O3 Animal Health chooses organic, non-gmo soybean oil as our main ingredient in our 4 products and we’d like to share why.

99% of soybeans used in the United States are not organic and are genetically modified. In addition to that, the vast majority of soybean oil is chemically or heat processed. The Omega-3 fatty acids in soybeans are easily damaged by this kind of processing.

We use only organic, non-gmo, soybean oil.

More importantly, the oil we produce is mechanically expeller or cold pressed. This kind of processing is critical in retaining the good antioxidants in the plant. Cold pressed, unrefined soybean oil has a vast array of beneficial antioxidant effects.

If you’re feeding any type of oil and it does not specifically state that is it expeller pressed, it is most likely chemically or heat processed. Cold pressed oils tend to be higher in quality as more of their essential fatty acids and natural antioxidants are left intact in comparison to heat or chemically processed oils.

O3 Animal Health doesn’t use flaxseed or flaxseed oil in our products. While flaxseed has a very good Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio, it oxidizes very quickly after processing, which can diminish its effectiveness and become rancid, especially if it is heat or chemically processed so if you currently feed flaxseed or flax oil be sure to check that out.

Plant sources of Omega-3 contain the essential fatty acid called ALA. This needs to be converted into two elements called EPA and DHA in order to be effective. Horses can convert them but the conversion rate is not very efficient.

Fish oil is a direct source of EPA and DHA. There is no conversion necessary.

Multiple studies have shown that fish oil is an excellent source of Omega 3’s for horses. In fact some studies show it as the best source.

Equine Omega Complete contains human grade, deep water, wild caught fish oil as one its’ ingredients.

You might wonder will my horse eat it?

99.99% of horses love our products. They literally lick the bowl the clean and our product has no added flavoring.

So just how important is Vitamin E for the horse?

Actually, Vitamin E plays several important roles. It helps in normal muscle function. It acts as a powerful antioxidant to protect the horse’s cell membranes and helps ward off disease.

Horses that don’t get enough Vitamin E can suffer from fatigue, damage of muscle and nervous systems. They can have skin issues and just overall poor performance.  This, in turn, can lead to a decrease in the horse’s immune system, diminished muscle and even lameness.

This is especially true for horses that get a lot of exercise, due to the fact that exercise can induce oxidative stress and further lower the horse’s Vitamin E levels.

Horses that are traveling and competing may also need additional Vitamin E support for their immune function and overall performance.

Recent studies have shown that unless a horse is fed entirely fresh green grass, it’s likely that they may have a vitamin E deficiency.

While Alfalfa and quality grass hays are good sources, but between 30 and 80% of the vitamin E content is lost between cutting, baling and storage.

So how much vitamin E is needed? Research suggests that horses may need a much higher amount than was previously thought.

In fact, there was a recent study at the University of Kentucky that found that study horses that were given 800IU’s of vitamin E per day didn’t maintain their optimum blood and muscle vitamin E levels.

Equine Omega Complete has 1,200 IU’s of all natural vitamin E per daily dose.  Why is all natural vitamin E important?

It’s because natural sources of vitamin E have as much as six times more bioavailability for the horse than synthetic versions. If your supplement doesn’t specifically state that the vitamin E in it is all natural, it is mostly like synthetic.

It’s important to note that Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin… so needs to be fed with fat in order for it to be effective for the horse. Equine Omega Complete’s healthy fat is an excellent partner in this.

It’s helpful for horses with high energy requirements to reduce their grain amount and supplement with fat. Fat supplementation has shown to be very helpful in treating PSSM horses. Vegetable fats are 95% digestible in the horse and almost all of it is absorbed in small intestine, which is ideal and it is preferable that oils be “Cold Pressed” not “Solvent Extracted”

Cold pressed oils higher in quality as more of their essential fatty acids and natural antioxidants are left intact in comparison to solvent extracted oils. If you currently use an Omega oil and it does not specifically state that it is cold or expeller pressed, it is most likely heat or chemically processed. This kind of processing destroys the delicate essential fatty acids and antioxidants, rendering those products must less useful for the horse. In addition to this, many high fat performance grains are also very high in Omega-6’s and chemically processed.