…although some people still do it now. It is a bit time consuming and involves boiling the seeds. After boiling, the seeds soften and form a jelly like feed that can be added to the horse’s feed. Much like sugar beet and feeds that are cooked at home, be careful to use it up before it ‘goes off’.

Micronised/Cooked Linseed. This is different to the boiled one mentioned above as, although cooked and safe to feed, it’s provided in a dry form with a long shelf life. The micronisation process also makes it easier for the horse to digest the linseed AND has the additional benefit of adding extra fibre to the diet.

linseed_oil_5litres copyLinseed Oil. This is, as the name suggests an oil made using linseed! Linseed is rich in oil and cold pressing the seeds and extracting the oil is one way to make linseed safe to feed. Linseed Oil is a great product for those looking to top dress a feed to give the horse extra calories without adding any more to the bucket of feed.

We also sell a number of products that include linseed such as Diamond Omega, Glow & Shine and Glow & Shine Omega Oil.

For more information, please contact us.

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