Horses have complex digestive systems and are essentially ‘hindgut fermenters’ that rely on a balanced gut microbiome for optimum health. Probiotics and prebiotics can play vital roles in maintaining this balance but work differently and can, therefore, be used separately for more specific needs or together depending on the situation.

In our latest blog, we focus on what pro and prebiotics are and when they should be used, whilst considering the importance of a balanced diet, fibre and biodiversity in helping to ensure optimum overall and digestive health:

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms, often referred to as “good bacteria,” that reside in the horse’s gut. These beneficial bacteria help maintain a healthy digestive tract by:

Enhancing Digestion: Probiotics aid in breaking down fibre and other complex carbohydrates, making it easier for horses to absorb nutrients from their feed.
Preventing Disease: They help prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria by competing for nutrients and space, thus reducing the risk of gastrointestinal diseases.
Boosting Immunity: A healthy gut microbiome supports the horse’s immune system, helping to fend off infections and illnesses.

When to Use Probiotics For Horses

After Antibiotic Treatment: Antibiotics can disrupt the natural balance of gut bacteria, making probiotics essential for restoring this balance.
During Stressful Situations: Travelling, changes in environment, or competition can stress a horse, disrupting their gut flora. Probiotics can help maintain stability.
Digestive Issues: Horses suffering from diarrhoea or colic may benefit from probiotics to restore gut health.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in the gut. They are essentially food for these beneficial bacteria, helping them to thrive and grow. Common prebiotics for horses include inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and certain types of fibres.

Benefits of Prebiotics For Horses

Selective Stimulation: Prebiotics selectively feed the good bacteria, promoting a healthy balance of gut flora.
Enhanced Nutrient Absorption: By supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria, prebiotics can improve the overall efficiency of digestion and nutrient absorption.
Improved Gut Health: They help maintain the gut lining and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disorders.

When To Use Prebiotics For Horses

Maintenance of Gut Health: Regular supplementation can help maintain a healthy population of beneficial bacteria.
Supporting Probiotic Action: When used in conjunction with probiotics, prebiotics can enhance the effectiveness of the probiotics.
Stress and Dietary Changes: During periods of dietary change or stress, prebiotics can help stabilise the gut microbiome.

The Importance of a Balanced Diet and Fibre For Horses

As useful as pro and prebiotics can be, before you consider introducing them it’s essential to ensure that your horse is receiving a balanced, high-quality diet for the following reasons:

Foundation of Health: A balanced diet provides all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that a horse needs for overall health and well-being. Without this foundation, supplements like pro and prebiotics may not be as effective.
Prevention of Deficiencies: Nutritional deficiencies can lead to various health issues, including poor gut health. Ensuring a balanced diet helps prevent these problems.
Optimal Digestive Function: Proper nutrition supports healthy digestive function, reducing the likelihood of issues that would necessitate probiotics or prebiotics.

Components of a Balanced Equine Diet:

Water: Adequate hydration is critical for digestive health and overall function.

Fibre: to maintain healthy gut function and provide energy
Carbohydrates: Simple (starch and sugar) and complex (fibre) to provide energy
Fats: to help in absorption of nutrients and provide a source of energy
Protein: for growth and repair
Vitamins and Minerals: Ensure the diet is balanced in terms of vitamins and minerals which are essential for optimum health and function.

Plenty of Fibre, as part of a balanced diet, is particularly essential to help support the healthiest, happiest hindgut microbes. Forage like hay, haylage and grass fed on an ad-lib helps provide complex fibre which beneficial hindgut microbes thrive on.

Fibre levels can also be increased with CoolStance Copra, which contains digestible fibres to support and stimulate beneficial bacteria and provide a ‘natural’ prebiotic and when fed alongside VitaStance Vitamin and Mineral Mix will help provide a nutritionally balanced diet for optimum digestive health and immunity. Additionally, the coconut oil within CoolStance Copra contains lauric acid which has naturally proven antimicrobial properties, to help combat pathogenic bacteria, and further support a healthy, balanced microbiome and optimum immunity.

Promoting Biodiversity

Recent research (Costa et al 2012; Dougal et al. 2013; Kauter et al. 2019) has indicated that the equine hindgut microbiome contains a diverse range of bacterial species. This diversity is associated with a healthy microbiome, with a loss in diversity being linked to digestive disease and upset. A diverse diet promotes a diverse microbiome, which in turn promotes a healthy hindgut, and a healthy hindgut = a healthy horse.

Increasing fibre biodiversity in your horse’s diet can, therefore, have a positive impact on your horse’s hind gut microbiome. As CoolStance Copra contains a blend of digestible fibres, it is ideal to help boost fibre biodiversity within your horse’s diet alongside feeding mixed species hay and a variety of plants and forage for optimum microbial and digestive health.

Probiotics and prebiotics can be beneficial, particularly during times of stress, illness, or dietary changes. However, these supplements should not be seen as a substitute for a balanced, high-quality diet.

By prioritising balanced nutrition, fibre and biodiversity, you can help support a happy and healthy hindgut microbiome, maximise digestive health and minimise digestive upset for optimal health and performance.

If you have any questions about creating the best diet and nutrition for your horse or pony, please contact 01488 73322 or info@boomerangnutrition.co.uk.