Good digestion is central to the horse’s health, attitude, behavior, and ability to perform. Knowing how equine digestion works in its ideal state and what goes wrong will help you understand how to better manage total gastrointestinal health in your horses.
Horses have complex digestive systems that have evolved to support constant forage intake while wandering and grazing all day. The bulk of their digestion happens via hindgut fermentation. But, this system is delicate and easily disrupted.
Today, horses have drastically different lifestyles that can compromise digestive tract health and increase the risk of gastrointestinal problems. Owners can minimize these risks with strategic management that supports overall digestive health in horses.
Challenges to GI Tract Health
- Grain feeds
- Large meals 2-3 times per day
- Limited turnout
- Stress from training, hauling, and competing
- New environments
- Changing routines
Management Helps
- Free-choice, high-quality forage
- Increased turnout
- Reducing grain feeds
- Smaller, more frequent meals
- Consistent routines
- Supplement for ongoing gi tract health support
How Correct Digestion Works in Horses
Common Digestive Problems in Horses
Research suggests the vast majority of performance horses may face gastrointestinal challenges. Unfortunately, many equine gastrointestinal tract health conditions go undiagnosed, leading to ongoing behavioral, performance and wellness problems that often mask as different issues, rather than symptoms of an underlying problem.
While digestive tract health management often focuses on preventing and treating issues in the stomach, this organ comprises less than 10% of the equine digestive tract’s total volume. Many serious GI tract conditions originate in the often-overlooked hindgut. Learn more about common digestive issues in horses.
How SUCCEED® Supports Healthy Digestion
Healthy Gastrointestinal Lining
SUCCEED ingredients work together to support the strength and integrity of mucosal tissue as well as mucus production for a health gut lining.
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Balanced Gut Microbiota
SUCCEED includes prebiotics to feed the growth of beneficial bacteria in the hindgut. It also supports a healthy bacterial balance and immunity.
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Full Nutrient Absorption
For a horse to fully utilize feed, its gut needs to have a wide surface area, intestinal villi motility, proper feed transit rate, and strong epithelial cell junctions.
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Is SUCCEED right for you?
Find out if your horse’s health and performance could benefit from added digestive support.