What are Equine Probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria. What about probiotics for horses? Note that horses have good and bad microorganisms in their systems.
The horse’s gut health and proper digestive system functioning depend on the right mix of beneficial bacteria. Humans get probiotics from some foods and beverages. But horses don’t consume natural probiotic sources regularly.
So, what probiotic is ideal for your horse? This unbiased review will help you determine your situation’s ideal probiotic horse supplements.
What are Probiotics for Horses Used for?
Most probiotic bacteria are Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus. Of the two, Lactobacillus is the most common strain in fermented foods. On the other hand, you can find Bifidobacterium in various dairy products.
Probiotics contain yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii, which are helpful for diarrhea and digestive issues. The administration of probiotics influences the nerves that manage gastrointestinal motility. You can find prebiotics and probiotics in supplements.
Probiotic manufacturers suggest that they help horses by maintaining or restoring yeast, fungi, parasites, and bacteria. These microorganisms make up the equine intestinal microbiome.
So yes, probiotics are good for horses if you use them on the right horses. Which horses benefit from a probiotic?
If your horse has loose stool occasionally, it needs a probiotic. Also, if you own a senior horse, you can give it a probiotic to support the digestive system to function healthily. If your horse has challenges maintaining a healthy weight or is susceptible to hindgut challenges, it could benefit from probiotics.
Probiotics also play a key role in keeping harmful microorganisms in the horse’s digestive system at bay. Besides that, they also help produce antimicrobial factors. The use of horse probiotics can also help improve the immune system and help deliver important nutrients.
Occasionally, you can use probiotics for chronic skin dermatitis or acne treatment. This is because probiotics can activate anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Are Probiotics Good for Horses?
The gut supports up to 70% of the horse’s immune system. If the horse’s gastrointestinal tract is healthy, it can support its overall well-being preventing several possible secondary health challenges.
Here are several science-backed benefits that show probiotics are good for horses:
- Probiotics help horses recover from digestive issues such as acute enterocolitis (intestine inflammation). They do this by stimulating mucous production in the intestine, which forms a protective layer that decreases inflammation.
- If your horse is on antibiotics or dewormers, you can give it probiotics before, during, and after treatment to help its gut re-establish the right microbial populations.
- Probiotics also promote a healthier immune system by supporting a healthy gut. They also help prevent “bad” or pathogenic bacteria from triggering inflammatory responses.
- By enhancing the horse’s immune system, equine probiotics help the horses cope with stressful situations such as transportation and competition.
- Suppose your horse consumes high grain diets; it might experience disruptions to its gut microbiome, causing ulcers or laminitis. In such a case, probiotics can help counterbalance the effects of the high-grain diet on the horse’s gut microbiome.
- Additionally, you can use probiotics as stress relievers. Some products contain magnesium, which help reduce stress in horses.
- Finally, if your horse is having trouble gaining weight, probiotics for horse can help. The probiotics improve the horse’s digestion of feeds and absorption of essential nutrients.
As you can see, adding horse probiotics to your horse’s diet is an economical and safe way of balancing its gut microbiome and supporting its digestive system. In short, probiotics are good for horses!
What is the Purpose of Equine Probiotics?
Probiotics have a wide range of uses in horses. However, horse owners mainly use probiotics for horse hindgut composition.
Horses usually use hindgut fermentation, where they use their “good” bacteria to digest most of their food in the hindgut. Additionally, about 70% of the horse’s energy comes from Volatile Fatty Acids. They generate these in the cecum during the forage digestion to allow colon absorption.
When changes happen in the horse’s life, they might need probiotics. The changes could be dietary or eating patterns. Other changes that might require the horse to use probiotics include increased stress levels, traveling, or anything that can upset the horse’s hindgut equilibrium.
The horse’s digestive system works well when it is grazing on fodder 24/7. A rapid change in its feeding pattern causes a disruption. In such a case, the horse needs probiotics.
Most probiotic supplements are available as feed additives. You will find them as crumbles, pellets, or powder form. Probiotics for horses have also become very trendy in recent years.
Administration schedules depend on your significant demands. For example, probiotics usually begin before a stressful event if you use them for digestive help. A typical example is before traveling or competing.
On the other hand, if you’re dealing with chronic digestive challenges, you’ll use the supplements regularly. You can also use them more often if you are trying to control the development of ulcers.
Additionally, antibiotics and chemical deworming can also disrupt your horse’s equilibrium. In such instances, horse owners can opt to supplement with probiotics after these treatments.
The Four Essential Equine Probiotics
Prebiotics nourish the microorganisms in the horse’s intestine. Here are four of the most notable probiotics in horse supplements:
Fructo-Oligosaccharides (FOS) and Inulin
FOS and Inulin can feed friendly microorganisms in the gut. Unfortunately, they also feed not-so-friendly pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria like Salmonella and Candida. Therefore, if your horse’s gut has an imbalance that favors the opportunistic bacteria, FOS can help them grow.
Beta-Glucan
Beta-glucans are present in mushrooms, yeast, oats, and barley. When they reach the hindgut, it ferments them. After that, they become food for beneficial microorganisms present in the colon. Beta-glucans also help slow the transit time of starches, hence supporting more efficient nutrient absorption.
Mannan Oligosaccharides (MOS)
MOS is important for horses having hindgut ulcers. These ulcers are a result of a change in pH. When the horse’s small intestine fails to digest starches fully, they end up in the hindgut. Because hindgut bacteria do not digest starches, they die off, increasing the pathogenic bacteria.
MOS helps regulate the hindgut’s pH preventing pathogenic bacteria from flourishing there. Moreover, MOS can also bind pathogenic bacteria, helping flush them out of the horse’s body.
The Three Different Types of Probiotics
According to Ayurvedic medicine, all foods and plants fall into three groups: warming, cooling, and neutral.
Warming
Warming probiotics increase digestive fire. For example, yeast is a warming food. Therefore, if your horse needs to gain weight or is older and needs to utilize feed and forage better, it needs a warming probiotic. You’ll also need a warming probiotic if your horse has hard stools.
Cooling
Cooling probiotics are for cooling the digestive tract. The cooling probiotics are ideal for horses with hindgut or gastric ulcers and heat in the GI tract. Examples include milk which contains probiotic strains like Enterococcus, Bifidus, and Lactobacillus.
Neutral Probiotics
These are soil-based microorganisms like Bacillus. These strains neither cool nor warm the GI tract. They come in handy when you need to maintain homeostasis.
So, can you mix warming and cooling probiotics for horses? Most supplement manufacturers mix cooling probiotic strains from milk with yeast’s warming probiotics.
The theory behind this approach is to have milk-derived probiotics that dwell mainly in the small intestine and yeast probiotics that dwell in the hindgut. But, according to Eastern medicine, mixing warming and cooling probiotics can negatively affect digestion.
Some of the digestive functions that this approach affects include the production of digestive enzymes, absorption, and assimilation. In this regard, the advice is for you to avoid mixing milk-derived probiotics with yeast probiotics.
Our Top Pick for Probiotic Horse Supplements
Our top equine probiotic is Probios Horse Soft Chews. Several reasons make this product stand out from the rest. For example, its price is reasonable, it is potent (has a high CFU count), and it contains several strains meaning you can apply it for a wide range of uses.
Its stability and viability are also unmatched because it contains bacteria of proven efficacy. The bacteria are also in numbers that can remain viable during usage. Above all, it is pretty straightforward to administer.
Our Equine Probiotic Shopping Guide
So, which equine probiotic is suitable for your horse? Each horse has a unique microbiome based on what it eats, genetics, and stressors.
Therefore, it is important to know which probiotic to use and when to use it. This knowledge helps you address your horse’s specific needs leading to a healthier and happier horse.
Relevance
It is important to note that most probiotic horse supplements don’t go past the stomach. The acid in your horse’s stomach can corrode metal! What would that acid do to a probiotic it takes orally?
In this sense, go for a probiotic with an enteric coating or is microencapsulated. This design protects them from the stomach acids allowing them to move through the stomach safely. As a result, they’ll reach the small intestine and hindgut where they work.
Probiotic Potency
This is a critical factor to consider. To evaluate a probiotic’s potency, you need to check the amount of colony-forming units (CFUs) it contains. For instance, an equine probiotic might read “100 million CFUs.”
While that sounds impressive, it might not be sufficient compared to the trillions in the gut. A live probiotic capable of colonization should provide at least 100 billion CFUs. In short, a potent probiotic should provide at least 100 billion CFUs per serving.
Type of Probiotic
As mentioned in the previous sections, three main types of probiotics are applicable in different scenarios. Here is when to pick each of the different types:
You need a Warming probiotic if your horse:
- Is a hard keeper
- Is underweight
- Has hard and dry stools
- Is a senior and needs digestive support
You need a cooling probiotic if your horse:
- Has undergone antibiotic therapy
- Is under stress
- Has diarrhea
- Is running a temperature
- Has hindgut or gastric ulcers
You need a neutral probiotic if your horse:
- Has limited access to fresh grass
- Needs non-specific probiotic support
- Struggles with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
The Best Horse Probiotics at a Glance
- Probios Horse Soft Chews – Best overall
- HealthyGutTM Probiotics – Best foal starter kit
- Manna Pro Corp – Best supplement
- FullBucket Equine Probiotic Pellets – Best for competing horses
- Ramard Total Pre & Probiotic – Best value
- MagnaGard – Gastric Support Supplement – Best ulcer supplement
Our Equine Probiotic Reviews
Probios Horse Soft Chews – Best Overall
Amazon choice in Horse Probiotics & Digestive Supplements by Probios
Brand: Probios
About: This probiotic for horses is ideal for maintaining a healthy digestive system in all horse breeds. You should use it if your horse is traveling, training, showing, or after antibiotic therapy. Moreover, you can administer it after deworming your horse or when it has digestive disorders.
It is the best probiotic for horses because it has a high CFU count and several strains. Moreover, it does not contain sugars, and its price is reasonable. It also has the reputation of being the most used probiotic globally.
The formula has the backing of over 100 individual studies at renowned universities. It is also popular for its stability and viability because it contains efficient bacteria in numbers capable of remaining viable during use.
Our rating out of five: 4.7
Item form: Pellets
Flavor/s: Apple
Product weight: 21.16 ounces (600 grams)
Breed recommendation: All breeds
Lifestage: All breed sizes
Recommended use: It is best to use this product when your horse is under stress, has reduced appetite, or is experiencing digestive upsets. Probios will help maintain normal appetite and digestion when your horse takes it.
Ingredients: The probiotic contains oat flour, barley flour, cane molasses, and brewers dried yeast. It also contains Inulin, soybean oil, and dried bacillus subtilis fermentation product, among other notable ingredients.
What we like:
- The product is safe and effective
- It provides over 10 million CFUs of bacteria
- It is easy to administer
- It is stable and viable, and scientists have proven its efficacy
- A US-based manufacturer produces this product
What we dislike:
- You must provide food
HealthyGutTM Probiotics – Best Budget
Ranks #38 in Horse Probiotics & Digestive Supplements
Brand: Equa Holistics
About: This is an ideal product that provides foal support for horses. It promotes normal microbiome colonization and helps defend against foal scours and stress effects. Furthermore, the probiotic can relieve digestive upset and general hindgut support for your foal.
Each container has seven pre-filled oral syringes and a seven-day oral administration kit specifically for foals. Add water and shake gently before administering. Repeat 1 to 2 times a day beginning from day one.
Our rating out of five: 4.8
Item form: Powder
Flavor/s: HealthyGut
Product weight: 8.5 ounces (240 grams)
Breed recommendation: Horse
Lifestage: Foal
Recommended use: This is an all-natural supplement you offer your foal as a seven-day starter kit. It contains mare’s milk and dried probiotics, making it a gentle probiotic supplement.
For foals under 500 pounds (226.8 kilograms), give ½ tablespoon or 0.14 ounces (4 grams), while for those weighing between 500 and 1,500 pounds (226.8 to 680.39 kilograms), give one tablespoon or 0.28 ounces (8 grams). For foals over 1,500 pounds (630.39 kilograms), give two tablespoons or 0.56 ounces (16 grams).
Ingredients: This probiotic contains 20 species, Inulin, and 23 billion CFUs per serving.
What we like:
- All its ingredients are natural and have a high CFU count
- It promotes normal digestion and regulates pH
- It helps restore your horse’s gut health and relieve digestive upsets
- It supports horse microbiome colonization
- It enhances your horse’s immune system
What we dislike:
- It is only available as a powder formula
Manna Pro Corp – Best Supplement
Amazon choice for horse probiotic supplement
Brand: Manna Pro
About: This equine probiotic contains enzymes, live yeast, and probiotics for optimal gut health. This product is ideal if you are looking for a low-cost digestive solution that does not necessarily address any illness. It is powdered, meaning you must administer it with meals.
The probiotic also contains enzymes and viable yeast, which help balance your horse’s digestive tract. Moreover, its formulation helps to support the digestion of hay and grain. This helps improve nutrient absorption and prevent digestive upsets.
Our rating out of five: 4.7
Item form: Powder
Flavor/s: Flavorless
Product weight: 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms)
Breed recommendation: Horse
Lifestage: All life stages
Recommended use: This product is ideal if you own a retired senior or an active performance horse. You’ll mainly use it daily in the meals to help keep your horse’s gut healthy. Its composition allows the horse to balance the digestive tract and maintain body condition with less feed.
Ingredients: It contains up to 20 species, viable yeast, and enzymes.
What we like:
- Its price is reasonable
- The manufacturer strengthened it with enzymes, live yeast, and probiotics
- It is straightforward to mix and administer
- It offers a wide range of health benefits
What we dislike:
- It does not mention the minimum number of living creatures
FullBucket Equine Probiotic Pellets – Best for Competing Horses
Ranks #139 in Horse Probiotics & Digestive Supplements
Brand: FullBucket
About: This product contains up to 50 billion probiotics, prebiotics, and L-Glutamine that supports the equine digestive systems. It is ideal for horses having GI issues and supports microflora. Moreover, this product will serve you well if you are looking for probiotics for horses with diarrhea.
Its formula is show-approved and contains all-natural ingredients. Therefore, if your horse is experiencing high stress from traveling, performance, or training, this product can help. You can also use it safely with antibiotics to enhance digestion.
Moreover, it comes with microencapsulation that protects it from heat, stomach acid, and moisture. As a result, the probiotics will reach the gut alive.
Our rating out of five: 4.8
Item form: Pellet
Flavor/s: Molasses
Product weight: 2.4/11.6 pounds (1.09/5.26 kilograms)
Breed recommendation: Horse
Lifestage: All life stages
Recommended use: This is an ideal product for a horse under high stress, like competing horses. It boosts the immune system and supports digestion, giving the horse more energy and stamina. You can also use it to boost your senior horse digestion.
Here is how to administer it: Weanlings and yearlings – ½ or one scoop daily on feed; adult and older horses – 1 or 2 scoops daily on feed and mares – 1 or 2 scoops daily on feed.
Ingredients: It contains Alfalfa meal, yeast extract, molasses product, active dry yeast, salt, lignin sulfonate, L-Glutamine, soybean oil, and sodium propionate.
What we like:
- It boosts your horse’s immune system
- It helps your senior horse with digestive issues
- Its formula is show-approved and all-natural
- You can safely use it with antibiotics
What we dislike:
- You have to administer it with meals
Ramard Total Pre & Probiotic – Best Value
Amazon choice in Horse Probiotics & Digestive Supplements by Ramard
Brand: Ramard
About: If you want to boost your horse’s health, this Total Pre and Probiotic powder is an ideal choice. This product works by preventing gastrointestinal upset and boosting digestive health. Moreover, it contains all-natural chicory inulin, which passes efficiently through the horse’s stomach to the hindgut.
Moreover, it comes with 50 million CFU of probiotics per gram. This potency makes it good for improving food efficiency and reducing overall stress.
Our rating out of five: 4.7
Item form: Powder
Flavor/s: Flavorless
Product weight: 0.6 pounds (0.27 kilograms)
Breed recommendation: Horse
Lifestage: All life stages
Recommended use: Use this product to boost your horse’s health by preventing GI issues. Here is how to administer this product: foals: 0.08 ounces/day (5grams) and adults: 0.35 to 0.53 ounces/day (10 to 15 grams).
Ingredients: Active ingredients include crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, Inulin, E. faecium, L.plantarum, L. casei, and L.acidophilus.
What we like:
- The manufacturer is based in the USA
- The product contains high-quality ingredients
- It also has a high CFU content
- It contains all-natural chicory that allows it to reach the hindgut
- Its unique formula improves your horse’s health
What we dislike:
- It is relatively expensive
MagnaGard – Gastric Support Supplement – Best Ulcer Supplement
Amazon choice in Horse Probiotics & Digestive Supplements by Ramard
Brand: MagnaGard
About: This is the best probiotic for horses with gastric ulcers. It is a horse ulcer supplement that helps prevent and treat ulcers in horses. The product does this by buffering excess acid, removing destructive toxins, and providing important trace minerals.
The probiotic also helps to soothe strung horses by calming the gut. As a result, your horse feels good and can concentrate on the task ahead. It also provides your horse with magnesium which is ideal for relieving stress.
One bag of this probiotic is enough for a month’s supply. As a result, it is one of the most affordable equine probiotics on the market.
Our rating out of five: 4.6
Item form: Powder
Flavor/s: MagnaGard
Product weight: 4 pounds (1.81 kilograms)
Breed recommendation: Horse
Lifestage: All horse stages
Recommended use: The best way to use this product is for horses experiencing gastric ulcers. It is also excellent for preventing gastric upsets. Moreover, it contains magnesium making it ideal for competing or training horses as it calms them and reduces stress.
Ingredients
MagnaGuard contains all-natural and show-safe ingredients meaning you can feed your horse continually. Moreover, it contains over 50 major minerals and trace minerals. The ingredients include bentonite, calcium carbonate, and magnesium sulfate.
What we like:
- Its ingredients are all-natural and show-safe
- It is an excellent magnesium source that is ideal for relieving stress in horses
- You can use it for the treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers
- It is easy to administer
- The manufacturer has a great reputation in the equine industry
What we dislike:
- You must administer it with meals
Our Conclusion on Equine Probiotics
Veterinarians and experienced horse owners agree that probiotics have numerous advantages. However, the effectiveness of a probiotic depends on the prevailing conditions.
For instance, warming, cooling, and neutral probiotics work best in different scenarios, as described in this review. Moreover, each horse’s situation depends on its genetics, stress levels, and diet.
Fortunately, you now understand six of the best equine probiotics available on the market. Moreover, if you haven’t made up your mind yet, consider the Probios Horse Soft Chews, which is the best overall equine probiotic.
Special mention goes to the Platinum equine probiotic, Platinum Balance, a daily probiotic that supports digestion and hindgut health. You can use it for both foals and adult horses. The bottom line is – the best horse probiotic is one that will sufficiently address your horse’s needs.
