One of the most common questions we get is, ” My horse doesn’t have ulcers, so does he need a hindgut supplement?”
The short answer is yes.
The main reason that horses need a hindgut supplement has to do with the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
Hindgut health is essential for proper vitamin and mineral absorption in the horse because the cecum and colon house beneficial microbes that produce key vitamins, support fiber fermentation, and maintain a healthy gut lining. These microbes generate B vitamins and vitamin K, help stabilize pH, and create the conditions needed for minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and copper to remain soluble and absorbable. When the hindgut is balanced, nutrients are absorbed efficiently and used effectively; when it’s compromised, vitamins and minerals may pass through unused—even in well-formulated diets. In short, a healthy hindgut allows the horse to get the full benefit of the nutrition it’s fed.
So, if your horse doesn’t have a healthy hindgut, all of the money you are spending on quality hay and feed is money down the drain.
Modern horses do not eat in the way their bodies were designed to digest food. Due to the high demands put on them they require higher energy feeds, and these feeds often include ingredients that are not bioavailable to horses. They are also fed at intervals during the day instead of the constant grazing and high forage they are designed to digest.
For these reasons, the hindgut gets backed up and does not function properly. And because we cannot scope the massive hindgut of a horse, there is no way to know this is happening. When the hindgut becomes clogged, nutrient absorption declines. No matter how good your feed is, or what supplements you are giving him, if the hindgut is not functioning at the proper speed, they will not be as effective as they should be.
Basic Animal Health uses encapsulated ingredients to ensure reaching the hindgut to balance the system where it backs up. Our GutHealth pellets and GutHealth gel do the hard work to ensure the hindgut is working at the proper speed to allow those nutrients to get into your horse’s system so he can stay Healthy From the Inside Out.
To ensure your horse is Healthy From the Inside Out find our full line of products at BasicAnimalHealth.com