# black as knight



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

does it work well ?

does anyone know how long you have to be giving it to them before is starts working ?

thx


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## TwisterRush (Sep 8, 2009)

Ive heard some good things about it, but i never actually used it.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

It works for me. I give my mare a full cup (like a measuring cup, not the scoop it comes with) once a day. It can take several months for it to start working, because it works from the inside, not the outside, so the horse will have to grow an entire new coat before you will notice a difference. Now would probably be a good time to start on it, because your horse's summer coat could grow in black when he sheds his faded winter coat.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

thanks so much !!
i just started feeding her paprika to see if she would eat it, but i am seriously considering getting BAK. i will keep giving her the paprika til i get it though


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## sixlets (May 1, 2009)

I used Bright As Sun (same brand for light horses) and I liked it. I took a couple of weeks before you could really see his coat shine, but I wasn't giving it every day, and I wasn't measuring it exactly. [ I put it in horse treats  ]


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

It works...sort of. My horse is a dark bay. If I start feeding it to him in early March, before the sun gets strong, he still bleaches out to a lighter bay, but doesn't go completely burnt orange. I may just need to feed him more. I'm not sure if I'm going to bother again next spring. That stuff's not cheap.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Duh, that pic under my name is him in mid July. Right now he's almost black. That's as much of a difference as I get. Not bad I guess.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

ok thx for the info !

i dont expect my mare to be totally black, but she gets YELLOW on her sides & back which i hate ! haha


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## SoMuchManureSoLittleTime (Jul 6, 2009)

*Horse Show Caution.*

As a caution for horse you show that are sometimes blood tested for drugs, do not use paprika as it will show up in the drug test.

I've also been told that an ingredient in Black as Knight also makes you have a positive blood test.

Be careful what you give your show horses or it will backfire.

A handful of black oil sunflower seeds every day increases coat color and shininess without throwing off the drug tests.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

SoMuchManureSoLittleTime said:


> As a caution for horse you show that are sometimes blood tested for drugs, do not use paprika as it will show up in the drug test.
> 
> I've also been told that an ingredient in Black as Knight also makes you have a positive blood test.
> 
> ...


i have heard that too ! someone told me though that you just have to stop giving it to them a couple wks before you show.


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## chika1235 (Jan 1, 2009)

hahaha you should see my black horse in summer! she is bay with black pionts and yellow sides and back!right now tho shes completly black.i might try bak and sunflower seeds so i dont hav to show a yellow horse this summer!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

someone at my barn told me paprika can cause ulcers...is that true ?!?


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## Haley (Aug 18, 2009)

Don't waste your money on it. Paprika is the main ingredient in all "black"/anti-fading supplements. There's really no reason to go with the name brand thing and spend all that extra cash on it when plain ole' paprika will give you the exact same results. You give one tablespoon twice a day.

However, if you show.. your horse will test positive on a drug test (because there's capsaicin in paprika - which is an illegal substance). I had to take my black mare off of it for that reason.


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## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

if you take a horse off of paprika 14 days before a show you won't test.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

Haley said:


> Don't waste your money on it. Paprika is the main ingredient in all "black"/anti-fading supplements. There's really no reason to go with the name brand thing and spend all that extra cash on it when plain ole' paprika will give you the exact same results. You give one tablespoon twice a day.
> 
> However, if you show.. your horse will test positive on a drug test (because there's capsaicin in paprika - which is an illegal substance). I had to take my black mare off of it for that reason.


ive heard you just take them off of it 2weeks before the show & they wont test positive.

the reason i got BAK in place of regular paprika, is that paprika [that i can find] comes in such small bottles that you spend just as much buying a bunch of bottles as buying a big tub of BAK...i also bought mine second hand & hardly used =D

does anyone know if paprika causes ulcers ?!?!


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## Clementine (Sep 24, 2009)

I would be hesitant to give horses BAK because it contains fish oil - in my opinion, there is nothing less natural than to change an animal from herbivore to omnivore, or even vice versa. I'm a Vegan, and because of that aforementioned belief, I still feed my dogs meat. I know, grain is not natural, and hay is not natural, and peppermints are also not natural - but they *are* all vegetarian. Like horses.

Is paprika perhaps is an illegal substance because it is bad for horses? I really have no idea, but I do have to wonder why they'd bother to ban it if it was good for them...


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

Clementine said:


> I would be hesitant to give horses BAK because it contains fish oil - in my opinion, there is nothing less natural than to change an animal from herbivore to omnivore, or even vice versa. I'm a Vegan, and because of that aforementioned belief, I still feed my dogs meat. I know, grain is not natural, and hay is not natural, and peppermints are also not natural - but they *are* all vegetarian. Like horses.
> 
> Is paprika perhaps is an illegal substance because it is bad for horses? I really have no idea, but I do have to wonder why they'd bother to ban it if it was good for them...


its illegal because there's capsaicin in paprika - which is an illegal substance

i dont mind my horse not being "vegan" bc both of my horses like meat, they will eat turkey & cat food & stuff haha

i think hay is pretty natural, it just dried grass


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

paprika is the main ingedient. it will test at shows. so i just skip the additives and buy paprika in bulk.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

actually BAK is cheaper than paprika, i looked it up online. you can buy 5lbs of paprika for about $71 & you can get 6lbs of BAK for about $69


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

Capsaicin is a banned substance in equestrian sports because of its hypersensitizing and pain relieving properties. At the show jumping events of the 2008 Summer Olympics, four horses tested positive for the substance, resulting in disqualification.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin#cite_note-32


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## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

It's kind of like icy hot in high doses.

In BAK and regular dosing, however, it USUALLY doesn't have high enough levels to test, and no where near enough to cause any kind of benefit.


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## Haley (Aug 18, 2009)

gypsygirl said:


> ive heard you just take them off of it 2weeks before the show & they wont test positive.
> 
> the reason i got BAK in place of regular paprika, is that paprika [that i can find] comes in such small bottles that you spend just as much buying a bunch of bottles as buying a big tub of BAK


Get it at costco or a resturant supply store, you can get a big thing of it for cheap.

I show from March - October anywhere from 1-3 times a month, I couldn't just take my horse of it two weeks before the show. Not to mention there's NO way I'd risk it, I'm not willing to take the chance to have my horse test positive when I haven't even done anything wrong.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

Haley said:


> Get it at costco or a resturant supply store, you can get a big thing of it for cheap.
> 
> I show from March - October anywhere from 1-3 times a month, I couldn't just take my horse of it two weeks before the show. Not to mention there's NO way I'd risk it, I'm not willing to take the chance to have my horse test positive when I haven't even done anything wrong.


i only show in the summer & only a few times so it doesnt make as big of a difference for me


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

You shouldnt use more than a few teaspoons of paprika per day. (Plus i dont think most horses would tolerate more than that.) I got a large container, and it usually lasted me a few months.


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## ktpupp (Aug 9, 2009)

Good prices on paprika in bulk here: [URL=http://www.amazon.com/Roland-Paprika-Superior-Quality-5-Pound/dp/B000UY2CJS/]Roland Paprika- Superior Quality, 5-Pound Can: Amazon.com: Grocery
[/URL]
Since I am about to get a dark bay/black mare, I am planning to get the 5lb package. Since it's just $20 its way cheaper than BAK!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

ktpupp said:


> Good prices on paprika in bulk here: [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Roland-Paprika-Superior-Quality-5-Pound/dp/B000UY2CJS/"]Roland Paprika- Superior Quality, 5-Pound Can: Amazon.com: Grocery
> [/URL]
> Since I am about to get a dark bay/black mare, I am planning to get the 5lb package. Since it's just $20 its way cheaper than BAK!


is that paprika hungarian or spanish ?


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

is it okay to give a horse spanish paprika instead of hungarian paprika ? i ordered the roland stuff, & i thought it would be hungarian but its spanish & if i cant feed it i need to return asap so if anyone knows that would be great =D


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## sheschase (Jan 14, 2010)

*noooo!!*

black as knight does NOT work. and it's expensive! the BEST thing you can do is give your black horse flaxseed. it works, and it works FAST. make sure to keep your horse in during the summer though, even sheets can't keep the UV rays from bleaching out his coat. trust me! i was so desperate for my black horse to be black again, i ended up having to dye him. he had purple socks for a month.


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## PaintsPwn (Dec 29, 2009)

Have you considered a light weight sheet and a spray on sunscreen or a color enhancing shampoo? 

BAK has paprika in it. Fail on their part!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

PaintsPwn said:


> Have you considered a light weight sheet and a spray on sunscreen or a color enhancing shampoo?
> 
> BAK has paprika in it. Fail on their part!


yes im going to use a fly sheet on her.

what ??


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

sheschase said:


> black as knight does NOT work. and it's expensive! the BEST thing you can do is give your black horse flaxseed. it works, and it works FAST. make sure to keep your horse in during the summer though, even sheets can't keep the UV rays from bleaching out his coat. trust me! i was so desperate for my black horse to be black again, i ended up having to dye him. he had purple socks for a month.


I disagree. It did work for me. My horse is a dark bay. He's almost black in winter. Before I started using BAK, he would bleach out to a light burnt orange. As you can see from my avatar, which was taken in the middle of July, he's much darker and a more natural brown. The key is to start it at least a month before the sun gets strong. I'm in Connecticut and start in March.


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## rockaway (Jan 14, 2010)

Hi I am just an owner but have been reading as much as I can to try and keep my new mare black. THis is what I found in addition to the above info. If a black horse sun bleaches to a reddy colour it often indicates a deficiency in copper and zinc ( black horses need up to 6 x as much copper compared to a light horse). Copper acts like a sunscreen - coppertone name - I guess ( human sunscreen) Paprika (black as night stuff they say) is a melanin maker (makes the colour does not protect it). Omega 3 (from flax) is often deficient or not in the right balance - to omega 6 ( which is good but too much without omega 3 can cause inflammation ) on some hay fed ( grass is often good) . canola oil is balanced but other are usually not. this give shine and some protection. Do not take this as gospel but look it up and see what you can find out. if you find out more or disagree post it so we can know all there is to know.


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## rockaway (Jan 14, 2010)

I thought I would add black as night would work for any horse that did not have mineral def. (each horse is different so what is enough for one horse may not be enough for another - this does NOT mean you are a poor horse keeper - it is just your horse's colour is telling you something).


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## rockaway (Jan 14, 2010)

sorry another add - BOSS - has copper; I guess that is why it works for some, molasses also had a lot but the sugar content (bad especially for hoofs and gut bacteria) is way up there ( there was a study where they gave 2 cups per day and the coat stayed jet black - I did not read this just a relay of another post from the FX forum) . 
Paprika will work for any colour as it just makes the melanin the horse is programmed to have. 
A black horse also needs the zinc where as other horses that have dull coats usually just have a copper deficiency. Again - post to add or disagree


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## rockaway (Jan 14, 2010)

I'm adding one more- started reading that canola even though it has omega 3 may not be so good for any living thing! I do not know for sure but we are pretty sure flax is a great omega 3 provider and has been around forever. Canola -not very long. They said it can cause nerve damage ( the outer covering of the nerve) - in people and pigs. 
I also read that although it has vit e is actually depletes the body of vit e.


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