With the legalisation of hemp in many states, farmers are becoming more interested in the plant’s versatility and potential in the equine marketplace. The surprising part is that though 67% of U.S. adults support marijuana legalisation, there is little knowledge about hemp and its surrounding topics.
In this blog, we have discussed all you need to know about hemp for horses.
What Is Hemp?
Scientifically, hemp is a specific type of cannabis known as Cannabis sativa L. People have used hemp seeds for centuries as food and oil, while flower-extracted CBD is used in skin care products, among many others. Moreover, hemp stalk is used to manufacture textiles or develop biofuels – considering so many uses of hemp – it is regarded as one of the most versatile plants.
Hemp contains low levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – an intoxicating Phyto cannabinoid, and high levels of the non-intoxicating Phyto cannabinoid Cannabidiol (CBD).
Is hemp a good choice for horses?
The hemp plant, if grown for seed and fiber, is similar to other traditional grain crops. The tops are grown for seeds, while the remaining part is harvested for fiber.
Hemp for horses is a great choice because it is palatable and highly digestible while having multiple nutrients and health benefits. You can feed your horse hemp through seeds, oil, or protein to gain healthy fats and essential fatty acids.
As horses can not synthesize essential fatty acids (EFA) on their own, they need to rely on other dietary sources to meet their nutritional requirements. Hemp contains the two most biologically relevant EFAs, α-linolenic acid (omega-3) and linoleic acid (omega-6), that play a major role in building a stronger immune system, central nervous system, and cell membrane structure, among many other benefits.
Moreover, the ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (1:3) is more beneficial to horses than the ratio in soybeans and other horse meal products. Hemp also contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that supports anti-inflammatory processes in horses.
As a horse owner, you must understand the subtle difference between hemp oil and cannabidiol (CBD) oil. Hemp oil is extracted from hemp seeds, whereas CBD oil can be extracted from other types of cannabis plants that may contain higher levels of THC. Thus, it is important to read labels while buying hemp for horses.
Here is the list of benefits of hemp for horses:
- It Improves the horse’s coat with essential fatty acids like omega-6 and omega-3,
- It contains healthy fats and protein that help with digestion,
- Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in horse oil improves horses’ insulin, metabolism, and inflammatory response while promoting healthy brain functioning,
- Improves joint function and resiliency along with hoof health,
- Aids in producing offspring by increasing sperm quality in stallions,
- In pregnant horses, it improves the foal’s immune system,
- Reduces anxiety and stress during stall confinement and traveling shows,
- Heals ulcers and leaky gut,
- Faster recovery from surgery or injury, &
- Increases calories without the concern of laminitis in insulin-resistant horses.
Considering all the benefits mentioned above, we can clearly see that feeding hemp to your horse with hemp boosts a horse’s overall health and performance.
Types of Hemp for Horses Products:
Hemp for horses is mainly available in three forms: oil, pellets, and powder. The dosage of hemp products for hemp may vary based on the form and weight of your horse.
Hemp oils are a source of energy and essential fatty acids for your horses. You can provide hemp oil to your horse one ounce twice a day, and if your horses are high-performance, they may need 2-3 ounces twice a day.
For hemp pellets, you can feed two tablespoons (15 grams) of hemp, whereas, for horse powder, most people use one serving per day containing 3 tablespoons or 30 grams. Talking about hemp seeds, you can feed them grounded or hemp with a typical dosage of ½ to 2 cups per day.
Nutritional values of Hemp Seeds:
Here is the value of Hemp Seeds per 1 ounce (28g)
| Calories (Total) | 161(674 kJ) |
| Calories From Fat | 110(461 kJ) |
| Calories From Protein | 37.0(155 kJ) |
| Total Carbohydrate | 3.3g |
| Sugars | 0.9g |
| Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) | 15.4mg |
| Protein | 9.2g |
| Calcium | 20.0mg |
| Iron | 3.9mg |
| Magnesium | 300mg |
| Phosphorus | 405mg |
| Zinc | 5.0mg |
| Copper | 0.1mg |
| Manganese | 2.8mg |
Seeing the above table, we can see that hemp seed contains all the required nutritional value for horses, supporting their overall health and performance capacities.
According to the FEI and other national federations, why is hemp still banned?
Considering International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) they have banned hemp because horses will test positive even for a small amount of hemp that may not have significant physiological effects. Moreover, there is no strong data showing the line between insignificant and performance-enhancing results, making their job even more difficult.
As far as national regulatory bodies are concerned, a panel of European scientists published an article in 2011 that restricted the whole hemp plant-derived feed materials for animal nutritional purposes as likely to affect the performance of a horse due to its reported anxiolytic effects.
Can hemp for horses be used for medicinal purposes?
Hemp has been used for medicinal purposes for humans and animals for many years now as the cannabis plant has two principal compounds and over 200 minor constituents. The two major compounds in cannabis – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol are commonly used for recreational and medicinal purposes.
As THC and cannabidiol (CBD) are significantly effective for many types of chronic pain, psychiatric disorders, and cancer, many states have legalised them.
The major reason hemp for horses can be used for medicinal purposes is its significant soothing effect on the nervous system without any cognition or psychological “imbalance” like THC.
Another reason why hemp can be used for medicinal purposes is because of its nutrition. Hemp seeds are the most nutritious part of the plant, with about 20% protein, 6% carbohydrates, and about 73% healthy fats. Not only that, but hemp seed also has enormous amounts of calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A and E.
While most horses’ diets contain a higher omega 6, hemp is well-known for having a healthy balance of omega-6 linolenic acid and omega-3 linoleic acid.
Medically, CBD is being used for multiple conditions like arthritis, laminitis, anxiety, ulcers, obesity, and autoimmune syndromes.
Keeping all the medicinal properties and nutritional values, hemp certainly can be used for medicinal purposes for horses.
Why so much fuss about hemp?
To understand why there is so much fuss about hemp, we need to have a detailed look at the classification of living organisms.
Scientists classify living organisms by their similarities. In the cannabis genus, there are several species, including Sativa, Indica, and Ruderalis, along with multiple strains and cultivars.
Some of these strains and cultivars contain THC – known as marijuana, while some don’t contain THC – known as hemp. In other words, despite being in the same family, hemp and marijuana have different genetic compositions.
All the fuss and confusion about hemp is because of a previous law that classified all the genus cannabis plants as illegal, whether they contained THC or not.
Additionally, hemp production is an unregulated industry in the U.S. as of now, which further makes this topic controversial.
How to feed hemp to horses?
Once you have found your horse powder, you need to find ways to feed it to your horse. There are two common ways to feed your horse:
- Mix hemp seeds or powder in their regular food,
- Administering hemp oil directly under their tongue.
If your horse is injured, you can make them a hemp seed cake by grinding the whole hemp seeds and removing fat by straining the oil with cheesecloth. Now, press the cake with some regular horse feed and store it in a sealed container. Make sure you keep the cake out of direct sunlight for a longer shelf-life.
Conclusion:
Hemp is indeed a great source of required fiber and nutrients for horses, and with the legalisation of hemp, there will be enormous opportunities for the equine market and products. Keeping the current unregulated field of hemp in mind, it is important to read the labels of the products before buying.
Moreover, if your horse is competing in shows of some states and at any level, ensure the products you’re using won’t lead to a positive result on a banned substance test.
