As with everything else on the market, there will be people who say yes and no. Probiotics are supplements to the diet that contain potentially beneficial yeasts or bacteria.
Hundreds of beneficial organisms reside in the cecum and large colon of the horse naturally. These bigger sections of the gut provide a place for fermentation to take place, where cellulose and hemi cellulose fibers in roughage such as hay (especially stems and stalks) are broken down into a form of nutrient the horse's body can use.
Probiotic supplements only contain the most beneficial of these organisms that aid in breaking down the fibers. Although the horse's body is equipped naturally with enzymes that break down the food without the help of added organisms, but probiotic-containing additives available to give horses will potentially provide some extra beneficial organisms to ensure the horse is not lacking in quantity. These organisms feed on the fibers of otherwise unused material and break it down further so that the horse is able to use more of the nutrients that would otherwise just be passed out of the system undigested.
Research has indicated that there are certain circumstances in horse's lives where probiotics can produce a positive effect.
- Antibiotics given to a horse for infection, the bad AND good bacteria are killed off. They would come back naturally, but probiotics will supposedly speed up the process of repopulating the good bacteria.
- Horses under stress seem to be at a greater risk for beneficial organisms in their digestive system to die off. It is thought that the increased acidity in the gut caused by stress kills off the good bacteria. Again, probiotics are said to repopulate the good bacteria quicker.
Generally speaking, horses that may be under more stress than normal, such as competition horses that are hauled around, horses going through the weaning process, breeding and other stress factors are good candidates to receive probiotic supplementation. Remember though, that the stress itself still needs to be addressed or the cycle of bacteria death continues, which will render the probiotic influence useless.
It is important to inform yourself by[404 Check: was link to http:/ / www. equiworld. net/ uk/ horsecare/ erc/ probiotics. htm, anchor: reading more information of the benefits of probiotics for your horse] , or to read more about how they actually work to see if your horse might be a good candidate to probiotic supplements.
