Seed Cakes for Horses: How Much to Feed and Which One Your Horse Needs

Published September 2026 · By Shelley Headley, Co-Founder of Headley Holistics and Tristan Carbery, B.S. Exercise Physiology — a family farm feeding these products to our own herd for years.

What are seed cakes, and why do they work for horses?

A seed cake — or "press cake" — is what remains after some of the oil is gently pressed from a whole seed: the protein, fiber, minerals, some oil and beneficial plant compounds concentrated into a nutrient-dense whole food. That "whole food" part matters more for horses than most people realize.

Horses don't have a gallbladder, so they can't store bile or break down large amounts of added fat all at once. Much of a poured-on oil — like flax oil — simply passes through unused. A press cake instead delivers the seed's benefits in the balanced, fiber-bound form a horse's gut is built to digest. The result: you feed less, and your horse absorbs more. It's also why the dose matters — these are foods that work by building up with consistent, daily feeding, not overnight.

What changed about the dosing?

We recently improved our patented press-cake process, and the result is a higher-density product. That's a genuine upgrade, not a footnote — but it does mean the grams-per-scoop shifted, so even if you've fed our products for years, the tables below are worth a fresh look.

Here's what the higher density means in practice:

• Your recommended doses are easy to hit. For an average horse, 2 scoops of Black Cumin now comes to about 30 g — right in the recommended range — and 2 scoops of Flax to about 60 g. The tables below give you exact scoop-by-scoop numbers for every product.
• For Flax Seed Press Cake, that dense, fibrous composition is exactly what gives it its ability to sweep foreign debris out of the GI tract — something conventional ground flax simply can't do the same way.
• For Black Cumin Seed Press Cake, the denser cake means your horse gets a little more nourishment in every scoop — a bit of extra headroom we've seen great results from in our own herd.

One thing the new density is worth knowing about: because the products are fed at different daily amounts, a bag of each lasts a different number of days. Black Cumin runs about 100 servings a bag, Flax about 50, and everything else in a protocol about 150 — so in a full protocol, flax and black cumin run out before the rest. (More on how to keep a protocol in sync further down.)

How much Black Cumin Seed Press Cake should you feed?

The recommended daily dose is 2 scoops (~30 g) for an average-sized horse — that's what we feed our own herd, and what most horses do best on. Consistency at that dose, day after day, is what drives results.

Amount	Approx. weight	Servings per 3 kg bag
1 scoop	~14–15 g	~200
2 scoops (recommended)	~30 g	~100

Black cumin is our most versatile product. Horse owners most often notice a calmer temperament and a shinier coat first, followed over time by stronger hooves, healthy skin, stronger immune function and respiratory support, and a more balanced metabolism. Natural fly control is real but the slowest benefit — it takes months of consistent feeding to fully arrive, so don't judge it early. Feed it every single day; consistency is the whole game.

How much Flax Seed Press Cake should you feed?

Most horses do well on 2–4 scoops per day (~60–120 g), adjusted to the horse. The higher end is where flax earns its keep for gut issues — its dense, fibrous structure helps clear foreign debris through the GI tract, and horses working through digestive trouble often benefit from more.

Amount	Approx. weight	Servings per 3 kg bag
1 scoop	~30 g	~100
2 scoops	~60 g	~50
4 scoops	~120 g	~25

Can you feed flax and black cumin together? Yes — they complement each other beautifully. Black cumin leans toward coat, calm, hooves, metabolism, skin, gut lining and immune support; flax leans toward overall gut health, skin, hooves and whole-food omega-3s. Many of our customers feed both.

Feeding flax as part of a protocol? Since it runs out faster than the other ingredients, you can add the extra flax and black cumin to keep your whole protocol lasting in sync.

How much Milk Thistle Seed Press Cake should you feed?

The recommended dose is 1 scoop (~14–15 g) per day — that's what we use.

Amount	Approx. weight	Servings per bag
1 scoop (recommended)	~14–15 g	~133

Milk thistle is best known for supporting the liver — the body's filter. It's a natural fit as ongoing support, during seasonal changes, or after your horse has been through medications or dewormers and you want to support the system that processes them. Milk Thistle also helps to chelate excess iron, somethings horses struggle to do naturally.

How much of the other products should you feed?

The rest of our line is measured by serving. Here's what each supports and how long a bag lasts:

Product	Recommended dose	Servings per bag	What it supports
Organic Copper Balance	1 serving/day	~150	Mineral balance, joint support, coat color and quality
Acadian Kelp Meal (4 lb)	1 serving/day	~150	Trace minerals, iodine, thyroid & metabolic support
Organic Saigon Cinnamon	2–3 tsp/day (serving = 3 tsp)	~150	Blood sugar & metabolic support for most horses
Organic Rose Hips	1 serving/day	~75	Vitamin C, antioxidant, joint & immune support

Two bags (150 servings, total) of Rose Hips are included in both the Classic Arthritis Protocol and the Classic Immune Boosting Protocol, because those regimens lean on its antioxidant and joint support.

Which product is right for your horse?

If you're new to Headley Holistics, start with the concern that's top of mind. Here's the quickest way to match a product to a need:

If you want to support…	Start with…
Coat, immunity, allergies, calm temperament, metabolism, hooves, natural fly control	Black Cumin Seed Press Cake
Skin, hooves, coat, gut health, digestion, clearing GI debris	Flax Seed Press Cake
Liver support, detox, seasonal cleanse, iron chelation	Milk Thistle Seed Press Cake
Metabolism, blood sugar, easy keepers	Saigon Cinnamon
Coat color, joints, hooves and mineral balance	Copper Balance
Joints, inflammation, immune resilience	Rose Hips
60+ Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, iodine, metabolism	Kelp Meal

Not sure? Black Cumin Seed Press Cake is where most new customers start — it's our most popular product and supports the widest range of benefits for the average horse.

 

Which bundle or protocol is right for your horse?

Single products are great. But if you want a complete and comprehensive supplement program to address all of your horses needs, a protocol — a curated set of products built to work together — takes the guesswork out. Each targets a common concern:

• Arthritis & Anti-Inflammatory Support — for joints, stiffness, and soft-tissue comfort.
• Hoof Health — for stronger, healthier hoof growth.
• Metabolic Support — for blood sugar, weight, and easy keepers.
• Immune Boosting — for resilience and seasonal allergy support.
  
• General Wellness & Longevity — a complete basic protocol for the everyday horse.

• Prefer to build your own? Our Mix & Match lets you combine any four or more products into a custom bundle at a bundle discount price— ideal when your horse needs a specific combination that doesn't fit a ready-made protocol. And whichever route you choose, everything arrives in one box.

How do you get the best price?

Simple, and with no codes to hunt for. You choose exactly what you want, put it on auto-delivery, and the longer you stay, the better your price gets — automatically:

• Bundle or stock up to save. Choosing a protocol or a building your own Mix & Match saves over buying items individually, and buying several of one product unlocks a volume discount.
• Subscribe for your best price. Stay on auto-delivery, and once you've been with us through four orders you're locked in at our best pricing — no promo codes, ever.
• A perk for subscribers. Active subscribers even get their subscriber price on one-time top-ups between deliveries — so you can grab a little extra of anything your horse needs without paying full price.
  
  Keep your whole protocol in sync. Because flax and black cumin get fed faster than the rest, they can run out before your other ingredients do.  Completing your protocol with the extra flax and black cumin keeps everything on the same ~150-day schedule — so it all runs out together, right as your next delivery arrives.
  
  

It's built to reward the one thing that actually helps your horse most: feeding consistently, over time.

Is it safe to feed seed cakes every day?

Yes. These are whole foods, fed daily, and they're meant to be. Black cumin in particular has an excellent safety profile: feeding studies across species at inclusion rates far above a typical supplement dose have found no adverse effects, and instead improved immunity, growth, and gut health.^1,2

As with any change to your horse's diet, introduce new feeds gradually over a week or two, and check with your veterinarian if your horse has a specific medical condition or is on medication.

Frequently asked questions

How much black cumin seed should I feed my horse?

About 2 scoops (~30 g) per day for an average-sized horse — fed consistently, every day, for the best results.

How long until I see results from black cumin seed press cake?

Coat and temperament changes often show first, within a couple of weeks. Hooves, skin, and weight shift more gradually. Natural fly control is the slowest — months of consistent feeding — so don't judge it early. Consistency matters more than dose.

Can I feed more than one seed cake at a time?

Yes. Black cumin, flax, and milk thistle each support different things and are commonly fed together. A protocol or Mix & Match bundle is simply a convenient way to do exactly that.

How many servings are in a bag?

It varies by product and dose — see the tables above. At the recommended dose, a bag of Black Cumin runs ~100 servings, Flax ~50, and Milk Thistle ~133.

Because those run down at different rates, a protocol's flax and black cumin can empty before the rest. If you'd like everything to last together, you can complete your protocol with the extra flax and black cumin — it tops up just those two to keep the whole set on a ~150-day cycle.

Can dogs eat these too?

Dogs do wonderfully on Black Cumin Seed Press Cake — it supports skin, coat, immunity, and even helps repel fleas and ticks. One important exception: cats cannot have black cumin, so keep it away from barn cats.

Which product should a first-time customer start with?

Black Cumin Seed Press Cake for the widest range of benefits, or the protocol that matches your horse's biggest concern (joints, hooves, metabolism, immunity or general wellness).

Related reading

• How to Heal Horse Arthritis Naturally — the story behind our arthritis protocol, and why whole-food anti-inflammatories work.
• Why Are Horses Sicker Than They Used to Be? — the bigger picture on modern feed and equine health.
• The Benefits of Black Cumin Seed for Horses — a deeper look at our most popular product.

References

1. Effect of dietary black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) on performance, immune status, and serum metabolites of small ruminants: A meta-analysis. Small Ruminant Research, 2021. sciencedirect.com
2. Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) as a Healthy Feed Additive for Broiler Production: A Focused Review. Poultry, 2025. doi:10.3390/poultry4040049. doi.org/10.3390/poultry4040049

This guide reflects our own feeding experience and recommendations. It isn't veterinary advice — for horses with specific medical conditions, please work with your veterinarian.