Ontario Equestrian has partnered with Equine Guelph to help fund research by Dr. Luis Arroyo and Dr. Scott Weese of the Ontario Veterinary College. Their studies involve the examination of manure and gut contents to establish a baseline for what constitutes a normal microbial population in the equine digestive tract.

“The microbial communities of the gut play a crucial role in the health of the horse, and we now know there are major differences between the gut microbiota of healthy horses and those with colitis,” said Dr. Arroyo.

Both researchers understand the importance of determining what is ‘normal’ when it comes to the horse’s microbiota before links can be made between microbiota changes and disease. In the most recent publication of the Equine Acute Abdomen, Dr. Weese writes: The gut microbiota plays critical roles in nutrition, metabolism, and a wide range of other functions and is absolutely required for health; however, it can also be involved with, or a direct cause of, a myriad of diseases.

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