do supplements help horse color

[bigbaytb]

I do use supplements for my horses (depending on the horse) for Joints, weight, digestive, etc.

I see supplements out for color. My horses get about 24/7 turn out (lots of trees and rolling hills) when the weather is warm. My black mare did bleach out last summer when I moved to this barn. She was always black. My other bay has also lightened up some too.

I don't do summer turn out sheets..and really never have worried about color since it doesn't affect performance.

But I was wondering if supplements can really keep or improve a horse's color, or if nothing works accept good nutrition and staying out of the sun?

[CrossWinds81]

I know several people who swear by paprika...that is the main ingredient in those color boosting supplements. Just give a few tablespoons/feeding. Feeding freshly ground/soaked flax seed is also great for getting the best out of a coat.

[joiedevie99]

The blackening supplements with paprika do help, but paprika tests so you cannot show on it. I stick with a UV fly sheet.

[bigbaytb]

interesting. How long does paprika stay in the system? Is it something that if you stop a week from the show will still test?

I was thinking of adding flaxseed to the diet. Does soaking/crushing the flaxseed make it more digestable? I'm not sure if the BO will do that. He is very good about giving the supps, but not sure if he'll soak the food. (he did though when my horse had an injury to his tongue, so he's not heartless LOL).

[mickeydoodle]

You cannot influence coat color with supplements- if you could there would be no aisle in the drug store filled with hundreds of boxes of Clairol Living Color.

[JB]

You CAN influence the pigment longevity by providing the right nutrition. In my case, it's a matter of adding copper and zinc. My soil, therefore the forage, is high in iron, and that acts to inhibit copper intake, which then affects zinc intake.

My black still fades - he's a fading black. But without the added cu/zn, he turns buckskin. With it he gets red highlights :lol:

[bigbaytb]

I've heard of the copper deficiencies, so I do make sure they are getting minerals for that and will see how that works.

Flaxseed seem to have so many benefits that I don't know why I don't feed it. LOL. Many of the supps I use have flaxseed, and since i'm trying to get rid of supps (aka not over supp) then maybe this will be a good way to go.

snow on the ground and they are already shedding! guess the added sun is helping out! yay


thanks all!

[JoZ]

If your barn would prefer not to do extra work of grinding flax seed (understandable) you can grind it and bring it in baggies, but I have heard that it shouldn't be done too far in advance. I don't know if it goes bad or just loses its value.

I feed Nutra-Flax (http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/Products/nutraflax.htm). Easy as pie and awesome customer service! Already balanced and stabilized.

[JB]

If you grind flax yourself, it should be used immediately, as it immediately starts losing nutrition. You CAN grind and store it in the fridge for a week or two, but that just slows the rancid process, not the loss of nutrition.

Just feed it whole if whole is what you can get - horses DO digest it :)

One doesn't need to worry about balancing flax - you don't feed enough of it to upset any existing "balance" :)