Digestive Health & the Performance Horse, Part 2

What is microbial digestion?

Microbial digestion is the breakdown of organic material such as hay and grass, and especially concentrated bag feedstuffs, by microbial organisms. This is the basic function of the horse’s large intestine, and it can be seriously damaged by prolonged or heavy dosing with antibiotics or sulfonamides and other drugs. The population of beneficial live microorganisms in the cecum remains relatively “stable” under normal conditions. As long as a horse is never stressed, never needs to be chemically de-wormed, is never vaccinated, never has a change in feed, and never needs antibiotics, then the balance should remain unaltered.

However, as we all know, horses do experience stressful events, may need antibiotics or de-worming on occasion, and do experience feed changes with the seasons and each load of hay. Without a strong army of beneficial intestinal bacteria, food moving through the digestive tract is not “fermented” properly, and some remains undigested. When it hits the gastrointestinal tract, this undigested food may lead to colic, bloat, impactions or laminitis, and increases the possibility of food-related allergic conditions.

A combination of select bacteria (microbials/probiotics) at approximately ten to 20 billion or more CFUs (colony-forming units) per serving/scoop, along with digestive enzymes and yeast, will help support and maintain a healthy digestive tract in your equine athlete, giving him more stamina and energy. If your horse is competing or training heavily, then the higher dose would be recommended. In her “Nutrition as Therapy” course, Dr. Eleanor Kellon quotes Dr. Scott Weese, DVM, as saying: “… at minimum, a microbial feed additive needs between ten and 20 billion live CFUs per serving size, minimum, to have any effect in a horse.” Dr. Juliet Getty, PhD in Equine Nutrition, concurs that the guaranteed CFUs have to be in the billions, not the millions.

Digestive disturbances

A far too common cause of digestive disturbance can be starch and/or sugar overload, which can come from grazing on rich spring grass, eating a diet too high in sugars (including concentrated grain type feeds), or adding oil from GMO crops (such as corn oil) to bucket feeds. All these can disrupt beneficial microbials, causing partial die-off of good gut bacteria, which raises acidity in the gut and alters the natural pH balance. The result is massive destruction of the normal micro-flora, which can inhibit the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients essential to good health and superior performance.

Unfortunately, the microflora/microbial balance in a horse’s gut can be upset much faster than it can be restored. Beneficial intestinal bacteria can be depleted or destroyed and the pH of their environment severely altered by many situations, although the effects may not show up immediately. Your horse may just seem a bit off with no explanation, and you may think nothing has changed, but the truth is, he is not able to digest his feed and convert it to the energy he needs in order to compete.

Stay tuned for part 3 coming next Monday!

Happy Riding!