pre and probiotic

[Doc-t]

If your horse is a mare (I note that your horse, Kerry, is not, but I’m making this an open reply to anyone reading this), discomfort from riding in the fall and spring may be due to reproductive organ discomfort. The fall and spring equinox is a period of transitional heat during which the ovaries become erratic in egg development. Occasionally, mares become painful. Placing the mare on oral progesterone often gets them through the seasonal ovulation changes.

If your horse is male, the hindgut is more likely to cause discomfort, but a seasonality cause is unusual unless the pasture is also affected by mold, a toxic plant, or increased sugars.

I looked at EquiNecter’s website. It is nice-looking and informative, but I disagree with its content. Below, I copied and pasted their information (in quotation marks), then followed each paragraph with my comment.

“Amylase – Amylase is the enzyme that breaks down starch. Horses normally produce very little amylase since they did not evolve to eat diets that were high in grain starch. Supplemental amylase will help your horse break down cereal starch.”

There is no proof of this, and it is an erroneous statement because all forage has starch, which requires amylase to break down into glucose.

“Fructanase – Fructanase is an enzyme that breaks down fructans, which are complex sugars found in plants. Fructanase helps your horse to break down these complex sugars so they can be easily absorbed.”

As I have described in podcasts and the advanced nutrition course, fructose is a sugar with complex issues in all animals. Its primary purpose is to drive foraging behavior and to add body fat for winter. Reducing fructose intake benefits all domestic animals and humans.

“Phytase – Phytase is an enzyme that breaks down phytic acid, which is found in plants. Phytic acid is a compound that binds to minerals, such as phosphorus and calcium, making them unavailable for absorption by your horse. Phytase helps to improve the availability of essential nutrients from plant-based feeds.”

Phytic acid is found in plants’ seeds and beans, a distinction they do not make here. Its purpose is to store phosphorous. If you do not feed grains, this should not be a concern and is another reason not to feed grains. Only ruminants can digest phytic acid.

“Cellulase – Cellulase breaks down complex sugars found in plant cell walls, such as cellulose. This aids in the digestion of forage and hay, which are major components of your horse’s diet.”

Horses with hindgut fermentation can digest cellulose. There is no need to add this enzyme, assuming the normal bacteria are available in the hindgut to do this. If they are not, you will see the “squirts,” free fecal water, soft feces, or diarrhea.

“Xylanase – Xylanase breaks down xylans, which are complex sugars found in plants. Xylanase aids in the digestion of forage and hay.”

Xylan is a hemicellulose used in plant structures. It is extracted from wood by acid and hot water and used by various industries. The sugar xylose is not a significant human nutrient and is mainly excreted in urine. Based on my reading, it is not a nutrient for horses, where xylose is not mentioned.

“Beta glucanase – Beta glucanase is an enzyme that breaks down beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are a type of polysaccharide, which are long chains of sugar molecules. Beta glucanase improves the digestibility of forage and hay.”

Beta-glucans are essential for the health of the hindgut bacteria, which is the primary purpose of Succeed®, the digestive supplement for hindgut health. I would use Succeed® if you feel your horse has hindgut issues rather than Equinectar.

[Kerry]

Many thanks @Doc-t for the detailed reply