Review: Equine Omega Complete

The more we learn about nutrition, the more complicated it seems to become to feed our horses in the best possible way. In recent years, the importance of the correct ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 has become more recognized, and many of the foods traditionally fed to show horses contain far too much of the bad omega-6 fatty acids.

There is evidence for omega-3 fatty acids having an anti-inflammatory effect¹, which is beneficial for sport horses. Omega-6s, on the other hand, have an inflammatory effect. Studies have shown that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids has a beneficial effect for arthritic horses².

A grass-based diet provides a higher amount of omega-3 than does a grain-based diet³. For show horses who spend most of their time in stalls, and especially those who are fed a lot of grain, adding as little extra omega-6 as possible is important to maintain the best ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.

Traditional fat supplements for horses tend to be extremely high in omega-6s (corn oil is in the region of 1:58 omega-3 to omega-6, and sunflower seeds contain almost exclusively omega-6). Flax seeds and flaxseed oil are essentially the only traditional fat source for horses containing more omega-3 than omega-6.

Vegetable sources such as flax contain short-chain omega-3 fatty acids, while fish oil contains long-chain versions. The body is not very efficient at converting short-chain omega-3 fatty acids to the more desirable long-chain ones, so feeding fish oil allows the long-chain fatty acids to be given directly in the most desirable form.

For all of these reasons, I was very interested to try Equine Omega Complete when I was asked to review it. Equine Omega Complete contains mechanically-expelled soybean oil, human-grade deepwater fish oil, 3000 IU of Vitamin E per daily dose and all eight essential amino acids. I chose two different horses with different needs to see what a month's worth of Equine Omega Complete could do.

Horse A, a thoroughbred, is a fairly difficult keeper who always has a shiny coat but tends to have dry skin, and she is very particular about what she eats. Horse B, a warmblood, will generally eat anything, and suffered this spring from a dull coat.

My initial concern was whether or not the horses would even eat something containing fish oil. I was shocked when my picky eater ate an entire daily dose of Equine Omega Complete in just a small amount of grain without hesitation! The second horse enjoys his Equine Omega Complete so much that he will eat an entire daily dose out of his feed tub with no grain at all. Both horses became more vocal than usual at dinner time while they were on the supplement and clearly enjoyed eating it.

The top photo shows Horse A's weight
on day 1 of Equine Omega Complete,
while the bottom photo shows her
condition after finishing a month of
Equine Omega Complete and
after three weeks of horse shows!

The supplement is very easy to use and my supply came with a convenient measuring cup to give an accurate daily dose. I tried feeding it all at once as well as splitting it into two doses per day, and didn't find much of a difference in terms of results or feed tub leftovers between the two methods. I did find that this supplement didn't pour quite as cleanly (it is quite thick) as other oils that I've used, but the person responsible for feeding the second horse didn't find hers messy so perhaps it depends on your pouring technique. I'm told that Equine Omega Complete now comes with a pump and I suspect that makes it even easier and cleaner to administer.

As far as results go, horse A finished the month shinier than she has ever been, more than she ever was on ground flax or black oil sunflower seeds. While her skin is still on the dry side, it doesn't seem as flaky as it used to be and she has held her weight far better than she usually would through the first few shows of the year.

Horse B has finally developed the deep shine to his coat that has been elusive all year until now.

Neither horse seemed to get "hot" while on the supplement.

It would have been interesting to see whether there were any other improvements visible over a longer period, but over the short term I think that the supplement did all that it could be expected to do. You can read about all of the potential benefits at www.o3animalhealth.com

The only real downside to the product is that it is more expensive than many of the more commonly-used (but high omega-6) oils, but from what I can tell it is similarly-priced to flaxseed oil.

If you are looking for a complete oil supplement to feed to your horse, I would certainly recommend Equine Omega Complete for consideration. While I don't like to promote any one product as a "must have", I can say that it seems to do what it's intended to do and would be a very good option.

Another great thing about Equine Omega Complete is that they give away a free bottle of product every month on their website! Head over there and enter your e-mail address for a chance to win!

Disclosure: I have received no financial compensation for writing this review aside from a sample or copy of the product to be reviewed. My reviews are always my honest opinion and experience. Readers who use reviewed products do so at their own risk.

¹ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00287.x/abstract;jsessionid=EF1A2D58889844640C29E4DF88AB740A.f02t04

² http://pas.fass.org/content/25/2/155.short

³ http://www.journalofanimalscience.org/content/87/9/2961

Dream Horse Studios Giveaway Winner

We can now reveal the winner of the Dream Horse Studios giveaway, chosen at random from 119 entries!

Congratulations, Anne G.!

Anne, you should find an e-mail in your inbox letting you know how to receive your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, as well as to Dream Horse Studios for sponsoring it. 

Dream Horse Studios Giveaway Reminder

Just a reminder that the Dream Horse Studios $75 gift certificate giveaway contest is running until November 6, and you can enter every day until then for additional chances to win by sharing the giveaway or Kickstarter campaign.

I have heard a rumour from a very reliable source that the thank-you note included in the Kickstarter rewards for donations above $10 might include a coupon for a very significant discount on your next purchase from Dream Horse Studios. With their products already at extremely reasonable prices, donating to the Kickstarter campaign could be a way to get yourself a new pair of horse boots, or a bridle, or a halter, etc., at a cost significantly below what you would pay at a tack shop or any online store.

The giveaway post is here

And you can go directly to the Dream Horse Studios Kickstarter campaign here

Giveaway Time, Courtesy of Dream Horse Studios!

This is a very exciting post because it marks our very first giveaway contest on this blog! Read to the end to find out how you can win a $75 gift certificate to spend at Dream Horse Studios just by sharing!

Frequent readers of this blog are probably aware that I don't like to mention brand names. The important thing is to have clean, conservative, well-fitted tack and clothing rather than a particular "stylish" brand. Having said that, there are still some brands that tend to be particularly suitable for showing or that are good to know about for their value and innovation. Today's post involves the latter.

Dream Horse Studios takes a different approach to tack, with a focus on quality, good design and affordable prices, while at the same time offering options for those wanting something that stands out. I've been drooling over their Calypso boots, an outer shell in a choice of conservative colours (patent or leather, it's up to you) with a coloured calfskin lining in your choice of five fun colours to give the appearance of piping when they're worn. Imagine boots with the same colour of lining as the trim on your saddle pad and fly bonnet!

The Calypso boots in patent leather with red lining

If it's a classic look you have in mind, several models are available for you to choose from at prices below what you might expect to pay at a tack shop, and made from English leather, to boot (no pun intended!).

Cambridge leather jumping boots

They also make extremely colourful boots that would be fun for schooling, as well as a variety of other products ranging from beaded halters, belts and dog collars to bridles and decorative browbands.

A rainbow of fleece-lined Carnivale boots

Dream Horse Studios has now taken to Kickstarter to raise funds for an expansion of their product line to include a complete selection of bridles, girths, breastcollars, and more.

Donations start at only $1, and there are fantastic reward packages available. At $50, for example, you will receive a beaded leather bracelet with a custom engraved stainless steel or brass charm. For $100 you can receive a padded leather stable halter in your choice of size and colour; how often can you even purchase a padded leather halter for that without also helping a promising new business? To top that off, for just $25 more, you will receive a raised leather halter in the colour of your choice complete with a custom engraved name plate!

Additional rewards include sets of boots, bridles, show sheets, shipping boots, girths, breastcollars and more! How often does a Kickstarter campaign offer rewards at prices that are similar to what you might pay for something in-store?

Check out the campaign here!

Now to the even more fun part, the giveaway! In exchange for spreading the word about their Kickstarter campaign, Dream Horse Studios would like to offer you a $75 gift certificate, valid on any of their products. All you have to do is share it in one or more ways, and you can share it daily for extra entries! For an additional entry, you can also "like" Dream Horse Studios on Facebook and keep up to date on their goings-on.

We'll be using Rafflecopter for the giveaway. If you aren't familar with it, it's a way of keeping track of your entries and randomly drawing a winner. You can sign in either with your name and e-mail or with your Facebook account. I will only e-mail you if you have won the gift certificate.

Each day, you'll have three options for sharing the Kickstarter campaign, and you can use anywhere from one to all three options every day. "Liking" Dream Horse Studios on Facebook is good for one additional entry to the contest only once during the contest period.

Entries will close at 12:00 a.m. on November 6, 2013, the final day of the Dream Horse Studios Kickstarter campaign. The winner will be revealed on November 7.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

November 7th: Congratulations to the winner of the giveaway, Anne G.!