The Horse Probiotics blog: guides, health and care
Evidence-informed supplement guides and practical articles on gut health, feeding and everyday horse care, organised by topic and written for owners who want clear answers without the marketing.
Categories
- Supplement guides (9 articles)
- Gut health (4 articles)
- Feeding and nutrition (3 articles)
- Horse care and wellbeing (4 articles)
Ask the editorial team a question
Ask the editorial team
A question about a supplement, a review request or a correction? Send it here and we will reply by email.
- IndependentNo paid placements
- Evidence-informedSources cited on every guide
- TransparentAffiliate policy disclosed
- Vet-firstInformation, not vet advice
Start with our supplement guides if you want to understand what a product does before you compare brands, or go to gut health for the signs that something may be wrong and when to call your vet. Every article lists its sources, and terms you may not know are explained in our glossary.
9 articles
Supplement guides
How each type of equine supplement works, what the evidence does and does not show, and how to read a label before you buy.
Equine probiotics: how they work and what the evidence shows
Probiotics are among the most popular horse supplements in the UK. This guide explains what they are, how they are thought to act in the hindgut and where the research is still thin.
Read guide
Prebiotics and postbiotics for horses: what the terms mean
Prebiotic fibres, yeast cultures and postbiotics now appear on many gut supplement labels. This guide explains each term, what the equine research suggests and how to compare products.
Read guideProbiotics vs prebiotics for horses: what is the difference?
The words sound alike and the ingredients are often sold together, yet they do different jobs. This explainer sets out what each term means, what the evidence in horses shows and how to read a label.
Read article
Gut balancers for horses: what they are and when they make sense
Gut balancer is one of the most common labels in the UK supplement aisle, yet it has no fixed meaning. This guide explains what these products usually contain and how to decide whether one suits your horse.
Read guide
Gastric supplements for horses: what they contain and what to expect
Gastric supplements are designed to support the stomach rather than the hindgut. This guide explains equine gastric ulcer syndrome, the common ingredients and why a veterinary diagnosis comes first.
Read guide
Vitamins and minerals for horses: balancing a forage-based diet
Most UK horses live mainly on grass, hay or haylage, which supply energy and fibre but not always every vitamin and mineral. This guide explains when and how to fill the gaps without overdoing it.
Read guide
Electrolytes for horses: sweat losses, salt and safe use
Horses lose large amounts of salts when they sweat. This guide explains how electrolytes fit alongside everyday salt and water, when they are used and how to use them safely.
Read guide
How to choose a horse supplement: labels, evidence and cost per day
The UK supplement market is crowded and marketing claims can be hard to judge. This guide gives you a practical method for reading labels, comparing value and asking the right questions about evidence.
Read guide
How to feed a probiotic: introduction, timing, storage and records
Getting the practical details right gives a probiotic its best chance of being useful. This guide covers introducing it, timing it around change, keeping it viable and judging the results fairly.
Read guide4 articles
Gut health
How the equine digestive system works, the signs that it may be struggling and when a problem needs your vet.
Hindgut health in horses: how it works and what helps
The caecum and colon turn fibre into energy, and they depend on a stable population of microbes to do it. This guide explains what keeps that system steady and where supplements fit in.
Learn more
Signs of poor gut health in horses: what to watch for
Digestive problems rarely appear overnight. These are the changes worth noticing, what they can point to, and when your vet needs to be involved.
Read articleFree faecal water in horses: what we know and what to try
Free faecal water is common, frustrating and poorly understood. This article sets out what the research says and the practical steps owners can take with their vet.
Read article
Colic warning signs: recognise them early and call the vet
Colic is the most common equine emergency, and any delay can affect the outcome. Spotting the early signs and calling your vet straight away gives your horse the best chance.
Read article3 articles
Feeding and nutrition
Forage, seasonal changes and practical feeding advice to keep digestion steady through the year.
How much forage does a horse need? The figures and how to use them
Forage should make up most of every horse’s diet. This article explains the bodyweight percentages UK welfare charities and vets use, and how to turn them into kilograms of hay.
Read articleDiet changes and turnout: helping the gut adjust
The microbes in your horse's hindgut adapt to what they are fed, and they need time to do it. Most diet changes can be predicted, which means most can be planned.
Learn more
Winter gut health: keeping digestion steady through the colder months
Shorter days, wetter fields and more time in the stable all change how your horse eats, drinks and moves. These steps help keep the hindgut steady through a British winter.
Read article4 articles
Horse care and wellbeing
Management-first advice for horses at different life stages and workloads, from foals to veterans and competition horses.
Travel and competition: keeping digestion steady away from home
Lorry journeys, unfamiliar water and new stabling all put pressure on the gut at the same time. Planning before you leave the yard does more than anything you can add to the feed bucket.
Learn moreGut health for performance horses: feeding for hard work
Horses in serious work often need more energy than forage alone supplies, and the way that energy is provided affects both the stomach and the hindgut. Ration design matters more than any single product.
Learn more
Gut health in senior horses: feeding the older horse well
Teeth wear, health conditions become more common and condition can slip away over a single winter. Most of what helps an older horse digest its food happens in the feed room and the dental appointment.
Learn more
Gut health in foals and youngstock: from first weeks to weaning
A foal's gut changes rapidly in its first months, and diarrhoea in young foals can become serious quickly. This is an area where your vet should lead every decision.
Learn moreFAQs
About the blog
How is the blog organised?
Every article sits in one of four categories: supplement guides, gut health, feeding and nutrition, and horse care and wellbeing. Use the category links at the top of the page to jump straight to a topic.
Are the articles written by vets?
No. Articles are written and checked by the Horse Probiotics editorial team using published research and guidance from veterinary and welfare organisations, which are listed as sources on each article. They are not a substitute for advice from your own vet.
How often are articles updated?
Each article shows the date it was last reviewed. We update articles when new evidence or guidance appears, and corrections are made promptly. See our editorial policy.
Ready to look at specific products?
Read independent reviews based on manufacturers’ published information, or compare the main options side by side.