Probiotic is a word we hear a lot when we're talking about human health and well-being. But did you know that you can also give probiotic supplements to your horse? In this guide, we're going to take a look at probiotics for the horse, what they are and how they work. This way you'll have a clear understanding when it comes to choosing the best probiotics for horses.
What are Horse Probiotics and How do they Work?
Probiotics are live organisms that can be fed to your horse and it's thought that probiotics may help with digestive health and to soothe digestive upset. The gut of a horse is full of good and bad bacteria but if the bad bacteria start to outnumber the good bacteria then it can cause health and digestive problems. When you give probiotics to a horse, you're giving them a healthy dose of beneficial bacteria. This bacteria will reproduce and colonize the gut, keeping it healthy and preventing bad bacteria from taking hold.
What are the Beneficial Bacteria?
As well as defending against bad bacteria, beneficial bacteria also make use of the sugar and starch in a horses' diet. This takes the pressure off the horses' own enzymes and digestive system. They also help with the fermentation of fiber which feeds other good bacteria and produces energy for the horse. It's thought that beneficial bacteria can also stimulate vitamin B production in horses. Overall beneficial bacteria are responsible for maintaining balance in the gut of a horse which leads to optimum digestive health.
Do Equine Probiotics Really Work?
There are fairly few scientific studies about this issue. This is because investigating the gut of a horse is pretty expensive and also they have a diverse amount of GI tract bacteria which varies greatly between each horse. This means that it's hard to find an identical group of horses for a controlled test. The tests that have been done suggest that just like in humans, they can have a positive effect on the gut of a horse. Lots of veterinarians will happily recommend them, especially after surgery or antibiotic treatments.
What are the Health Benefits of Horse Probiotics?
The digestive system plays a massive role in horse health and well being. Below we'll explore the many ways in which probiotics are thought to improve horse lifespan and health.
1. Older Equines and Weight Gain
If you've ever owned an older horse or “hard keeper”, you'll know how difficult it can be to keep weight on them, especially in the winter. Often, this is because they have a harder time absorbing the nutrients from food in the GI tract.
Probiotics can be a good way to stimulate the gut to absorb vital nutrients. This will naturally lead to better condition and weight gain.
Read our article about how much a horse weighs to get an understanding of an average healthy weight.
2. Medical Recovery
Just like humans are advised to take probiotics after a course of antibiotics, some vets also use the same technique on a horse. Antibiotics kill all of the gut bacteria, both good and bad.
Giving probiotics to a horse after a course of antibiotics can help replenish and stimulate the regrowth of good bacteria in the GI tract. The same applies if a horse has had recent gut surgery.
3. General Digestive Complaints
Probiotics help to keep the gut balanced which can help with a range of digestive complaints, from gas and bloating to diarrhoea. It’s thought that they may also help to balance the gut of horses who have high grain diets. This can potentially help to prevent laminitis and colic.
When selecting probiotics for horses with laminitis you should choose yeast based ones. Because probiotics help to balance the pH (acidity) in the gut of a horse then they may help to prevent gastric ulcers in horses too.
4. Stress
Humans as well as horses feel stress in the digestive system first. This means that calming the digestive system may help to calm your horse. Giving a horse who is about to experience something stressful like a long journey in a horsebox, for example, may take the edge off the effects of stress.
Very active horse, racers, endurance, or show horses are also under a lot of stress and physical pressure. Probiotics are thought to reduce the risk of ulcers in highly active horses as well as helping the GI tract to recuperate and re-balance after performing.
5. Immune System
The horse's immune system is very closely related to its digestive system. This means that a healthy digestive system promotes a healthy immune system. Probiotics may help to reduce the risk of general infections as well as intestinal ones such as salmonella.
What are the Important Probiotics for Horses?
When you’re reading the labels of probiotics, it’s easy to be confused by all of the bacteria and their Latin names. To make understanding them a bit easier, below we’ll take a look at the most important ones for the horse.
1. LAB
Lactobacillus, Bifidus, and Enterococcus are known as lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB). And they like to live in the small intestines of a horse and produce lactic acid. The LAB bacteria are thought to prevent and reduce the growth of disease-causing organisms. They encourage the absorption of vitamins and the production of enzymes. They produce volatile fatty acids that can give a horse energy as well as helping with overall digestion.
2. Yeast
Saccharomyces and aspergillus are yeasts and they like to live in the hindgut of a horse. It’s believed that they help a lot with the digestion of fiber and promote the growth of good bacteria. These types of probiotics are the best ones to use for weight gain and to stimulate the digestive system.
3. Prebiotics
You may find products that also contain prebiotics such as beta glucan, inulin, MOS and FOS. Prebiotics can also be found in the gut of a horse but they aren't alive or active like probiotics. This means that they don't perform specific tasks to help the horses gut. Instead, they provide a food source for the probiotics to live on. When the probiotics have prebiotics as a food scouse, it's though that they reproduce quickly and become more powerful and abundant in the horse 's gut.
What are the Right Potencies?
One thing to look out for on the label of probiotics is the potency of the product. The potency of probiotics is measured in colony-forming units per gram (CFU). There are billions and billions of bacteria in the gut of a horse and many different strains. This means that a CFU of 100 million may sound impressive but actually, it's not going to be very effective. Ideally, you should look out for potencies in billions of CFU.
Can you Give a Horse Too Much Probiotics?
A horses digestive system is very sensitive which means that you shouldn't give them too much of any concentrated food or supplement. You should always stick to the recommended dosages when it comes to giving probiotics to your horse.
Can Horses Have Human Probiotics?
Horses and humans have very different digestive systems. Horses are herbivores while humans eat meat and greens. This is why it’s better to give probiotics that have been specifically designed for equines to your horse.
How to Choose a Horse Probiotic Supplement
When you’re looking for an equine probiotic then there are a few important things to consider before you make your purchase. By following these points you’ll be sure to find the best ones for your horse.
1. Powder Pill or Paste?
Just like horse joint supplements, equine probiotics are usually available as a powder, a pill or chew, or as a paste. Which one you use depends on your horse and your personal preferences.
If your horse is very suspicious about taking medicine or supplements then you chose a probiotic that comes as a pill or chews. These are usually flavored and your horse will find them appealing.
A paste can be given directly into the horse's mouth and delivers a concentrated, quickly absorbed dose.
A powder is the most common type of probiotic. These can be added easily to your horse's food.
2. Purpose
What kind of probiotic are you looking for? Are you looking for a daily supplement for a healthy horse or one that can help soothe the digestive system in times of stress?
Always take the time to choose a probiotic that’s suitable for the job. Avoid using weight gaining supplements on a healthy horse for example.
3. Extras
Probiotics are often combined with other supplements to give your horse an extra boost. Look out for ones that contain other vital vitamins and minerals that aid digestive health.
You may find probiotics that also contain prebiotics. Prebiotics aren’t “alive”, but they are thought to assist the probiotics in their job.
Reviews of the Best Horse Probiotic Supplements on the Marketplace
Take a look at our reviews below to get an idea of the best probiotics that are currently available on the market.
1. Manna Pro Weight Accelerator for Senior Horses
This is a high fat and calorie supplement from Manna Pro that’s ideal for weight gain and improving body condition in the older horse. As well as containing the probiotics Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces, it’s also made with flaxseed which is high in omega 3s.
It’s full of essential vitamins and minerals that help to support a healthy immune system in an older horse. Manna Pro weight accelerator contains Biotin too for healthy hoof growth. This powder is highly palatable and can be easily added to your horse's food.
These soft chews from ProBios have everything to support a healthy GI tract in horses. Using baccullis LAB probiotics to maintain a balance of good bacteria and encourage nutrient absorption.
These are good probiotics for hay belly and for fussy eaters. Horses will love the apple flavor and soft chewy texture of these probiotics.
This is a powerful powdered probiotic that can be added to your horse's food and it contains over twenty-five different types of active bacteria. It’s an all-natural, human-grade, broad-spectrum probiotic, with a very high CPU of 24billion and added prebiotics.
HealthyGut Maintenance is one of the most natural probiotics for a horse and is also one of the most effective probiotics for horses with diarrhea.
Uckele are experts when it comes to horse supplements and their GUT formula is very popular amongst horse owners.
This is a palatable powder that can be added to your horse's food and it’s specially developed for maintaining the pH balance of the stomach. This makes it a good choice of probiotics for horses with ulcers.
It contains everything to support a healthy digestive tract in the horse including a range of healthy probiotics.
This is a fantastic probiotic supplement for horses who also need to gain weight. It contains a huge range of vitamins and minerals as well as probiotics to support gut health.
This is a great supplement for malnourished horses, hard keepers and performance horses. It contains plenty of protein, less starch and sugars, and soy bean oil which provides cool energy and won't make your horse fizzy.
This is a high-quality supplement that’s made to pharmaceutical standards.
This is an easy to feed, powdered probiotic from nutritional experts Manna Pro. This Opti-Zyme supplement has been developed to perfectly optimize the digestive tract in horses. It contains naturally occurring yeast, enzymes, and beneficial bacteria which aids the digestion of starch, protein and fiber.
This is a good all-round probiotic that’s suitable for all types of healthy equines.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing the best equine probiotic then we highly recommend HealthyGut Maintenance. This high quality supplement that's very appealing and has everything your horse needs to support healthy gut function. We also like it because it's one of the most natural probiotics for horses on the market.
When it comes to choosing the best probiotic for horses then it’s important to select one for your horses individual needs. You should take into account it’s diet, workload and body condition when making your choice. By following our guide, you’ll be sure to select only the very best probiotics for horses.
