Experts ponder link between gut health and equine behaviour.
Everyone involved in the horse feed sector will find it fascinating viewing…
The second episode of World Horse Welfare’s educational video series Horses Explained explores the relationship between equine digestive health, dental care and behaviour.
Free to view on the charity’s Education YouTube channel, veterinary dental specialist Stuart Altoft and equine scientist Dr Simon Daniels connect gut health with overall wellbeing.
Stuart Altoft explains how important it is for horse owners to be vigilant for signs of dental pain. He also emphasises the importance of a fibre-based diet for horses’ dental health.
“The more fibrous material horses are eating, the more they have to chew and move their jaw all the way across top get a full grinding surface, so are less likely to develop sharp overgrowths," explains Stuart.
"With horses that are eating a lot of concentrated food, they don’t require that same chewing pattern and tend to develop more overgrowths and problems.”
Changes in behaviour
Dr Simon Daniels says that traditional feeds such as oats and barley can cause changes in behaviour.
“On the simplest level, if we fed what I would call a more traditional diet, then you get a rapid blood glucose rise,” he explains.
“I usually liken that to a ‘small child with a bag of sweets’ scenario, and that’s where we see more excitable behaviour in our horses.
“There is a reason for that; not only do you have that blood sugar rise, it also alters some of what’s happening in the brain.”
Dr Daniels, associate professor of equine science at the Royal Agricultural University, adds that studies have shown that a horse’s gut microbiome affects their health, with a more diverse microbiome - associated with a more diverse diet - being linked to a healthier animal.
“We’ve seen from studies in rodents – and we’ve done some studies ourselves with horses – that when we support the microbiome with prebiotics and probiotics, that can have an influence on behaviour.
“It may be that horses are more investigative and act in a slightly more natural way, or are actually a little bit calmer in their behaviour. [It seems] there is some messaging that we don’t really understand that comes from output from the hindgut that makes it all the way up to the brain.”
All the Horses Explained videos released to date can be found on World Horse Welfare’s Education YouTube channel or at worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/horses-explained
