It is easy to spot health problems with visible signs, such as wounds or lameness, but how often do we think about what’s going on inside of our horses and how much do we know about equine gut health? With the changes in routine risking major impacts on equine gut health, we called in the help of the leading experts at EquiBiome to give more insight!
As Equibiome also launch their revolutionary new test kit on to the market, giving horse owners an accurate insight into the levels of good and bad bacteria in the hind gut, there’s no better time to delve deeper into horse gut health and it’s benefits.
The kit eliminates guesswork by providing a real-time snapshot of the hind gut microbial community. Once an individual horse is tested and a report is produced, practical changes and appropriate changes to forage, feed, and routine can be made to optimise health, performance, and well-being.
Why Is Gut Health So Important?
The bacteria of the hind gut make a huge contribution to the health of your horse, including temperament, energy levels, nutrient availability and vitamin production. Your horse is what he eats and the success of the diet depends first of all on what is going on in the gut.
Scientific research has linked every common gastrointestinal health problem to gut bacteria. Horses with colitis, colic, inflammation, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and laminitis all have gut bacteria different from those that are healthy.
Gut bacteria make up a community called a ‘microbiome’. This community of bacteria interact with each other and the horse it’s self, to produce benefits for both! However, pathogenic bacteria (‘bad’ bacteria causing disease) can take over the microbiome community if not kept in check by the good gut bacteria. Many pathogenic bacteria can travel from the gut to other parts of the body, where they can cause health problems for horses.
Knowing what type and how many of the good and the bad bacteria, gives valuable insight into the type of diet that can help, and the type of pro and prebiotic that will suit your horse’s biome. Many of the bacteria within the list of bad bacteria are linked to gastrointestinal upsets such as diarrhoea, inflammation and discomfort. The Equibiome Test identifies them all and gives insight into management.
Before the EquiBiome kit, managing the hind gut has never been possible in the horse. Using the development of next generational sequencing of the bacteria’s DNA, different bacteria can be identified and the levels at which they are present. The test is so accurate that it can identify water contamination (arsenic/nitrate/nitrite), dietary deficiencies, mineral and vitamin imbalances, acidosis, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and emerging pathogens. EquiBiome uses Illumina MiSeq to generate the test report, which is the most accurate and up to date technology, preferred by leading researchers around the world.
In horses, the knowledge and science relating to the microbiome and its links to health and disease are increasing thanks to EquiBiome as they have the largest library of equine data in the world. Using this information, the team have identified and accurately described what makes up a healthy biome.
Natalie & Paris’ Story
When Paris, a 27-year-old Selle Français gelding, wasn’t enjoying his work anymore and looked bloated, his owner Natalie decided to take a holistic approach and, one step at a time, make improvements to his diet, healthcare, and routine.
Around this time, Natalie was following a page on Facebook called ‘Affluent Malnutrition’ and took a real interest in the posts about the lack of biodiversity having a negative effect on grazing equines.
Natalie said:
When I started to think about Paris and how sensitive he was to grass, always hungry, and angry if his grazing was restricted to try and manage his weight, it all made sense. I never had these problems years ago when I kept horses as a child and the fields had a variety of plants and hedgerows in them.”
“I decided to research what horses need in their natural diet and when self-selecting what they would choose to eat. This resulted in me pinching lots of things from hedgerows and returning with a large bucket full of plants and leaves for Paris to munch through.”
Natalie’s vet suggested trying Agnus Castus powder in the hope to regulate hormones, control appetite, and possibly delay any Cushing’s symptoms. Despite these changes, Natalie still felt like it was all guesswork. So, when she saw a post about the EquiBiome test kit, which would hopefully give her a clear picture of what was going on inside Paris’ gut, she decided to have him tested in October 2018.
The results showed that Paris had a high population of ‘bad bacteria’ (13% over the recommended level for Spirochaetes and over 25% the recommended level for Bacteriodetes). To reduce the levels of bad bacteria, changes to the diet were advised by the Equibiome team, including an increase of antimicrobial herbs.
Natalie explained;
I was advised to use the Biome Food No.5, followed by Biome Food No.4, to help support the gut by reducing the bad bacteria and increasing good bacteria. Paris was already on to a more grass and forage based natural diet to avoid refined sugars. This included herbs and a natural gut mash feed. I had also introduced a grass track system in his field to encourage more movement, restrict how much grass he could stuff in and give him access along the hedgerows.
“He began to look less bloated across his flanks and I made a promise to him that he would never be hungry again and run out of anything to eat; I didn’t want to severely restrict his intake and now his diet was varied he wasn’t blowing up on grass.”
Since Natalie took the test for Paris she really feels like the resulting changes have made a big difference. The additions of new plants and herbs in Paris’ diet have left him looking much better and he has maintained a constant weight rather than fluctuating, although he is and probably will remain a good doer.
The EquiBiome test really marked the start of a journey to improve Paris’ wellbeing.”
“Now when I ride him his ears are pricked and he is striding out and enjoying himself again. Previously, when he was bloated, he was reluctant to go forwards and was clearly not comfortable.”
How Do I Take The EquiBiome Test?
The EquiBiome Test Kit is ordered online at equibiome.org, and once it arrives, follow the instructions and return your horse’s faecal sample for testing. You will then receive a detailed report with recommendations to improve your horse’s gut health.
With the right management, based on facts not guess work, your horse’s gut health can be improved.
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Journalist and News Reporter, Everything Horse
Reporting on equestrian news stories, Abby also produces a variety of engaging content for the magazine.