Spring is the time for flaxseed porridge!

Spring is the time for flaxseed porridge!

I want to share with you a recipe for flaxseed porridge. It may take some time to prepare this porridge, but the horse will no doubt be grateful for your efforts!

This porridge is:

• excellent source of fiber (good for the horse’s digestion);
• contains oil (useful for wool and facilitates cleaning during the molting period of the animal);
• smells great and is very tasty (appetite stimulates);
• not an “energy” (won’t hurt even “hot”, excitable horses).

Flaxseed is relatively inexpensive, has a long shelf life, and is not hard to find in the market or pet store that sells seeds for wild birds.

There is only one but: in order for hard seeds to become soft, give up their oil and become digestible, porridge must be cooked for quite some time. Fortunately, this does not mean that you have to stand at the stove, constantly stirring. Just put the ingredients in a saucepan, put it on the stove, the stove should be on a clean, safe, comfortable surface (maybe in an ammunition box), light the fire and leave to cook.

How to cook porridge:

1. In the morning, place the flaxseed, barley and oats in a pot. To prevent porridge from running away, make sure that the amount of ingredients does not exceed the floorpan volume.

2. Level dry ingredients and add boiling water – it should cover twice the “height” of the grains. Mix well and put on a normal fire. When the porridge comes to a boil (this will depend on the size of the pot), reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender. Most likely, the minimum time that you need for this is four hours (assuming you soaked the seeds overnight to pre-soften them).

3. The porridge will be ready when it has doubled in size (mine almost rises to the lid of the saucepan); will bubble and become gelatinous. Seeds should pop out of the shell when squeezed. (Be careful! The porridge is very hot and extremely sticky and can burn you badly. Take out a small handful and let it cool before testing.)

4. Turn off the stove and cool the porridge a little, then add it to your horse’s regular diet with a handful of bran and a hearty wish “Bon appetit!”

Throw away the remaining unused porridge – it starts to ferment very quickly ..

Check the condition of the plate. A new one will not cost much, and a worn out and faulty stove in the stable is a big danger.

How Much to Give:

1. The horse should receive one glass of cooked porridge per day. This amount should not exceed 25 percent of her total daily feed intake.

2. Combine equal amounts of raw flaxseed, barley and oats (subtracted from your horse’s regular diet). If you decide to eliminate oats, double the barley.

3. The ingredients double in size when cooked, so 2/1 cup of each of the additional ingredients should match 2 cup of cooked flaxseed. In total, this will make 1 cups of porridge.

Lori Green (source); translation by Valeria Smirnova.