Plant Chemicals on the FEI/BHA Banned Substances List
Could your horse fail a drug test during a competition under FEI/BHA rules, pasture plants contain chemicals on the banned/controlled list.
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Take the guesswork out of what and how to feed your horse
The EquiBiome Test
How can EquiBiome help my horse?
The equine diet has changed hugely in the last 20 years.
Most horse food is highly processed, being finely milled or ground. The holding vat or caecum of the horse's hind gut has evolved to slowly digest very fibrous food items. Introducing finely milled ingredients changes the fermentation process within the hind gut. Feed balancers and vitamin supplements also change the microbiome.
Until now, it has not been possible to easily investigate the hind gut of the horse. However, with the latest genomic technology, we can now analyse and identify the microbes, giving the horse owner a helpful insight. Using this powerful analytical tool, the horse’s diet can be adapted to feed the bacteria of the microbiome community, thus supporting and promoting better health and vitality.
The EquiBiome test lets you know if what you are feeding suits your horse's needs. Each equine faecal test kit comes with clear, detailed instructions and your results will be provided in an easy-to-understand format.
Why is hind gut health so important?
Equine gut health is important to the horse’s overall health and wellbeing.
The bacteria, fungi, archaea and protozoa living in the horse’s hind gut are directly responsible for energy metabolism.
Energy metabolites can be easily collected and analysed to give a full picture of the microbiome. This information gives valuable insight into the energy produced and whether it is sufficient for performance horses.
The Equibiome Test will also tell you if there are any imbalances associated with discomfort.
Could my horse become ill because of an imbalance?
Veterinary research has reported links between bacteria and ill health. Pathogenic bacteria proliferate in certain conditions, and can take over the microbiome community when not kept in check by the good bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria have been linked to colitis, inflammation, colic and dysbiosis. Furthermore, many pathogenic bacteria can travel from the gut to other parts of the body where they can cause health problems for horses.
Healthy horses have a different community of bacteria than horses with dysbiosis (an imbalance/disease). We have found that a high percentage of horses have low levels of bifidobacteria, a good bacteria that have a number of benefits, including protection from disease, protection from pathogenic inflammatory bacteria and the production of vital health promoting biochemicals (metabolites).
A simple faecal sample can be taken and analysed, using the latest MiSeq sequencing technology, to provide accurate and real time information on the horse’s gut microbiome. This information can be used to manage the diet to provide an environment where the good gut bacteria can thrive.
About Equibiome
Equibiome is a team of biochemists, equine microbiologists and geneticists. Our aim is to help horse owners better understand their horse’s hind gut health and to take the guesswork out of what and how to feed their horses.
The Equibiome test uses MiSeq NGS technology to produce accurate and relevant data, with modalities to detect, restore and rehabilitate under performing horses and those with imbalances. We also offer a range of Biome Foods, designed to support a healthy equine hind gut biome.
If you have any questions about the Equibiome test, please visit our FAQs page. For more information on the latest research and the equine microbiome, please visit our blog.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Equibiome Blog
Our blog features a number of articles covering a range of equine gut health topics. We comment on the latest research, offer insights into the role of hind gut bacteria and provide more information on the Equibiome Test and Report. Our latest blog articles are featured below:
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