Knowledge Base Articles

Jennifer Little BSc Hons MSc RNutr PgCert Equinutrition Independent Equine Nutritionist   Choosing to breed from your mare can be a very exciting time. But, as a pregnancy progresses there are several nutritional factors that need to be considered, especially during late gestation. It is in the later phase of pregnancy, where the foetus’s growth […]

Jennifer Little BSc Hons MSc RNutr PgCert Equinutrition Independent Equine Nutritionist In horses a healthy digestive system is of utmost importance in order to support a horses health and performance. The bacterial population within a horses gut (referred to as the gut biome) are critical to its health. It is essential for both the digestive

Jennifer Little BSc Hons MSc RNutr PgCert Equinutrition Independent Equine Nutritionist As an registered independent equine nutritionist based in the north of the UK the first half of 2023 has proved a busy time. The number of acute laminitis cases I received in May 2023 exceeded the total number I received in the entirety of

Jennifer Little BSc Hons MSc RNutr PgCertEquinutritionIndependent Equine Nutritionist Importance of the hindgutThe horse has an unusual digestive system, with digestion in the foregut being driven by chemical and enzyme reactions. Whereas digestion in the hindgut is driven by the action of microbes, which include bacteria and protozoa. Collectively these microbes are known as the

Leaky gut is a term that is often over used and without much consideration for the pathology behind it. Leaky gut refers in the main to a condition that can occur in the hindgut, in horses involving the caecum and the large and small colon. The hindgut is the area of the digestive tract where

Jennifer Little BSc Hons MSc RNutr,Equinutrition, Independent Equine Nutritionist AntibioticsAntibiotics are medications used to treat bacterial infections. They work by interfering with the structure of the bacteria\’s cell wall, its protein metabolism and replication, resulting in the death of the bacteria. They are extensively used in veterinary medicine as one of the leading options to

In the world of equine nutrition there seems to be many buzz words bounding around and often without a full understanding of their meaning or implications. The terms Pre and Probiotics are a perfect example of this scenario. Their terms are frequently heard in the field of equine nutrition, and can be easily found printed

The horse’s digestive system can be split into the foregut, including the stomach and small intestines and then onto the hindgut, which comprises of the cecum, large colon and the small colon, rectum, and anus. The food eaten by the horse is digested differently in these two regions. In the foregut digestion is primarily driven

Hindgut Health in SummerThe horses digestive system can be split into the foregut, including the stomach and small intestines and then onto the hindgut, which comprises of the cecum, large colon and the small colon, rectum and anus. The food eaten by the horse is digested differently in these two regions. In the foregut digestion is primarily driven

Digestive Structure The horse’s digestive structure is rather unique when compared with other species that have evolved to eat forages such as grass, this due to the fact that the horse is a hindgut fermenter.  Meaning the area of their digestive system that is responsible for housing the bacteria required to breakdown fibre is in