Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Groats-Based Mixed Feed Supplements

Over the years I have occasionally been asked about linseed grain as feed for horses. There was little known and always was the concerned that unprocessed linseed had a toxic component. Here is a good paper on supplementing horse feed (13 oz. groats / 1000 lb bodyweight daily) with a processed linseed groat. Groats are a whole grain that retains the endosperm, the germ, and the bran, thus preserving all of the nutrition. The groat supplement was found to improve digestibility of the other feed stuffs and help lower starches in the diet. No adverse effects were found.
DrO
PS There are some reasonably priced nearly 100% processed whole grain supplements manufactured for horses on the market.

Animals (Basel). 2020 Feb 10;10(2).
Effect of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Groats-Based Mixed Feed Supplements on Diet Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Parameters of Horses.
Saastamoinen M1, Särkijärvi S1.

Author information:
1. Production Systems, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), FI-31600 Jokioinen, Finland.
Abstract

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) and its by-products are common supplements used in equine diets and are claimed to have beneficial health effects. In this study, the effect of linseed groat-based fibrous feed supplements on diet digestibility was studied. Also, possible detrimental health effects due to continuous feeding of supplemental feeds containing linseed were examined by evaluating blood parameters. The experimental design was arranged as two balanced 3 × 3 Latin Squares. The horses were individually fed at the maintenance energy level, the forage-to-concentrate ratio being 70:30, with three diets: (A) Control diet consisting of dried hay and whole oats; (B) Control diet + Feed 1; and (C) Control diet + Feed 2. Feed 1 contained 70% of linseed groats, 15% dried carrot, 10% dried garlic and 5% molasses. Feed 2 contained 65% linseed groats, 15% molassed sugar-beet pulp, 10% dried garlic, 5% dried carrot and 5% molasses. Digestibility data were obtained by using chromium mordanted straw as an indigestible external marker for the estimation of apparent digestibility. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at the end of each feeding period to evaluate the possible effects of the supplemented diets B and C on the health of the horses. Diets B and C had a higher digestibility of crude protein compared to the control diet A (p < 0.05). In addition, the digestibility of ether extract was higher in the supplemented diets than in the basal feeding (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences or trends (p > 0.05) in the blood parameters between the treatments. It is concluded that linseed groat-based supplements (offering approximately 6.3%-6.7% linseed groats in the diet’s dry matter (DM), or 0.8 g/kg BW/d), and feed containing soluble fibre sources (sugar-beet pulp, dehydrated carrot), improved the crude protein and fat digestibility of hay-oats diets of horses, and can be used, for example, in feeding strategies replacing grains in the horse rations in order to reduce the intake of starch without any adverse effects on the blood parameters and health of the horses.