1. Cynthia09/07/2005 17:40:56

Hi Jessica. I live at 5600' in CO and my horses have no shelter from the sun..and their coats are sparkly. They will adapt. Flax seed (I buy it and grind it fresh each day) does give the coat an extra "wet" look. The active ingredient in CI's "coat enhancers" is paprika - on darker animals a tsp of paprika will keep them darker - it does work. But mine never fade, so I don't bother. Flax is good for them in other ways though so I feed it.

2. FLORA09/11/2005 20:13:46

Hi Jessica! Flax seed is good, but there is a certain amount of ...cyanide in it. If you want to make the dangerous effects of this added element neutralized, you just put your flax seed in boiling water. That way you do not need to grind it. It will soften and turn into a slimy porridge that the horses LOVE. THe seeds swell and the hard skin becomes soft. Starting at noon, I just take a bucket of dry shredded Beet pulp, and add my Flax seeds to that, then pour the boiling water for the beets over the top, and make sure its covered by a few inches or more, of boiling water at first. I stir it, then cover this with a towel, and forget about it until dinnertime for the horses at 6:30-7 pm. The horses love it, and the shredded beets take extra water into the GI tract, and keep them hydrated in hot humid weather, some even add electrolytes. The flax has Omega-3 fatty acids in it. If you just want to feed the flax it takes about ten minutes to prepare. Flax, bucket, boiling water, Towel. Stir with sweat scraper if you dont have a spoon Anyway, there ya go. I think Heather or Linda has even seen me do this. But its hot out here, in August, and I cannot afford vet bills for colic, so a little simple prevention through diet is to be preferred. Otherwise, I AGREE ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS, GOOD FODDER (and plenty of it) IS ALWAYS BEST. I'd try flax before the Black as Night. Many horse people keeps their black horses out of the direct sun, and turn them out at night, early morning, or afternoon. Its the SWEAT staying on the body that bleaches the hairs in the sun. Flax add oil to the hair shaft and skin, which somewhat protects it. I'm betting the humidity which makes it hard for sweat to dry, is partially to blame. I was worried about you with all the rough weather. Glad to see you guys and your beautiful horses have all made it through ok. FLORA