10 Keys to Equine Gut Health

Equine gut health begins with not only what it is fed, but how and when it is fed. This is where it pays to follow certain “best practices” that help mimic the diet and routine that Mother Nature intended. Read on to find out more

Beef up the turnout. A pasture-kept horse will almost never colic because its digestive system is designed for near-continuous grazing. When fitted with grazing muzzles, horses at risk for laminitis or obesity can also benefit from generous pasture time because they will still be moving around, interacting with others, and eating small amounts frequently—all activities beneficial to equine gut health.
Feed quality hay. Whether it’s orchard grass, timothy, or alfalfa, ensure that the hay you offer your horse is free of dust, mold, and longer, less-digestible stems, which can cause digestive upset or worse. A good bale of hay will smell fresh when opened up. If your bales contain a lot of “sticks” but look good otherwise, experiment with feeding a little extra so your horse can work around the parts it doesn’t want.
Keep food in your horse’s stomach. A stomach that was designed for near-continuous grazing will keep churning up digestive acids whether or not there’s something in it to digest. When the stomach is empty, the result can be gastric ulcers. Saliva helps buffer the stomach acid. Horses produce nearly twice as much saliva eating hay or grass as they do when eating grain. So, it makes sense to keep hay in front of horses 24/7. You can divide the daily ration into smaller portions. Then feed those throughout the day and into the night to prevent wastage. 
Feed only as much grain as needed. A diet high in forage and low in concentrates is essential to maintaining your horse’s natural digestive balance and promoting equine gut health. Keep in mind that grains (especially sweet feeds) are high in sugars and starches. Excessive intake of sugars and starches can create a microbial imbalance in the hindgut. That section of intestine is designed to digest primarily grass. The result can be the production of gas, which can lead to discomfort and even colic. Worse, an overload of sugar and starch can precipitate laminitis. That is apotentially devastating inflammation of the soft tissues within the hoof. Tradition tells us to feed extra grain to older horses, “hard keepers,” broodmares, or equine athletes. Many of those horses require a boost to maintain weight. However, it’s wise to seek professional advice about the safest ways to add calories to your horse’s diet.
Feed hay before grain. If you can’t provide continuous access to hay, feed hay before grain. Why? Because the equine stomach is rather small, and food moves through it rapidly. Given hay, grain, and water at the same time, most horses will dive into the grain first, followed by the hay and water. The grain will then go through the stomach and intestine too quickly to be digested thoroughly. That can cause problems in the hindgut when its sugars and starches arrive there unabsorbed. An “appetizer” of hay helps slow this process down. Feed your horses hay, top up their water, and wait at least half an hour before following up with grain.
Provide fresh, clean water. Your horse needs 24/7 access to fresh, clean water of the proper temperature. Horses drink an average of 12 gallons per day. Frozen water is not beneficial! Feel free to encourage a horse to drink its fill, even after exercise. This keeps everything it ingests flowing smoothly through its digestive system. Too little water, and an impaction is more likely to form in the equine gut, which can cause serious colic. If you use heated buckets or tanks in the winter, don’t forget to check that these units are properly grounded. You can use a voltmeter or call in an electrician if necessary. Even the slightest “tingle” of electric current will deter a horse from drinking. 
Make sure your horse gets exercise. A horse that stays active is likely to have healthier digestive function. Exercise helps stimulate the gut’s smooth muscle contractions. Fortunately, this doesn’t require extended sessions under saddle. Just walking around and grazing in the pasture for an hour a day is enough to keep things moving in a horse’s gut better than if it were stuck in a stall. If you want to prevent impactions and gas buildup, ensure that your horse gets plenty of turnout.
Seek grain alternatives to add calories. Does your horse needs to put on a few pounds (or maintain weight during the competition season)? Make sure this is done in the healthiest of ways. Add a bit of corn, flax, or canola oil to the horse’s ration to boost calories than adding more grain. Those also add a sheen to the coat and help protect against ulcers. That is because fat helps keep matter in the stomach longer, which in turn helps control acid levels. Another healthy alternative for the equine gut is adding a high-fiber commercial feed that includes beet pulp or soybean hulls. These more fibrous feedstuffs are lower in starches and sugars than traditional grain feeds. They are digested like forage, so they are less likely to cause serious gas colic or laminitis.
Guard the gut flora. Microbes—the organisms or “flora” populating a horse’s gut—are essential in the right amounts. The correct balance helps the animal digest food and absorb nutrients. Some microbes create essential nutrients. Stress or medications (such as antibiotics) can upset this delicate balance. That can result in weight loss or chronic diarrhea and even increase the risk for certain types of colic. This is where supplemental probiotics and prebiotics can help replenish “the good bugs.”
Watch out for sand. While ingesting a little dirt while grazing or eating from the ground is normal and usually harmless, horses living in areas with sandy soil run the risk of developing sand colic. Grains of sand ingested during grazing settle in the intestines. Over time, sand can accumulate to the degree that they block ingesta, leading to painful colic. Minimize your horse’s exposure to sand by placing hay in a feeder or net. Or you can feed from a rubber stall mat. Adding a natural laxative called psyllium (made from the ground seeds of the Plantago plant) to your horse’s diet. Once ingested, psyllium swells, becomes gelatinous and can help push sand through the intestine. You might want to feed a psyllium supplement at home as a preventative. Horses that already have large accumulations of sand in the colon might need to visit the veterinarian. Research shows daily nasogastric tubing with psyllium and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) for three to seven days is a more effective treatment. Your veterinarian can test your horse’s manure for sand and advise you on the best course of action.