Does anyone know of a way to prepare biotin for horses from natural sources? I supplement my horse with a commercial product but am looking to save some money. He now gets 20 mg/day.

-- Betsy Young (equinoctial@earthlink.net), February 20, 2002

Answers

Found this and it may help you arrive at an answer: ANVIL Magazine, April, 1996 , http://www.horseshoes.com/advice/biotin/nhfnhr-b.htm “There are two sources of biotin in your horse's diet - from their food and from biotin produced by the natural bacteria which aid in digestion. Opportunities for biotin deficiencies in your horse's diet depend on the content of feed ingredients, the natural form in which the biotin occurs and the degree to which your horse can utilize the biotin produced by intestinal bacteria. Since microbial (bacterial) production takes place in the lower part of the digestive tract where little nutrient absorption takes place, not much of this biotin may actually be available to your horse.”

Another source stated: Biotin, although available from grass and clover, the biotin in oats, wheat and barley is almost completely indigestible to the horse.

You might look up dried Skimmed Milk or Fish meal and see how much biotin these sources have.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 20, 2002.

I'm going to take a guess that your adding biotin to improve hooves/coat?

Several years back Western Horseman ran an article about linseed meal and the imporvement it brought in hooves and coats. At the time I was having trouble with very dry hooves on my mare. Myself, and others in the barn, at the time, started adding linseed meal to our horses diet. The first noticeable differnce was their coats glowed. Within months the problems with dry hooves disappeared. My shoer was impressed.

I add about 1/2 a cup several times a week to a mash or mixed with sticky sweet feed (its not as palatable to horses as other feeds). Its pretty inexpensive, maybe a couple dollars a month.

-- Stacia in OK (OneClassyCowgirl@aol.com), February 21, 2002.

Linseed Meal Analysis

"Old Process" Linseed Meal is preferred, but usually unavailable. It's made in the following manner. Carefully cleaned flaxseed is coarse ground, heated, and hydraulically pressed similar to the process used to extract cottonseed oil. What's left after the linseed oil has been extracted is called linseed cake which is then ground into linseed meal.

"New Process." The linseed oil is extracted by means of a solvent, the resulting linseed meal is somewhat less palatible. Usually, at this time in North America, the solvent extracted type of linseed meal is most prevalent.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 21, 2002.

Happened across this link on Feed Ingredient Analysis, http://www.ingredients101.com/bybraz.htm and it may help you find an answer your question.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 21, 2002.