68. Gut Health: How Your Horse’s Hindgut Microbes Affect Performance

Did you know the microbes living in your horse’s hindgut may be influencing how well they perform?

In this episode, Dr Nerida explores research linking hindgut microbiome diversity, fibre fermentation and performance in horses. We look at studies in Thoroughbreds and trotters showing that higher microbial diversity and greater fibre-fermenting capacity are associated with better racing performance, while greater starch fermentation is linked with poorer performance.

You’ll also learn practical ways to support a healthier, more diverse microbiome through forage, fibre diversity and smarter grain feeding.

Whether you own a racehorse, performance horse or simply want to support better gut health, this episode may leave you in a state of mind-bogglement… which will make perfect sense once you listen. 😂💛

Research mentioned in this episode

Leng et al. (2024)
Early-life gut bacterial community structure predicts disease risk and athletic performance in horses bred for racing
Scientific Reports, 14:17124
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-64657-6

Park et al. (2024)
Comparison of the fecal microbiota with high- and low performance race horses
Journal of Animal Science and Technology, 66(2):425–437
https://doi.org/10.5187/jast.2023.e45

Vasseur et al. (2024)
Fibrolytic efficiency of the large intestine microbiota may benefit running speed in French trotters: A pilot study
Physiological Reports, 12(21)
https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70110

Hansen et al. (2015)
High nutrient availability reduces the diversity and stability of the equine caecal microbiota
Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 26:27216
https://doi.org/10.3402/mehd.v26.27216

Grimm et al. (2020)
Dietary composition and yeast/microalgae combination supplementation modulate the microbial ecosystem in the caecum, colon and faeces of horses
British Journal of Nutrition, 123(4):372–382
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114519002824