The advantages of feeding omega-3 fatty acids are numerous. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is thought to benefit cardiovascular strength, immune defenses, reproductive efficiency, joint health, allergic reactivity, laminitic recovery, and pruritis. While a horse’s natural diet of fresh forages contains an ample amount of omega-3 fatty acids, few domesticated horses consume just pasture. Growth and work requirements often require that horses be fed a mixture of forage and cereal grains. Unfortunately, cereal grains are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids yet abundant in omega-6 fatty acids. On top of this, some horses (strenuously worked equine athletes, hard keepers, aged horses, etc.) are fed supplemental fat in the form of vegetable oils to add calories to their diets. These too are low in omega-3 fatty acids but high in omega-6 fatty acids. For optimal health, it is crucial that a balance exists between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and too often there is a surplus of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet.