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Microorganisms that inhabit the horse’s cecum and colon influence welfare beyond the health of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to their critical role in breaking down and fermenting feeds, these microorganisms may also:

  • Play a role in immune function, such as protecting the horse against an overgrowth of disease-causing organisms in the digestive tract and neutralizing potential toxins;
  • Enhance the gut-brain connectivity, which affects behavior; and
  • Participate in disease processes such as nutrition-related disorders.

“We already know that the number and type of microorganisms that make up the microbiome change in response to diet and nutritional supplementation, stress, age, body condition, exercise, disease, breed, and medication use,” explained Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D.

As summarized in a recently published review article, any factor that reduces the diversity and richness of the microbial population can destabilize the microbiome.* Decreases in lactic acid-utilizing bacteria or butyrate-producing bacteria, for instance, can significantly change the anti-inflammatory properties of the microbiome. Similarly, increases in Lactobacillus and Streptococcus species can bring about negative consequences.

“While we have come a long way in this arena, our understanding of what distinguishes a normal from an abnormal microbiome remains limited,” Crandell emphasized. “Further, the functional implications of observed changes in the microbiota require further study.”

According to the researchers, “It is time to move forward and use the knowledge now acquired to start manipulating the microbiota of horses as has already happened in human microbiota-related research.”

Stabilizing the intestinal microbiome by limiting fluctuations in pH that can contribute to hindgut acidosis can be achieved by supplementing diets with EquiShure.

 *Garber, A., P. Hastie, J.A. Murray. 2020. Factors influencing equine gut microbiota: Current knowledge. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 88:102943.

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