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Discussion on Boiled flax?
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 2, 2004 - 9:22 am:
Hi, all,
Lori's post about ground flax reminded me of something I saw several years ago.
Some guys (British, I think) were feeding their horses some warm soup.
The ingredients in the soup were some seeds and a homemade, I believe, brownish powder. They said it's for the hooves.
Could this be flax?
Has anybody seen this soup thing around?
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 2, 2004 - 2:55 pm:
Probably linseed (=flax). Wonderful stuff. The real old boys will tell you the most fattening thing you can give a horse which is not in good condition is boiled barley and linseed (you only use a tiny amount of the linseed).
Mind you, if done properly it looks more like a sludge or porridge than a soup.
I used it one winter when I was competing a horse which used to lose condition if kept in/on hay. It was brilliant and also the shine on the coat from the linseed was wonderful. Mind you it's a pain in the a*** doing all the boiling unless you have the old-fashioned farmhouse stove on all the time which fortunately we do...
All the best
Imogen
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 2, 2004 - 4:50 pm:
Thanks, Imogen,
Yes, it looked thicker than a soup. Sludge describes it well.
I don't think there was barley in it, not that I remember anyway, and the seeds looked definitely very much like linseed.
This was supplement, not actual feed, each horse was getting something like 1/2 liter.
I think that it was not just throwing things in a pot with water and boiling them, there seemed to be a procedure to it.
I'd be grateful for more details.
Christos
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2004 - 10:25 am:
We used to use about 1 ounce (or two tablespoons) to about a pint of boiling water poured over in a dish, then stirred and left to cool (it forms a sort of jelly), then added to the rest of the feed, I think. I'll look it up in my trusty BHS stable management book and post again later.
Imogen
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2004 - 3:20 pm:
Hi Christos,
The brown powdery substance you refer to may have been bran with the flax seed added. The boiling or the grinding of the flax seed helps break down the coating of the seed in order to make it digestively useful. Look up flax seed, flax oil or boiled flax on your search engine and see what you yield. It will keep you reading for days and then some. It will be interesting to see Imogen's recipe though.
Some horses will think they have died and gone to heaven when you give them this warm soup or porridge. Mine does  .
Susan B.
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2004 - 3:34 pm:
Silly me, you're right, Susan, I haven't looked it up.
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2004 - 4:45 pm:
Not silly at all Christos. I frequently look up unfamiliar substances that come up on this board to see what gives. Sometimes though, the secrets of the old masters might not be available on the internet.
Susan B.
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 4, 2004 - 10:39 am:
Hi again Christos.
I had forgotten about soaking it. You have to soak flax/linseed for 2-6 hours (I used to do it overnight) and then you have to boil or simmer it for 1-2 hours. This is very important as raw flax contains prussic acid aka cyanide.
Aftert soaking I used to bung it in with the barley to boil it but people also add it to a bran mash in which case you must boil it beforehand since bran mash is not usually boiled, just steeped in hot water.
So I would use a couple of tablespoons soaked in a bowl of water (maybe half a litre to a litre) overnight then simmer. It should form a pale golden jelly containing the seeds. You stir it into the bran before pouring over the boiling water to make bran mash.
It does rather make them crap though, even if you put it with barley instead of bran. Just a warning... I would tend to give it in the morning so the horses would be out in the pasture and I wouldn't have so much stable cleaning to do!
Imogen
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 4, 2004 - 4:39 pm:
Thanks a million, Imogen,
I'll give it a try with my little one, and see how it goes.
I read that it also helps prevent sand colic, which is a big concern around here.
That is if I manage to get some seeds, as they prove to be rather rare in our area.
All the best,
Christos
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 4, 2004 - 5:31 pm:
Christos, you could try some of your local bakeries and see if they have flax seed. It is used in a lot of breads, pastries etc. Ask where they get it from.
Hope this helps.
Susan B.
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Friday, Nov 5, 2004 - 6:25 am:
I'll do that, Susan, thanks.
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Friday, Nov 5, 2004 - 7:30 am:
Christos, we usually get it from health food stores. If you can't find some email me with your address and I'll post you some (it's not expensive).
All the best
Imogen
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Member:
Maggienm
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Posted on Friday, Nov 5, 2004 - 8:29 am:
I have never heard that you have to boil flax before feeding it. I wonder how toxic raw flax is? What effects would it have on the horse?
I have fed a 50lb bag of crushed flax last winter.
I buy it at the local feed store.
Come to think of it we sprinkle raw flax on our salads and I add it to bread dough and other things. Mat rhe flax that is bought for human consumption is treated/preboiled?
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Friday, Nov 5, 2004 - 8:46 am:
You're wonderful, Imogen, thank you.
I'll find some sooner or later, there's no rush.
Christos
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