Happy Tummy Digestion
Most of the digestive process of horses takes place in the large intestine which is the site of what is usually called
microbial fermentation. This is the breaking down of the fibre components of plant cells by bacterial enzymes. The
hind gut of the horse, where this process takes place, is home to a large quantity of these digestive organisms and
without these horses would not be able to digest Dietary fibre.
The efficiency of digestion depends on three factors:
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the proportion of soluble to insoluble fibres in the diet
how long the fibre remains in the digestive tract
the balance of friendly bacteria in the gut
However when a foal is born it’s gut is sterile and only after birth does it acquire its population of gut bacteria from
its dam and from its environment. Once a foal can switch over completely to a natural diet of soluble and insoluble
fibre, which it has evolved to eat, then its digestive system matures quickly because of the daily “inoculation” of fresh
digestive bacteria which it ingests from this diet. Once established these gut friendly bacteria replicate abundantly
and under ideal conditions maintaining a beneficial population. This process takes place during the first few months
of a foal’s life, and until it is completed the foal cannot digest grass, hay or concentrate feeds and is totally dependent
on the mare's milk.
Microbial digestion is a delicate process which relies on a high quantity and quality of microorganisms. This balance
can be easily disrupted by a number of stressors such as breeding, competing, worming, antibiotic treatment,
travelling and racing. All modern forms of behaviour which can cause horses high levels of stress and can leave the
micro organisms disrupted, preventing efficient digestion and potentially causing the horse to lose condition.
Modern land management can also contribute to poor condition. Pasture is often agriculturally managed to conserve
it and this management can reduce the grass biodiversity. Such a reduction can remove from the horses’ natural diet
a range of micronutrients which in the long term are essential to the maintenance of balanced good health. Horses
which graze exclusively on Timothy and ryegrass do less well than those who graze on the 700 or so herbs and grasses
which occur in natural grassland. This is due in large part to an alteration in the enzymic balance in the horses’ hind
gut, which is in part dependent on the elements and micronutrients more readily available in a broad based plant
diet.
Many of these concerns are addressed nowadays by a vigorous feed industry selling probiotics and supplements
intended to go some way towards redressing the balance, and these are often effective in helping to re-establish the
horses gut micro flora, when fed over a short period of time and to treat a specific problem.
In the long term however it is the pH of the hind gut which is the the final arbiter of good health. pH is a measure of
the dissolved hydrogen in an environment and represents the balance between acid and alkaline. In digestive terms
this is a chicken and egg situation, that is, if the gut becomes too acidic then enzymic activity is reduced which can
cause, for example, laminitic trigger factors to leak into the bloodstream. Whereas, if enzymic activity is reduced by
other factors (e.g. stress) then this can give rise to acidity and the whole cycle begins again.
So what are the practical and cheaper ways to help your horse maintain good digestion and thereby better all-round
health? Well first of all there is the question of stocking levels. The maximum stocking level should be no more than
one horse per hectare and rotating the grazing areas is also very useful. Next there is a question of restricted diet observe wild horses eating and you will see that by and large they are extremely ‘picky’ eaters. They will work all the
way round buttercups using their highly flexible top lips to reach in around the bitter tasting stem of this plant, and
work all the pastures and hedgerows with similar discretion. When it comes to eating, which after all is their main
pre-occupation, horses are far from stupid. They have got millions of years of experience to instruct their instinct and
very rarely eat anything that disagrees with them if they have a choice.
When you are hacking out why not let them graze the verges for half an hour, you find they really enjoy it and it also
reduces boredom stress. Alternatively sow some wild flower mix in your pasture and seed mixed grass areas where
you encourage a variety of naturally occurring herbs to grow. Think symbiosis and let them graze the hedgerows for
what they need.
Also remember that horses, like humans, are ‘suckers’ for sweet things and will guzzle them as long as they can. So if
you are tempted to use sugar beet pulp, apple pomace and vegetable material such as carrots to supplement an
otherwise lean diet, it is better to do so sparingly. Certain of these feeds enable the animal to rapidly obtain much
needed short chain fatty acids, but some of these materials are so easily degraded that they even ferment before
reaching the large intestine. There is no need for these ‘super fibres’ if the forage is adequate. In fact, it is worth
looking at why we feed horses ‘extras’ to come to a more complete understanding of digestion, since good digestion
it is the foundation of good health.
We supplement our horses forage so that they can serve us better! It is true that in the process most of us develop a
deep affection for our animals and want to genuinely do our best for them, but the bottom line is that we feed them
to get the best out of them. Now our idea of what is best depends very much on our lifestyle, whereas the horse’s
idea of what is best for it depends on an entirely different set of parameters. These two sets of priorities collide and
often conflict so that the horse, which after all doesn't get much of a say in the matter, is often stressed at having to
conform to your lifestyle. As we increasingly ask more of our horses and try to fit them in around our hectic modern
lifestyles, their routines can be disrupted.
As with all creatures their emotions affect their digestive systems and they can lose condition if they are stressed too
much. Once again there can be a role for probiotics here since they can sometimes help to rebalance a gut upset by
excess stress, but recently a new approach to this problem has been pioneered by a company called Fine Fettle
Feeds.
This involves adding a specially activated charcoal to the horse's feed. Since this particular form of charcoal is based
on the carbon molecule that is the basis of all life on this planet, it is particularly biocompatible thus very easy for the
horse to assimilate. Its primary function however, and the reason mankind has used charcoal to aid digestion and
prevent poisoning for thousands of years, is that it adsorbs over 4000 different toxins. This broad spectrum and yet
selective approach to improving a horse’s digestion has a variety of advantages. Not only does it calm the gut by
reducing the acid balance but it also mops up all the laminitis trigger factors in the unbalanced gut, so preventing
them from crossing into the bloodstream. By rebalancing the gut the charcoal returns the pH to alkaline and helps to
redress the problems caused by overeating, unsuitable diets and excess stress.
Because this is super adsorbent charcoal (called Happy Tummy) is chemically inert, it cannot be digested by the
horse. It simply does its job by grabbing all the toxic residues of poor digestion and carrying them out of the horse’s
system. This leaves behind a much healthier, happier horse with a Happy Tummy. It also reduces the strain on the
horse’s immune system relieving the pressure on the kidneys and liver, so that they can do their job more effectively.
The result is a healthy horse with more stamina.