It's October and pumpkins are trending, so we want to share what pumpkins did for a special equine Cinderella story of our own.
One of our favorite clients, a bluegrass pasture pony, started battling tricky fungal issues in the mid-August months. These stubborn organisms were more ruthless than any evil stepmother! They would not go away no matter what we tried. After 3 weeks of daily antimicrobial baths and popular topicals, our sweet boy still suffered.
Enter our fairy godmother: Enviro Equine.
They recommended a plant based Omega 3 oil to support a healthy inflammatory and immune response. Equine Omegabalance contains camelina oil varietals & pumpkin seed oil to enhance skin, joints and movement. The label lists these benefits:
+ Gastrointestinal Support
+ Inflammatory Support
+ Seasonal Allergy Support
+ Omega 3, 6, and 9 Fatty Acids
+ Natural Vitamins
We thought, why not? We knew that pumpkin seed oil was a natural anti-parasitic. We suspected that this horse had special nutritional needs because his pasture mates remained fungus-free. We noticed changes after only 5 days. His hair was regrowing and he had decreased skin inflammation! After 2 weeks many fungal scars had cleared up. His tail was thicker and his coat had changed into a shiny dark copper. He proved to be significantly healthier after only three weeks. See some before and after pictures below.
Pumpkin seed oil contains carotenoids, which support skin health. It is also a noted antioxidant. Camelina oil has been gaining popularity over the past few years. Although fish oil is superior in providing omega fatty acids, horses may prefer the flavors of pumpkin and camelina. Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., an equine nutritionist at Kentucky Equine Research (KER) states: "With the average equine diet tending to be higher in omega-6s, finding ways to balance out the omegas by adding some omega-3s has spurred the special interest in camelina oil”.
We have heard many riders, trainers, and horse owners rave about this product, and now we know why. We plan to continue feeding him 2 ounces of oil every day over the winter. We have also started feeding the oil to his pasture buddies to help bolster their immune systems for the tough weather challenges ahead.
The goal here was to rid our client of fungal outbreaks, but the BONUS was watching him transform into a gorgeous creature straight out of a fairytale.