With just a box label to go on, it can be very difficult to learn just what’s in your horse’s supplements and why it makes a difference. In our What Goes In SUCCEED series, we explained how equine supplements are regulated and how that affects our label, the benefits of Oat Flour in SUCCEED, the benefits of Oat Oil in SUCCEED, and the benefits of the Irradiated Yeast in SUCCEED. In this final part, we put all of the ingredients together and explore the activity and natural processing that makes SUCCEED what it is.

If you’ve been following along with this series, you probably understand SUCCEED’s ingredients a lot better. You now know that our oat oil is rich in polar lipids, our oat flour has a high content of beta glucan, and that our yeast actually contains two forms of a complex yeast sugar called MOS, all of which provide countless benefits for your horse and promote good digestive health.

But what does good digestive equine health really mean?

For SUCCEED, digestive health means providing support for ongoing health to avoid problems before they start. Most supplements were made to fix problems after the fact, or simply mask symptoms. In our research we found that 63% of performance horses experience colonic ulcers and 88% experience gastric ulcers. Because of this, we realized that we had to create a supplement that targeted all aspects of the GI tract including the colon, hindgut, and stomach.

SUCCEED Ingredients Target the Entire Digestive Tract

SUCCEED provides good digestive health through a combination of ingredients, each of which addresses different aspects of supporting the horse’s GI tract structure and function. Each ingredient targets a specific area and they all work together to complete a total digestive health solution:
Polar Lipids found in the oat oil actually increase the bioavailability of the other ingredients in SUCCEED. Without the polar lipids, our serving size would have to be much greater than it is now. A major reason why your horse will see such a big impact from such a small portion of SUCCEED is primarily due to the polar lipids that help your horse get the most benefit from each ingredient.

Beta Glucan is considered the most powerful natural stimulant of the immune system available, which helps your horse stay in top health even during the stresses of show season or in the midst of a rigorous training schedule. Beta Glucan also supports the production of mucosal tissue, slows down the passage of grains allowing starches to be digested earlier in the transit process, and moderates the release of sugars.

MOS (Mannan Oligosaccharide) products act as a bacterial sponge and a mycotoxin absorbent to help the horse excrete pathogens and potentially harmful toxins. MOS works with the other ingredients to provide a strong immune system, balance the microbial environment in the hindgut, and support the health and regeneration of GI tract tissue.

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in humans as well as horses. While glutamine is considered a nonessential amino acid, SUCCEED helps replenish glutamine levels when the digestive tract has been distressed. Glutamine works with the other ingredients to boost immunity, support mucosal tissue and provide fuel for muscles (including the muscle lining the intestines that helps move food along during digestion).

Threonine is an essential amino acid and assists in metabolism and nutrient absorption. Without threonine, the regeneration of the gut wall slows down and the production of mucus is depressed.Threonine is especially useful for wound healing and treating stress and works with each ingredient to rebuild tissue, boost the immune system, and produce mucus.

The SUCCEED Difference

Each ingredient in SUCCEED has been carefully selected for their individual benefits as well as their natural ability to work together. Each one layers on top of the other to ensure complete digestive health for your horse. Our patented processes that help ensure the maximum of nutrients are retained in our ingredients has allowed us to provide your horse with a small serving size that brings a huge impact.

The SUCCEED mission is to keep your horse healthy on the inside so it can consistently perform at its best on the outside, and that all starts with the right ingredients.

If you have more questions about the development of SUCCEED or the ingredients used, please contact us or visit our ingredients page.

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In Pt. 1 of our Show Season Health series, we talked about the effects of travel-induced stress on your horse’s health, and discussed how to keep your horse healthy and happy during transport through well-established routines. The show season is a rewarding but stressful time for both you and your horse, so be sure to tune in for ongoing strategies to keep your horse healthy during travel.

Keeping Your Horse Healthy on the Road

Traveling from your home barn to a competition can often pass in a whirl of pre-competition nerves. (Did I remember my lucky socks? Is the boot polish in my travel bag? Am I sure that I packed my extra girth?) But for the horse traveling in the trailer behind you, transportation to shows can be harrowing. We discussed several tips for safe and stress-reduced traveling in Pt. 1 of Show Season Health, but equally important as having a horse who loads and unloads easily is getting your horse accustomed to eating and drinking normally while on the road.

The Effects of Dehydration and Compromised Feeding Schedules

It’s obvious that good feeding and watering practices are essential to your horse arriving in peak condition for show day, but the effects of compromised road health are often underestimated. Here’s what’s at risk:

• Weight loss by sweating, dehydration and reduced forage — on average, .45-1.1 percent of body weight

• Increased fatigue from road vibration and continuous balance adjustments

• Risk for “shipping fever” (pneumonia) and bacterial infection from tying a horse’s head in one position for extended periods of time

• Increased risk for impaction colic due to dehydration

• Reduced forage disrupts the digestive process and can lead to digestive imbalance, ulcers and colic.

Strategies for Maintaining Good Digestive Health and Hydration During Travel

Be Consistent

Do your best to mimic your horse’s feeding schedule and quantity while on the road. Carry more than enough feed and hay with you to last the duration of your trip, or order it ahead from a local feed store at your destination. Try to adhere to your normal feeding schedule as closely as possible.

Feed Roughage Only

Promote good digestive health by providing free access to roughage, and replace any hard feed scheduled for during your trip hours with soaked beet pulp or other sources of fiber (start this practice well before your trip). Be sure to soak haynets thoroughly in water to reduce dust and to increase water absorption, or consider feeding hay cubes, haylage or soaked beet pulp.

Offer Water Every Three Hours

Some horses refuse to drink while on the road, either due to anxiety, an unfamiliar setting, or water from a new source. Two options exist: Bring enough water for the duration of the trip, or mix flavored water at home, experimenting to find one your horse likes before taking it on the road to mask strange-tasting water. Always be sure to use your horse’s normal water buckets.

Feed SUCCEED

Feed SUCCEED to promote good digestive health to help alleviate the effects of these stress-related issues. We generally recommend giving your horse a double dose of SUCCEED during travel and competition to stimulate the immune system and ward off travel-related ailments, to maintain a healthy balance of good micro-organisms, and to promote the general wellbeing that begins in the digestive tract.

Up Next in Show Season Health: Caring for Your Horse at the Showgrounds    
In our next post in the Show Season series, we’ll discuss how to keep your horse happy and ready for peak performance in the days leading up to a competition, and while at the showgrounds preparing for a competition. Be sure to subscribe to the SUCCEED blog to stay up-to-date with the series.

The Summer Olympics are only a few months away, and the excitement is palpable as riders make final bids for the team and spectators pick their favorite horse-and-rider combinations. For the horses, however, the lead up to the Olympics is nothing but stress. Olympic candidates travel all over the country even before boarding a plane to London, and all of that travel — plus the challenge of competing — can really take its toll on a horse’s health.

You don’t have to be an Olympic contender to know that heading off to a horse show is stressful for both you and your horse, whether you’re flying to London or driving 10 miles down the road. Show Season Health: Tips For Safe (And Healthy) Travel is the first in a four-part series discussing how to keep your horse happy and healthy while you’re on the road, from what to feed him and how to care for him at a show, to getting him to and from the showgrounds. Be sure to subscribe to the SUCCEED blog to be sure you don’t miss the next part of this series.

What is Stress?

Stress is blamed for a variety of health complaints, from stomach ulcers to a horse going off his feed, but it’s important to realize that stress is primarily a response to external stimulus that disturbs or interferes with a horse’s normal physiological equilibrium. Stressors can include anything from new stall mates, to traveling, to the adrenaline of competition. Not all of these stressors are negative — a horse that loves to compete will still feel a rush of adrenaline/stress when entering the ring — but it’s important to remember that stressors cause physiological changes in your horse’s body that can affect his health.

Effects of Stress on Competition Horses

There are many external stimuli that can take their toll on a horse’s health. Travel-induced stress has been linked with a number of behavioral, physiological and pathological responses in horses, including:

• Elevated heart rate

• Pulmonary infections

• Suppressed immune system

• Decreased body mass

• Dehydration

• A compromised digestive system

• Stomach ulcers

These effects aren’t limited to Olympic athletes or horses on the professional, full-time show circuit, either. In a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, a group of ulcer-free recreational horses were exposed to activities associated with going to a show without actually competing. Seventy percent of the horses developed ulcers within five days. That means that your local show may cause your horse as much situational stress as the Olympic trials, so it’s smart to do whatever you can to keep your horse stress-free on show day.

Alleviate Stress Through Routine

Horses are creatures of habit. Positive reinforcement and a healthy adjustment period help alleviate show-day travel stress, so spend some time re-creating the scene of a typical horse-show morning. Wrap your horse’s legs, load and unload him, drive around the block, or take a field trip to a local showground or a neighboring barn to mimic show-day conditions. Do this as often as it takes for your horse to realize that trailering doesn’t need to equal stress. And most of all, try to avoid disrupting your horse’s normal feeding schedule. Digestive imbalance can be caused by even the slightest change, leading to a bad attitude or poor performance on show day.

Help Prevent Stress With Good Digestive Health Before You Hit The Road

Stress is the single biggest cause of a suppressed immune system, and can leave horses (and people) vulnerable to illness and compromised performance on show day (and beyond). While the tips above can help alleviate stress on the day of travel, a healthy GI tract can go a long way toward giving your horse the boost he needs to overcome a compromised immune system.

Feed SUCCEED To Boost Your Horse’s Immune System

During travel and competition, up the dose to twice daily to stimulate the immune system and to ward off travel-induced ailments like ulcers, and to maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria.

Certain properties in SUCCEED, like the beta glucan in oat oil, are immune boosters that are rich in powerful antioxidants that sweep free radicals out of the system. The polar lipids in oat oil enhance the horse’s ability to absorb nutrients fully from its feed, boosting his energy level, promoting good digestive health, and paving the way to a healthier and happier horse, whether on the road or in the barn. And like their human counterpoints, horses that are healthy and relaxed are primed to perform at their best.

Up Next in Show Season Health: Feeding Strategies For Show-Day Success

The next post in our series on Show Season Health will help you develop a strategy for feeding your horse while you’re on the road, helping to ward off the weight loss and dehydration that often accompanies travel and competition-related stress. Be sure to subscribe to the SUCCEED blog in order to stay up-to-date with the series.

If you read our series about using SUCCEED to help avoid winter weight loss, you know that SUCCEED optimizes nutrient absorption, which results in healthy weight gain. But since we have so many testimonials about using SUCCEED to help horses gain weight, you may be wondering if you can use SUCCEED to help an overweight horse lose weight.

The simple answer is YES. Although SUCCEED isn’t a magic weight-loss pill on its own, when combined with the correct diet, it’s a crucial part of a healthy weight-loss program.

In addition to supporting your horse’s digestive-system health and overall condition, SUCCEED also plays a more active role in weight loss. Here’s why SUCCEED is an important factor in diet programs and how you can use it to help your horse lose weight:

Feeding SUCCEED Ensures Better Nutrient Absorption

You probably know that SUCCEED optimizes the nutrients from the feed your horse ingests. The key ingredient at work here is the specially processed oat oil in SUCCEED.  The polar lipids, found in high concentration in our oat oil, serve as a delivery vehicle for other nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins (A, K, D and E). By increasing the digestive tract’s ability to absorb more of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in feed, those nutrients can reach the blood stream, where they are utilized by horse’s body for better health and energy.

Better Nutrient Absorption Equals Less Grain

Because the ingredients in SUCCEED enhance nutrient absorption, it’s possible to cut back on (or eliminate entirely) the high-fat, high-calorie feed you may rely on to provide nutrition or energy. Horses aren’t designed to eat processed feed, so by cutting back on concentrates and relying on SUCCEED to enhance the vitamins and minerals found in natural roughage like hay and grass, your horse will be healthier and happier. He’ll also get the same benefits, minus the hind-gut issues and extra calories from sweet feeds and processed feeds.

Less Grain Equals Weight Loss

Some riders worry that decreasing hard feed means a decreased training schedule, too. With SUCCEED working to get the most out of the roughage your horse is naturally engineered to eat, he’ll get all of the vitamins and minerals he needs to perform — without starchy, sugary hard feeds that just add calories.

Using SUCCEED To Rediscover A Happy, Healthy Horse

Equine obesity is a serious problem, and can cause many serious health issues, like a stressed respiratory system, increased risk of founder and laminitis, and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. By feeding SUCCEED once a day and following a roughage-based diet that is optimal for hind-gut health, you can help your horse get back on track to health. Subscribe to our blog and check out our Strategies for Easy Keepers post from last week. Take the SUCCEED Challenge to see first-hand what SUCCEED can do for your horse, whether he’s obese or an easy keeper.

With just a box label to go on, it can be very difficult to learn just what’s in your horse’s supplements and why it makes a difference. In Parts 1, 2, and 3 of What Goes In SUCCEED, we explained how equine supplements are regulated and how that affects our label, the benefits of Oat Flour in SUCCEED, and finally the benefits of Oat Oil in SUCCEED. In Part 4 we will discuss the benefits of the Irradiated Dried Yeast in SUCCEED (it’s the MOS). Subscribe to the blog for the final part of this series where we explore the synergy of all of the ingredients together.

If you’ve been following along with this series, you probably understand that SUCCEED is so much more than what you see on the label. Just like with oat flour and oat oil, we have to follow state feed regulations and AAFCO guidelines when it comes to the yeast products in SUCCEED. The truth is, what appears on our label as “irradiated dried yeast” contains a lot more benefits than its name can give it credit for.

Benefits of Irradiated Dried Yeast are in the MOS

The yeast products in SUCCEED include 2 forms of a complex yeast sugar called Mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS). MOS is widely used in nutrition as a natural additive because of its promotion of gastrointestinal health. It also helps overall wellness, energy levels, and performance. Most important, MOS is valued in animal nutrition for its ability to help the body rid itself of potentially harmful pathogens

One form of MOS in SUCCEED acts as a sponge that traps pathogenic bacteria in the hindgut and stomach so that they can be excreted safely.

The other form binds to mycotoxins, toxins produced by fungus, so they are safely eliminated from the horse’s body. Horses are often exposed to mycotoxins from consuming hay, since they are present even if the hay does not appear moldy.

Nucleotides 

The irradiated dried yeast in SUCCEED is also a source of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA. Nucleotides in yeast support cell reproduction which is needed for building tissue and healing. They are also shown to enhance the growth of intestinal cells.

The SUCCEED Difference

The SUCCEED difference is in the ways that we use MOS to give your horse the optimal nutrition that it needs. Because of our inclusion of irradiated yeast, your horse can get rid of harmful pathogens safely from the stomach and hindgut, leaving it healthy on the inside and performing at its best on the outside.

Next up: The Synergy of SUCCEED Ingredients 

The irradiated dried yeast is only part of the whole that makes SUCCEED what it is. Along with yeast, we’ve explored the benefits of oat flour and oat oil and found out that there is a lot more to the ingredients than what we read on the label. While we’ve seen the benefits of the ingredients on their own, in part 5 of What Goes In we’ll explore the process and benefits of our ingredients working together.

Subscribe to the blog to see part 5 of What Goes In: The Synergy of SUCCEED’s Ingredients where we put all of our ingredients together (including the glutamine and threonine) to explain their natural activity and unique processing.