Question

I have an older gelding doing very well on EquiShure. I’ve relocated to Aiken, South Carolina, and will add powdered psyllium to my gelding’s diet to reduce the risk of sand colic. Are there any potential issues with feeding EquiShure and psyllium together? Other than his forage, he is fed only a ration balancer.

Answer

To best answer your question, let’s define EquiShure and psyllium.

EquiShure is a time-released hindgut buffer designed to act on the cecum and colon by minimizing the effects of subclinical hindgut acidosis and supporting a stable microbial environment. EquiShure works by actively buffering the environment it is released into, so interactions or negative effects are uncommon.

Psyllium is a vegetable fiber that swells and becomes gelatinous when moist. Some people believe it works by stimulating peristalsis (intestine contractions) to push material, like sand, through the intestine. Research confirming the efficacy of psyllium is scarce, however.

Because these products are intended to work differently to address distinct issues, there is no concern with feeding them together, and the effectiveness of EquiShure is not diminished.

You may want to consider periodic feeding of psyllium, such as one week each month, rather than daily supplementation. Some researchers believe the gastrointestinal tract may become accustomed to psyllium with daily feeding, and daily intake may prevent proper absorption of some nutrients. Remember, not all researchers are convinced that psyllium helps prevent sand accumulation in the intestinal tract.

Certain management choices can reduce the risk of sand colic by avoiding sand ingestion.

• Offer all feedstuffs (forages and concentrates) in a manner (feeders, troughs, mats) in which they do not touch the ground. This may be particularly difficult in some situations with forage, but the use of hay nets or rubber mats can make a big difference in the amount of sand ingested.
• If the horse has pasture access, make sure it isn’t overgrazed where they can easily ingest sand while grazing. Feeding more hay before or during turnout may help reduce grazing time.
• Providing free-choice hay has been shown to help clear sand from the intestinal tract. Free-choice access to hay has other benefits as well, including an uptick in gastric health and a return to a more natural eating behavior.