Supporting Digestive Health at all Stages

Digestive health is a key area of overall health and vitality, the use of probiotic yeast is a familiar supplement when aiming to improve gut health within equines, along with the use of prebiotics. However, a new addition to this is Postbiotics which some are less familiar with.  

Mare Prepare boasts an effective gut health pack that supports the microbiome in a threefold approach, through the inclusion of Prebiotics, Probiotics & Postbiotics. But how do they work? 

Prebiotics

Prebiotics work by fuelling growth of the intestinal microbiota by acting as a food source for the microbes, which then allows the microbes to work more effectively thus improving gut function. Prebiotics can be defined as “a selectively fermented ingredient that results in a specific change in the composition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefits for host health.”  In horse feed there two types, which are commonly used – Mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). MOS are non-digestible sugars that derive from yeasts. They are beneficial for the horse as they reduce the risk of harmful bacteria (e.g. Salmonella and E. coli) causing disease. Rather than allowing the bad bacteria to attach to the gut wall, the MOS acts as a sponge, clearing up the harmful bacteria and removing them from the digestive system. FOS works by providing the beneficial microbes in the horse’s gut with a source of energy, allowing them to increase their population, which results in less opportunity for bad bacteria to thrive.

Probiotics

Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms that when consumed in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host”. Probiotics are also commonly referred to as live yeasts, they work by improving digestibility and work to breakdown fibre to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) essential for energy. Also, Increasing the number of beneficial microbes mean there is less capacity for harmful bacteria numbers to increase.

Postbiotics

The relatively newcomer in digestive supplements is Postbiotics which are defined as “the end-products (metabolites) of the microbial fermentation process”. These are what the microbes produce themselves and these include VFAs, B-vitamins, peptides and microbial cell wall components, there are a wide range of benefits from the inclusion of postbiotics. 

Promoting good digestive health within broodmares allows for better nutrient utilisation which supports the mare’s overall health, immune system and the all-important production of immunoglobulin (IgG) rich colostrum. Therefore, by supporting the mare’s digestive health we are also directly supporting the foal, as better-quality colostrum will allow the foal to acquire better passive immunity. 

Mare Prepare is now available at your local Bluegrass stockist! For further information on Mare Prepare or any other products, visit our product page or contact the Bluegrass Horse Feed expert nutritional helpline – 0044 28 3754 8276 or info@bluegrasshorsefeed.com