California Riding Magazine • March, 2010

Equine Chia
Tiny seed packs a powerful
nutritional punch for horses.

“We wondered why so many of our customers were ordering huge quantities of our product,” says GetChia, LLC president Shadd McEwan. “It was a complete and pleasant surprise for us to learn that our rapid sales increase was because horse owners had begun to feed and buy our chia seed for their horses as well as themselves.” That was a surprise to the Rancho Santa Margarita company that has established itself as a leading supplier of chia seed and chia seed goodies for humans, but it wasn’t a surprise that the chia had great results in the horses consuming it.

Chia is a vital nutritional seed with natural, essential omega oils that the McEwan family-owned and operated parent company, GetChia, LLC, has been using in their line of great tasting, healthy human foods since 2007.

“Our line of bulk chia seed, our Chia Tortilla chips and our muffins, amongst other fun, healthy foods, does extremely well because its tastes great and packs so much nutrition,” says McEwan.

“We were literally brought into the equine industry by customers actively searching for the healthiest and most omega filled diets for their horses. We have been focused on the human food side for years, but now we are also dedicated and focused on the equine side because it is so beneficial to these magnificent animals.

“Chia seed is the richest source of omega-3 on the planet,” McEwan continues. “But, most importantly, it has the proper balance of omega-3 to omega-6, unlike flax seed and most other commonly used equine supplements. Along with the omegas, chia seed is packed with protein and fiber and is quickly replacing psyllium products because it provides natural digestive health and moves sand as well as or better than all the other products that are designed to do so but fall short of all the other benefits of chia seed. We have seen chia seed replace multiple supplements and do a better job of all of them combined.”

“Currently, our main store front is online at www.EquineChia.com, and shipping is absolutely free. Having said that, every local feed and tack store we have approached has been wonderfully receptive and has seen the business build as more folks become aware of the benefits of chia seed. Our current local retailers include Canyon Feed & Tack in Trabuco Canyon and El Toro Tack and Feed in Lake Forest, both in Orange County. If you shop at these fine stores, I absolutely encourage you to pick up your EquineChia from them and we always welcome your feedback as well as new retailers.”

On the human side, GetChia, LLC is in negotiations with several chains to carry their Chia Tortilla Chips and will feature two new flavors: Ranch and Cheesy Nacho along with the Original Chia Tortilla Chip. The new flavored chips will be 100 percent natural without any MSG, artificial ingredients or preservatives, just like GetChia’s original flavored Chia Tortilla Chip. The company will also be rolling out their new line of chia seed muffins and baked goods, which are healthy and incredibly tasty. Early taste test responses have been extremely encouraging.

“Our goal is to help educate folks how wonderful and healthy chia seed is for humans and animals alike,” says McEwan. “Customer service remains our priority and we prove this by offering the highest quality products at very reasonable prices.”

Casey O’Connor, founder of the Golden Carrot Horse Rescue in Anza, is already a fan. “Dieting, obese and insulin resistant horses are hard to feed. They get fat easily and are constantly hungry. Chia makes an amazing result in keeping them from having those blood sugar spikes and lows that cause them to eat their stalls! Insulin-resistant horses are becoming common, I think. Or maybe people are just figuring out what the problem is. That makes the equine market hungry for solutions that make horses more comfortable, because diet, strict and bland, is the only way to really control it. Chia makes that a million times easier. Good job!”

For more information or to place an order, contact Shadd McEwan at 949-533-4901 from inside California, or toll free at 877-322-CHIA (2442) outside of the state. Or visit www.EquineChia.com or www.GetChiaLLC.com.