- Search
Veterinary research into the Omega Feeding Concept
Dr David Ives consults to Omega Feeds and oversees Omega Feeds' research and development programs. Following is an extract from his research paper on the benefits of Omega's Feeds' food, based around its "no-grain" formula.
The Omega Feeding Concept
By Dr. David Ives B.V.Sc., B. Com., M.S.
Omega Feeds has established an excellent name in the market for recreational horse feeds and supplements. The concept of a fibrous horse feed other than a traditional feed like lucerne (as opposed to grain-based feeds) gives the feed range unique differentiation.
The task of any person who designs a horse feed is to ensure the feed contains enough energy to maintain body weight under conditions of work load. Traditionally, this has been achieved for working or competitive horses by using concentrated feeds like grains - barley, corn, or oats. Fibrous feeds are generally bulky, and this requires feeding several times a day - an inconvenience for a recreational horse owner.
This is the reason owners use grains - with their concentrated power of starch - to meet energy needs. The difficulty with grains is well known: the risk of laminitis, tying up or myositis, stomach ulcers, and behavioural issues like "firing up".
But - by adding a concentrated source of feed like an oilseed - with 2.25 times the energy of starch on a weight-for-weight basis - feed blenders can make up for the lack of starch and consider excluding grain all together.
The product mix consists of a flagship product No-Grain Gold which is a supplement for pasture or grain-based diets; No-Grain Blue, which can be used similarly but is designed to be a complete feed when mixed with Lucerne; Weight Gain, a supplement used to maintain or increase body weight; MaxiCoat, a supplement used to shine coats, add body weight, and soften hooves; a supplement used for show cattle.
New Knowledge about Equine Digestive Physiology
Several items of new information from the world of research have combined to give us an understanding as to why Omega Feeds have established a firm place in the market. They all relate to the nature of horse digestive physiology and behaviour, and are as follows:
Laminitis (Founder)
Research has shown that non-fibre carbohydrates are fermented in the equine stomach, in much the same way that the rumen ferments feeds in ruminants. This was not thought to occur in horses, and is a surprising new development in our understanding of equine digestive physiology. The result of fermentation is excessive acidity (lactic acid) and damage to the lining of the stomach. Undigested starch and other non-fibre carbohydrates (complex plant sugars) find their way undigested into the colon of the horse, again creating a situation of fermentation, lactic acid, and damage to the gut lining. This allows toxins (and in the worst case, micro-organisms) into the body's circulation, activating protease enzymes in the hoof and causing laminitis. Non-concentrate feeds like the No- Grain family of feeds do not permit this to happen, and evidence from the marketplace would agree with this.
Gastric Ulcers
It is now coming to light that the reason so many athletic horses train, eat, and perform erratically is related to the presence of gastric ulcers produced by excessive acidity when fermentation of carbohydrates occurs in the equine stomach. These horses are sometimes closely stabled, bored, fed concentrates, and seldom mix with other horses.
Stable Vices
It is now realised that horses are social animals which graze continuously in herds or social groupings. The life of the herd is one focussed on social activities and the search for food (which is always fibrous, i.e. grasses). It is hardly surprising then that horses removed from their natural environment, placed in stables away from the herd companionship, eating concentrate feeds which are consumed in short periods of time, and developing diseases like laminitis, trying up, and gastric ulcers - should also develop "stable vices". These are stereotypic behaviours which comfort the horse during periods of boredom or anxiety, and include crib biting, wind sucking and weaving. The role of fibrous feeds in preventing these vices from forming is now being appreciated by researchers of equine behaviour.
