Essential, But Not Equal: The Omega-3 Guide for Horses
You will find many articles on the importance of Omega 3's in relation to joint health as well as studies on the impact of Omega 3's on inflammation and osteoarthritis. But not all Omega 3's are created equal! The specific Omega 3's relevant to those studies are DHA and EPA. Linseed (a common source of Omega 3's for horses) contains another form of Omega 3's called ALA and the body's ability to convert this to DHA is very poor.
There are very few joint supplements that contain DHA because it is one of the most expensive ingredients in the formulation! Make sure you check which form of Omega 3's are included in your joint supplement to ensure your horse is getting the best. Our consultant nutritionist has written a great article on the importance of Omega 3's and specifically DHA:
Equell Ultraflex – What’s in a name?
by Jennifer Little
RNutr
When trying to select feeds for our horses, deciphering what the ingredients are (as listed in the composition) can sometimes feel like a bit of a mine field. I have heard many times the misconception that if an ingredient is hard to pronounce or is one that you may not have heard of, then it must be bad. This is not necessarily the case, and in many cases such an ingredient could be exactly what you are looking for. This article will hopefully demonstrate this by exploring one such preferable inclusion within Equell Ultraflex.
Equell Ultraflex contains Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA for short. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid, which produces reduced levels of inflammatory reactions (Geor et al 2013). But why is this important? Owners of harder working horses are generally more inclined to want to ensure that they are supporting their horses’ joints (Jackson 2025). These are the same horses that due to their work levels are more likely to require higher inclusions of hard feeds, which often results in higher intakes of omega-6 fatty acids and lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids (Geor et al 2013). Higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratios have been shown to increase inflammatory responses, such inflammatory responses are the pathway of osteoarthritis (OA). The supplementation of DHA has been shown to down regulate this inflammatory process (Calder 2017).
Supplementation of DHA in humans and dogs with OA has resulted in decreased inflammation and improvements in clinical signs. In horse’s, supplementation of 3g DHA per day, as per the daily serving included in Equell Ultraflex, has been shown to integrate this anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid into a horse’s joints. Contributing to improved lubrication and reduced inflammatory status. This has the potential to resolve inflammatory pathways involved in arthritis and improve joint function (Christmann et al 2021).
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References
Christmann, U. et al. Dynamics of DHA and EPA supplementation: incorporation into equine plasma, synovial fluid, and surfactant glycerophosphocholines. Metabolomics, [s. l.], v. 17, n. 5, p. 1–10, 2021. Dynamics of DHA and EPA supplementation: incorporation into equine plasma, synovial fluid, and surfactant glycerophosphocholines - PubMed
Calder, P.C 2017Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: from molecules to man. Biochemical Society Transactions, 45, 1105-1115
Geor, R.J., Harris, P.J., Coenen, M. Equine Applied and Clinical Nutrition. Saunders 2013 p. 143-144
JACKSON, A. The factors that influence owners’ choices to use an oral joint supplement within their show jumping horse’s diet. [s. l.], 2022.
