What’s the difference between a probiotic and a prebiotic?
Probiotics are thought to support gut health by introducing viable live microbes to support the hindgut microbe population by enabling beneficial hindgut bacteria to increase and thrive and reducing the potential for bad bacteria to grow. The usual form of probiotics today is a strain of yeast known as Yea-sacc (Saccharomyces cerevisiae 1026), which studies across a range of animals, including horses have shown to stimulate fibre-digesting bacteria and improve overall fibre digestion.
Prebiotics work differently to probiotics in that they help beneficial microbes to thrive by either helping to exclude bad bacteria from the gut or provide feed for beneficial bacteria. Horses cannot digest prebiotics; only beneficial bacteria are able to digest them, and in this way, they help to maintain a healthy population of hind gut microbes. The most used prebiotics in supplements today are MOS (mannan-oligosaccharides) and FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides). MOS helps to boost the population of beneficial bacteria by providing attachment sites which bad bacteria will bind with, leaving the beneficial bacteria free to attach with the gut wall and reproduce in the right conditions. The bad bacteria will then pass out of the digestive tract, leaving the beneficial bacteria to thrive. FOS provides a feed source for beneficial bacteria, which bad or pathogenic bacteria are unable to use, again enabling beneficial bacteria to thrive and reducing the potential for bad bacteria to thrive.
Why is Gut Health so important?
Horses rely on a healthy gut for optimum feed and fibre digestion, but gut health is also fundamental to a horse’s health, wellbeing, and immunity. We are only just beginning to understand how important a horse’s digestive health is to their overall health and wellbeing. You have probably heard the expression no hoof no horse but given the impact of gut health, this could easily be no gut no horse. Not only does the digestive tract break down and release nutrients from food to support daily bodily processes, but the hindgut also absorbs water and important electrolytes from forage, so a healthy well-functioning gut is essential for a healthy, happy horse.
When the gut becomes compromised, imbalanced, and ‘unhealthy’ the results can cause significant health issues ranging from loose droppings and weight loss to gastric ulcers and colic which pose a serious threat to a horse’s health. Colic itself is the biggest cause of death in horses worldwide, so its easy to see why gut health is so important for the health of your horse. Your horse’s daily diet and feeding regime should be reflective of this importance by supporting and promoting optimum gut health throughout their life.
What should I look for in a gut supplement?
A good gut supplement should be able to support the health of the entire digestive tract, including the all-important hindgut microbes. Ideally you should look for a combination of pro and prebiotics like Yea-Sacc, MOS and FOS to support and nurture beneficial bacteria and help promote a balanced, stable hindgut microbiome. Pro and prebiotics are potentially more effective when fed together, working symbiotically to support optimal digestive health, which in turn provides support for the immune system, helping to prevent illness and disease.
You should also look for ingredients like sodium bicarbonate and calcium which can help buffer excess acid and help maintain healthy acid levels throughout the digestive tract to further promote optimal gut health.
Additionally, naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, are ideal in a gut supplement because a compromised gut will mean levels of these could be lacking. B vitamins for example, are made by healthy hindgut microbes as part of fibre fermentation but a compromised microbiome won’t be able to make these as efficiently. A gut supplement that supplies these essential micronutrients, will help further support optimum health, vitality, and condition.
I’ve heard that a healthy gut can lead to a calmer, more relaxation in my horse. Why is that?
Its well known that there is a two-way communication system between the horse’s gut and their brain, referred to as the gut-brain axis, which means your horse’s gut can have a significant impact on their overall mood and behaviour. Research has confirmed the link between the hindgut microbiome and an individual’s health and wellbeing, and there is a growing body of scientific evidence that hindgut microbes can influence communication between the gut and the brain directly via the vagus nerve.
Any disturbance to the balance of hindgut microbes and the growth of less desirable microbes can result in behavioural changes. Research has shown that horses receiving higher starch diets were far more reactive and nervous than those on higher fibre diets and this was attributed to changes in the gut microbiome from the higher starch diet. Additionally, gut microbes are involved in the production of compounds in the gut which function as neurotransmitters which have a significant role in behaviour. Simply put, an increase in less desirable bacteria can affect the levels of certain neurotransmitters created in the gut which then in tun can mean the horse becomes more reactive and tense. Therefore, maintaining a healthy, balanced, hindgut microbiome will help keep your horse more relaxed and calmer.
Excess acid in the gut can also have an impact on production of neurotransmitters, which can then affect behaviour. Excess acid can also cause discomfort which will result in a horse becoming more stressed and less calm and focused, so maintaining a healthy gut is key to a more calm and relaxed horse.
My horse gets stressed and a runny tummy when we are going out to compete. Is there anything I can give him to help keep him more settled?
If your horse is prone to getting stressed before competitions, direct nutritional support can help rebalance their gut and keep them more settled. Stress can result in excess acid throughout the digestive tract which can unbalance hindgut microbes, the result of which is the runny tummy you are seeing. Offering both pro and prebiotics at times of stress can help rebalance gut microbes and mitigate the symptoms of stress your horse is showing, Acid buffers will also help rebalance the gut and neutralise excess acid so look for a directly fed digestive supplement which offers all these alongside active ingredients which coat and soothe the gut lining, helping your horse to feel more comfortable, reduce tension and promote relaxation.
Additionally, you can also offer a soothing lick at times of stress to help keep your horse occupied and encourage natural foraging which should naturally reduce stress and promote calmness. The licking will also produce excess saliva to help mitigate acid levels within the gut, helping to further reduce discomfort and tension. A lick which also offers digestive support to mitigate the effects of stress is ideal to help keep your horse more settled before a competition.
