FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2025; 15(13); 1908; doi: 10.3390/ani15131908

Impact of Low-Starch Dietary Modifications on Faecal Microbiota Composition and Gastric Disease Scores in Performance Horses.

Abstract: Equine gastric disease (EGD) is a common condition in performance horses (), potentially compromising behaviour, performance, and welfare. EGD is often attributed to high-starch, high-sugar feeds and limited forage. Evidence for diet-induced changes on digestive microbiota is lacking. Nine elite showjumping horses were housed at the same performance yard with standardised diet and management throughout the study. Horses were transitioned from a high-sugar and -starch (31%) feed to a low-starch and -sugar (16.5%) concentrate feed. Gastroscopies, blood, and faecal samples were taken pre- and 12 weeks post-diet change. Squamous and glandular ulceration was blindly graded a posteriori using 0-4 scores and faecal microbiota profiled using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Total (t = -6.17, < 0.001; Pre: 4 [0-5], Post: 1 [0-2]), squamous (t = -5.32, < 0.001; Pre: 1 [0-3], Post: 0 [0-1]), and glandular (t = -2.53, = 0.04; Pre: 2.5 [0-4], Post: 0 [0-2]) disease improved following the introduction of a low-starch diet. Diet change did not impact microbiota communities (PERMANOVA: F = 1.37, = 0.15, r = 0.08), but Firmicute to Bacteroidota (F/B) ratio reduced (t = -3.13, = 0.01; Pre: 2.07 ± 0.21 vs. Post: 1.29 ± 0.14). Lower F/B ratios were associated with reduced total EGD scores (ChiSq = 3.83, = 0.05). Low-starch diets did not influence faecal microbiota diversity but aided gastric disease healing and reduced F/B ratios in elite showjumpers during a competition season without medication.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2025-06-28 PubMed ID: 40646806PubMed Central: PMC12248642DOI: 10.3390/ani15131908Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research paper explores the implications of diet modification in performance horses, specifically the shift from high-starch to low-starch feeds, on gut microbiota and its effect on the incidence and severity of equine gastric disease (EGD). It concludes that reduced starch intake resulted in better EGD scores, implying an improvement in gastric health, but produced no significant alterations in gut microbiota diversity, except for the reduction in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes.

Research Setup

  • The study involved nine select elite showjumping horses, all of which were maintained under similar conditions and fed the same diet over the course of the study.
  • The starting diet was high in sugar and starch (31%), which transitioned to a low sugar and starch diet (16.5% concentration).
  • To assess changes, gastroscopies, as well as blood and fecal samples, were taken before and 12 weeks after the diet change.
  • Gastric disease severity was gauged by grading squamous and glandular ulceration on a score ranging from 0 to 4.
  • The composition of fecal microbiota was profiled using a genetic sequencing technique that targets the 16S ribosomal RNA gene.

Findings

  • All aspects of gastric disease represented by total, squamous, and glandular ulceration scores improved markedly following the switch to a low-starch diet. The statistical testing demonstrated that these improvements were highly significant.
  • The low-starch diet did not significantly impact the overall gut microbiota communities, implying that diversity in the types of bacteria present remained largely constant.
  • Despite the overall microbial community being largely unchanged, the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) was noticeably reduced after the diet change. This reduction in the F/B ratio was found to be correlated with lowered total EGD scores.
  • The researchers concluded that while low-starch diets may not influence gut microbiota diversity, they certainly aid in the healing of gastric diseases and alter specific bacterial populations.

Implications

  • This study adds to the understanding of the impact of dietary changes on gut health in horses, particularly performance horses representing the elite tier of the equestrian world.
  • A more comprehensive understanding of the implications of diet could guide decisions related to feed selection for these high-performance animals, potentially improving both their wellbeing and performance.
  • Further research may explore the direct relationship between changes in specific microbial populations and horse health outcomes, as well as investigating other dietary modifications that could promote equine health.

Cite This Article

APA
Irving J, Pineau V, Shultz S, Ter Woort F, Julien F, Lambey S, van Erck-Westergren E. (2025). Impact of Low-Starch Dietary Modifications on Faecal Microbiota Composition and Gastric Disease Scores in Performance Horses. Animals (Basel), 15(13), 1908. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131908

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 13
PII: 1908

Researcher Affiliations

Irving, Jessica
  • School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
Pineau, Violaine
  • Equine Sports Medicine Practice, 83 Avenue Beau Séjour, 1410 Waterloo, Belgium.
Shultz, Susanne
  • School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
  • Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
  • Manchester Environmental Research Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
Ter Woort, Fe
  • Equine Sports Medicine Practice, 83 Avenue Beau Séjour, 1410 Waterloo, Belgium.
Julien, Félicie
  • Lambey SAS, Moulin des Prés, 71270 Torpes, France.
Lambey, Sandrine
  • Lambey SAS, Moulin des Prés, 71270 Torpes, France.
van Erck-Westergren, Emmanuelle
  • Equine Sports Medicine Practice, 83 Avenue Beau Séjour, 1410 Waterloo, Belgium.

Grant Funding

  • 2625299 / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
  • NA / Lambey SAS

Conflict of Interest Statement

Félicie Julien and Sandrine Lambey are employees of the company Lambey SAS, which provided the product Regul Digest. The funders had no role in the study design, collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, manuscript writing, or decision to publish the results. Other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

This article includes 98 references
  1. Hwang H, Dong HJ, Han J, Cho S, Kim Y, Lee I. Prevalence and treatment of gastric ulcers in Thoroughbred racehorses of Korea.. J. Vet. Sci. 2022;23:e19.
    doi: 10.4142/jvs.21247pmc: PMC8977533pubmed: 35187877google scholar: lookup
  2. Scheidegger MD, Gerber V, Bruckmaier RM, van der Kolk JH, Burger D, Ramseyer A. Increased Adrenocortical Response to Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) in Sport Horses with Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD). Vet. J. 2017;228:7–12.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2017.09.002pubmed: 29153110google scholar: lookup
  3. Pedersen SK, Cribb AE, Windeyer MC, Read EK, French D, Banse HE. Risk Factors for Equine Glandular and Squamous Gastric Disease in Show Jumping Warmbloods.. Equine Vet. J. 2018;50:747–751.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12949pubmed: 29660168google scholar: lookup
  4. Sykes BW, Bowen M, Habershon-Butcher JL, Green M, Hallowell GD. Management Factors and Clinical Implications of Glandular and Squamous Gastric Disease in Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2019;33:233–240.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15350pmc: PMC6335573pubmed: 30499188google scholar: lookup
  5. Galinelli N, Wambacq W, Broeckx BJG, Hesta M. High Intake of Sugars and Starch, Low Number of Meals and Low Roughage Intake Are Associated with Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in a Belgian Cohort.. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 2021;105:18–23.
    doi: 10.1111/jpn.13215pubmed: 31637798google scholar: lookup
  6. Colombino E, Raspa F, Perotti M, Bergero D, Vervuert I, Valle E, Capucchio MT. Gut Health of Horses: Effects of High Fibre vs High Starch Diet on Histological and Morphometrical Parameters.. BMC Vet. Res. 2022;18:338.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-022-03433-ypmc: PMC9454146pubmed: 36076239google scholar: lookup
  7. Bass L, Swain E, Santos H, Hess T, Black J. Effects of Feeding Frequency Using a Commercial Automated Feeding Device on Gastric Ulceration in Exercised Quarter Horses.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2018;64:96–100.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2018.02.005pubmed: 30973160google scholar: lookup
  8. Biddle AS, Black SJ, Blanchard JL. An In Vitro Model of the Horse Gut Microbiome Enables Identification of Lactate-Utilizing Bacteria That Differentially Respond to Starch Induction.. PLoS ONE. 2013;8:e77599.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077599pmc: PMC3788102pubmed: 24098591google scholar: lookup
  9. Julliand V, Grimm P. Horse Species Symposium: The Microbiome of the Horse Hindgut: History and Current Knowledge.. J. Anim. Sci. 2016;94:2262–2274.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2015-0198pubmed: 27285903google scholar: lookup
  10. Stewart HL, Pitta D, Indugu N, Vecchiarelli B, Engiles JB, Southwood LL. Characterization of the Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses.. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2018;79:811–819.
    doi: 10.2460/ajvr.79.8.811pubmed: 30058849google scholar: lookup
  11. Costa MC, Silva G, Ramos RV, Staempfli HR, Arroyo LG, Kim P, Weese JS. Characterization and Comparison of the Bacterial Microbiota in Different Gastrointestinal Tract Compartments in Horses.. Vet. J. 2015;205:74–80.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.03.018pubmed: 25975855google scholar: lookup
  12. Costa MC, Arroyo LG, Allen-Vercoe E, Stämpfli HR, Kim PT, Sturgeon A, Weese JS. Comparison of the Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses and Horses with Colitis by High Throughput Sequencing of the V3–V5 Region of the 16s rRNA Gene.. PLoS ONE. 2012;7:e41484.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041484pmc: PMC3409227pubmed: 22859989google scholar: lookup
  13. Hansen NCK, Avershina E, Mydland LT, Næsset JA, Austbø D, Moen B, Måge I, Rudi K. High Nutrient Availability Reduces the Diversity and Stability of the Equine Caecal Microbiota.. Microb. Ecol. Health Dis. 2015;26:e27216.
    doi: 10.3402/mehd.v26.27216pmc: PMC4526772pubmed: 26246403google scholar: lookup
  14. Raspa F, Chessa S, Bergero D, Sacchi P, Ferrocino I, Cocolin L, Corvaglia MR, Moretti R, Cavallini D, Valle E. Microbiota characterization throughout the digestive tract of horses fed a high-fiber vs. a high-starch diet.. Front. Vet. Sci. 2024;11:1386135.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1386135pmc: PMC11130486pubmed: 38807937google scholar: lookup
  15. Grimm P, Philippeau C, Julliand V. Faecal Parameters as Biomarkers of the Equine Hindgut Microbial Ecosystem under Dietary Change.. Animal. 2017;11:1136–1145.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731116002779pubmed: 28065211google scholar: lookup
  16. Bulmer LS, Murray JA, Burns NM, Garber A, Wemelsfelder F, McEwan NR, Hastie PM. High-Starch Diets Alter Equine Faecal Microbiota and Increase Behavioural Reactivity.. Sci. Rep. 2019;9:18621.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-54039-8pmc: PMC6901590pubmed: 31819069google scholar: lookup
  17. Paul LJ, Ericsson AC, Andrews FM, Keowen ML, Morales Yniguez F, Garza F, Banse HE. Gastric Microbiome in Horses with and without Equine Glandular Gastric Disease.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2021;35:2458–2464.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16241pmc: PMC8478018pubmed: 34351018google scholar: lookup
  18. van Erck-Westergren E, ter Woort F. Diet-induced Changes in Gastric and Faecal Microbiota in Horses: Association with Gastric Ulcer Healing.. Equine Vet. J. 2019;51:31.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.34_13152google scholar: lookup
  19. Venable EB, Kerley MS, Raub R. Assessment of Equine Fecal Microbial Profiles during and after a Colic Episode Using Pyrosequencing.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2013;33:347–348.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2013.03.066google scholar: lookup
  20. Medina B, Girard ID, Jacotot E, Julliand V. Effect of a Preparation of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae on Microbial Profiles and Fermentation Patterns in the Large Intestine of Horses Fed a High Fiber or a High Starch Diet.. J. Anim. Sci. 2002;80:2600–2609.
    doi: 10.1093/ansci/80.10.2600pubmed: 12413082google scholar: lookup
  21. Julliand V, De Fombelle A, Drogoul C, Jacotot E. Feeding and Microbial Disorders in Horses: Part 3—Effects of Three Hay:Grain Ratios on Microbial Profile and Activities.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2001;21:543–546.
    doi: 10.1016/S0737-0806(01)70159-1google scholar: lookup
  22. Magne F, Gotteland M, Gauthier L, Zazueta A, Pesoa S, Navarrete P, Balamurugan R. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio: A Relevant Marker of Gut Dysbiosis in Obese Patients?. Nutrients. 2020;12:1474.
    doi: 10.3390/nህ1474pmc: PMC7285218pubmed: 32438689google scholar: lookup
  23. Park T, Cheong H, Yoon J, Kim A, Yun Y, Unno T. Comparison of the Fecal Microbiota of Horses with Intestinal Disease and Their Healthy Counterparts.. Vet. Sci. 2021;8:113.
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci8060113pmc: PMC8234941pubmed: 34204317google scholar: lookup
  24. Sykes BW, Sykes KM, Hallowell GD. A Comparison between Pre- and Post Exercise Administration of Omeprazole in the Treatment of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome: A Blinded, Randomised, Clinical Trial.. Equine Vet. J. 2014;46:422–426.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12083pubmed: 24102898google scholar: lookup
  25. Venner M, Lauffs S, Deegen E. Treatment of Gastric Lesions in Horses with Pectin-Lecithin Complex.. Equine Vet. J. Suppl. 1999;31:91–96.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05178.xpubmed: 10696303google scholar: lookup
  26. Murray MJ, Grady TC. The Effect of a Pectin-Lecithin Complex on Prevention of Gastric Mucosal Lesions Induced by Feed Deprivation in Ponies.. Equine Vet. J. 2002;34:195–198.
    doi: 10.2746/042516402776767268pubmed: 11902762google scholar: lookup
  27. Huff NK, Auer AD, Garza F, Keowen ML, Kearney MT, McMullin RB, Andrews FM. Effect of Sea Buckthorn Berries and Pulp in a Liquid Emulsion on Gastric Ulcer Scores and Gastric Juice PH in Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2012;26:1186–1191.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2012.00975.xpubmed: 22845737google scholar: lookup
  28. Woodward MC, Huff NK, Garza F, Keowen ML, Kearney MT, Andrews FM. Effect of Pectin, Lecithin, and Antacid Feed Supplements (Egusin®) on Gastric Ulcer Scores, Gastric Fluid PH and Blood Gas Values in Horses.. BMC Vet. Res. 2014;10:S4.
    doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-S1-S4pmc: PMC4123152pubmed: 25238454google scholar: lookup
  29. Stowers NL, Waldron LA, Pryor ID, Hill SR, O’Brien J. The Influence of Two Lucerne-Based Forage Feeds, FiberProtect® and FiberEdge® on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Horses.. J. Appl. An. Nut. 2013;2:e2.
    doi: 10.1017/jan.2013.5google scholar: lookup
  30. Sykes BW, Hewetson M, Hepburn RJ, Luthersson N, Tamzali Y. European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement-Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2015;29:1288–1299.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.13578pmc: PMC4858038pubmed: 26340142google scholar: lookup
  31. Murray MJ, Schusser GF. Measurement of 24-h Gastric PH Using an Indwelling PH Electrode in Horses Unfed, Fed and Treated with Ranitidine.. Equine Vet. J. 1993;25:417–421.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1993.tb02983.xpubmed: 8223373google scholar: lookup
  32. Henneke DR, Potter GD, Kreider JL, Yeates BF. Relationship between Condition Score, Physical Measurements and Body Fat Percentage in Mares.. Equine Vet. J. 1983;15:371–372.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01826.xpubmed: 6641685google scholar: lookup
  33. Pineau V, ter Woort F, Julien F, Vernant M, Lambey S, Hébert C, Hanne-Poujade S, Westergren V, van Erck-Westergren E. Improvement of Gastric Disease and Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram Scores with Diet Adaptation in Sport Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2024;38:3297–3308.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.17223pmc: PMC11586567pubmed: 39465968google scholar: lookup
  34. Sykes BW, Jokisalo JM. Rethinking Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome: Part 1—Terminology, Clinical Signs and Diagnosis.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2014;26:543–547.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.12236google scholar: lookup
  35. Julliand S, Buttet M, Hermange T, Hillon P, Julliand V. Effect of Diet Composition on Glandular Gastric Disease in Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2023;37:1528–1536.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16747pmc: PMC10365063pubmed: 37264707google scholar: lookup
  36. Wise JC, Wilkes EJA, Raidal SL, Xie G, Crosby DE, Hale JN, Hughes KJ. Interobserver and Intraobserver Reliability for 2 Grading Systems for Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2021;35:571–579.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15987pmc: PMC7848314pubmed: 33284465google scholar: lookup
  37. Rendle D, Bowen M, Brazil T, Conwell R, Hallowell G, Hepburn R, Hewetson M, Sykes B. Recommendations for the Management of Equine Glandular Gastric Disease.. UK-Vet Equine. 2018;2:2–11.
    doi: 10.12968/ukve.2018.2.S1.3google scholar: lookup
  38. Alshut F, Venner M, Martinsson G, Vervuert I. The Effects of Feeding Sodium Chloride Pellets on the Gastric Mucosa, Acid-base, and Mineral Status in Exercising Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2023;37:2552–2561.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16851pmc: PMC10658481pubmed: 37776109google scholar: lookup
  39. Callahan BJ, McMurdie PJ, Rosen MJ, Han AW, Johnson AJA, Holmes SP. DADA2: High-Resolution Sample Inference from Illumina Amplicon Data.. Nat. Methods. 2016;13:581–583.
    doi: 10.1038/nmeth.3869pmc: PMC4927377pubmed: 27214047google scholar: lookup
  40. Quast C, Pruesse E, Yilmaz P, Gerken J, Schweer T, Yarza P, Peplies J, Glöckner FO. The SILVA Ribosomal RNA Gene Database Project: Improved Data Processing and Web-Based Tools.. Nucleic Acids Res. 2013;41:D590–D596.
    doi: 10.1093/nar/gks1219pmc: PMC3531112pubmed: 23193283google scholar: lookup
  41. Wright ES. Using DECIPHER v2.0 to Analyze Big Biological Sequence Data in R.. R-Journal. 2016;8:352–359.
    doi: 10.32614/RJ-2016-025google scholar: lookup
  42. Schliep KP. Phangorn: Phylogenetic Analysis in R.. Bioinformatics. 2011;27:592–593.
    doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btq706pmc: PMC3035803pubmed: 21169378google scholar: lookup
  43. Price MN, Dehal PS, Arkin AP. Fasttree: Computing Large Minimum Evolution Trees with Profiles Instead of a Distance Matrix.. Mol. Biol. Evol. 2009;26:1641–1650.
    doi: 10.1093/molbev/msp077pmc: PMC2693737pubmed: 19377059google scholar: lookup
  44. Ginestet C. ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis.. J. R. Stat. Soc. Ser. A Stat. Soc. 2011;174:245–246.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1467-985X.2010.00676_9.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  45. Kauter A, Epping L, Semmler T, Antao EM, Kannapin D, Stoeckle SD, Gehlen H, Lübke-Becker A, Günther S, Wieler LH. The Gut Microbiome of Horses: Current Research on Equine Enteral Microbiota and Future Perspectives.. Anim. Microbiome. 2019;1:14.
    doi: 10.1186/s42523-019-0013-3pmc: PMC7807895pubmed: 33499951google scholar: lookup
  46. Smith S. phylosmith: An R-Package for Reproducible and Efficient Microbiome Analysis with Phyloseq-Objects.. J. Open Source Softw. 2019;4:1442.
    doi: 10.21105/joss.01442google scholar: lookup
  47. Martin BD, Witten D, Willis AD. Modeling Microbial Abundances and Dysbiosis with Beta-Binomial Regression.. Ann. Appl. Stat. 2020;14:94–115.
    doi: 10.1214/19-AOAS1283pmc: PMC7514055pubmed: 32983313google scholar: lookup
  48. McMurdie PJ, Holmes S. Phyloseq: An R Package for Reproducible Interactive Analysis and Graphics of Microbiome Census Data.. PLoS ONE. 2013;8:e61217.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061217pmc: PMC3632530pubmed: 23630581google scholar: lookup
  49. Dicks LMT, Botha M, Dicks E, Botes M. The Equine Gastro-Intestinal Tract: An Overview of the Microbiota, Disease and Treatment.. Livest. Sci. 2014;160:69–81.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2013.11.025google scholar: lookup
  50. Cao Y, Dong Q, Wang D, Zhang P, Liu Y, Niu C. MicrobiomeMarker: An R/Bioconductor Package for Microbiome Marker Identification and Visualization.. Bioinformatics. 2022;38:4027–4029.
    doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac438pubmed: 35771644google scholar: lookup
  51. Lim R, Cabatbat JJT, Martin TLP, Kim H, Kim S, Sung J, Ghim CM, Kim PJ. Large-Scale Metabolic Interaction Network of the Mouse and Human Gut Microbiota.. Sci. Data. 2020;7:204.
    doi: 10.1038/s41597-020-0516-5pmc: PMC7320173pubmed: 32591517google scholar: lookup
  52. Liu C, Cui Y, Li X, Yao M. Microeco: An R Package for Data Mining in Microbial Community Ecology.. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 2021;97:fiaa255.
    doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa255pubmed: 33332530google scholar: lookup
  53. Bates D, Mächler M, Bolker BM, Walker SC. Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4.. J. Stat. Softw. 2015;67:1–48.
    doi: 10.18637/jss.v067.i01google scholar: lookup
  54. Fox J, Weisberg S. An R Companion to Applied Regression.. 3rd ed. Sage; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: 2019.
  55. Lemon J. Plotrix: A Package in the Red Light District of R.. R-News; Rochester, NY, USA: 2006 .
  56. Dixon P. VEGAN, a Package of R Functions for Community Ecology.. J. Veg. Sci. 2003;14:927–930.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2003.tb02228.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  57. Barnett D, Arts I, Penders J. MicroViz: An R package for microbiome data visualization and statistics.. J. Open Source Softw. 2021;6:3201.
    doi: 10.21105/joss.03201google scholar: lookup
  58. Package T, Chen AJ. GUniFrac: Generalized UniFrac Distances, Distance-Based Multivariate Methods and Feature-Based Univariate Methods for Microbiome Data Analysis.. [(accessed on 11 October 2023)];CRAN. 2015.
  59. Kuhn M. Building Predictive Models in R Using the Caret Package.. J. Stat. Softw. 2008;28:1–26.
    doi: 10.18637/jss.v028.i05google scholar: lookup
  60. Mönki J, Hewetson M, Virtala AMK. Risk Factors for Equine Gastric Glandular Disease: A Case-Control Study in a Finnish Referral Hospital Population.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2016;30:1270–1275.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.14370pmc: PMC5108429pubmed: 27461724google scholar: lookup
  61. Padalino B, Davis GL, Raidal SL. Effects of Transportation on Gastric PH and Gastric Ulceration in Mares.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2020;34:922–932.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15698pmc: PMC7096603pubmed: 32009244google scholar: lookup
  62. Sharbine KP, McConnell EJ, Secombe C, Byrne D. The Prevalence and Changes over Time of Equine Glandular Gastric Disease in a Teaching Herd Population.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2023;35:637–648.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.13811google scholar: lookup
  63. Luthersson N, Bolger C, Fores P, Barfoot C, Nelson S, Parkin TDH, Harris P. Effect of changing diet on gastric ulceration in exercising horses and ponies following cessation of omeprazole treatment.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2017;83:102742.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.05.007pubmed: 31791527google scholar: lookup
  64. Elliott SN, Buret A, McKnight W, Miller MJS, Wallace JL. Bacteria rapidly colonize and modulate healing of gastric ulcers in rats.. Am. J. Physiol. 1998;275:G425–G432.
    doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.1998.275.3.G425pubmed: 9724253google scholar: lookup
  65. Métayer N, Lhǒte M, Bahr A, Cohen ND, Kim I, Roussel AJ, Julliand V. Meal size and starch content affect gastric emptying in horses.. Equine Vet. J. 2004;36:436–440.
    doi: 10.2746/0425164044868468pubmed: 15253086google scholar: lookup
  66. Lybbert T, Gibbs P, Cohen N, Scott B, Sigler D. Feeding alfalfa hay to exercising horses reduces the severity of gastric squamous mucosal ulceration; Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners; Orlando, FL, USA.. 1–5 December 2007; pp. 525–526.
  67. Fedtke A, Pfaff M, Volquardsen J, Venner M, Vervuert I. Effects of feeding different roughage-based diets on gastric mucosa after weaning in Warmblood foals.. Pferdeheilkunde. 2015;31:596–601.
    doi: 10.21836/PEM20150607google scholar: lookup
  68. Vondran S, Venner M, Vervuert I. Effects of two alfalfa preparations with different particle sizes on the gastric mucosa in weanlings: Alfalfa chaff versus alfalfa pellets.. BMC Vet. Res. 2016;12:110.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0733-5pmc: PMC4908680pubmed: 27301323google scholar: lookup
  69. Cappai MG, Picciau M, Pinna W. Ulcerogenic risk assessment of diets for pigs in relation to gastric lesion prevalence.. BMC Vet. Res. 2013;9:36.
    doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-36pmc: PMC3598992pubmed: 23432961google scholar: lookup
  70. Grosse Liesner V, Taube V, Leonhard-Marek S, Beineke A, Kamphues J. Integrity of gastric mucosa in reared piglets—Effects of physical form of diets (meal/pellets), pre-processing grinding (coarse/fine) and addition of lignocellulose (0/2.5%). J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 2009;93:373–380.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2008.00871.xpubmed: 19646111google scholar: lookup
  71. le Jeune SS, Nieto JE, Dechant JE, Snyder JR. Prevalence of gastric ulcers in thoroughbred broodmares in pasture: A preliminary report.. Vet. J. 2009;181:251–255.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.03.020pubmed: 18511313google scholar: lookup
  72. Kranenburg LC, van der Poel SH, Warmelink TS, van Doorn DA, van den Boom R. Changes in management lead to improvement and healing of equine squamous gastric disease.. Animals. 2023;13:1498.
    doi: 10.3390/ani13091498pmc: PMC10177505pubmed: 37174535google scholar: lookup
  73. Weinert-Nelson JR, Biddle AS, Sampath H, Williams CA. Fecal Microbiota, Forage Nutrients, and Metabolic Responses of Horses Grazing Warm- and Cool-Season Grass Pastures.. Animals. 2023;13:790.
    doi: 10.3390/ani13050790pmc: PMC10000167pubmed: 36899650google scholar: lookup
  74. Proudman CJ, Hunter JO, Darby AC, Escalona EE, Batty C, Turner C. Characterisation of the faecal metabolome and microbiome of Thoroughbred racehorses.. Equine Vet. J. 2015;47:580–586.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12324pubmed: 25041526google scholar: lookup
  75. O’Donnell MM, Harris HMB, Jeffery IB, Claesson MJ, Younge B, O’Toole PW, Ross RP. The core faecal bacterial microbiome of Irish Thoroughbred racehorses.. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 2013;57:492–501.
    doi: 10.1111/lam.12137pubmed: 23889584google scholar: lookup
  76. Mach N, Midoux C, Leclercq S, Pennarun S, Le Moyec L, Rué O, Robert C, Sallé G, Barrey E. Mining the equine gut metagenome: Poorly-characterized taxa associated with cardiovascular fitness in endurance athletes.. Commun. Biol. 2022;5:1032.
    doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03977-7pmc: PMC9529974pubmed: 36192523google scholar: lookup
  77. Devi TB, Devadas K, George M, Gandhimathi A, Chouhan D, Retnakumar RJ, Alexander SM, Varghese J, Dharmaseelan S, Chandrika SK. Low Bifidobacterium Abundance in the Lower Gut Microbiota Is Associated With Helicobacter Pylori-Related Gastric Ulcer and Gastric Cancer.. Front. Microbiol. 2021;12:631140.
    doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.631140pmc: PMC7953064pubmed: 33717022google scholar: lookup
  78. Wegierska AE, Charitos IA, Topi S, Potenza MA, Montagnani M, Santacroce L. The Connection Between Physical Exercise and Gut Microbiota: Implications for Competitive Sports Athletes.. Sports Med. 2022;52:2355–2369.
    doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01696-xpmc: PMC9474385pubmed: 35596883google scholar: lookup
  79. Mańkowska K, Marchelek-Myśliwiec M, Kochan P, Kosik-Bogacka D, Konopka T, Grygorcewicz B, Roszkowska P, Cecerska-Heryć E, Siennicka A, Konopka J. Microbiota in Sports.. Arch. Microbiol. 2022;204:485.
    doi: 10.1007/s00203-022-03111-5pmc: PMC9283338pubmed: 35834007google scholar: lookup
  80. Li Y, Cheng M, Zha Y, Yang K, Tong Y, Wang S, Lu Q, Ning K. Gut Microbiota and Inflammation Patterns for Specialized Athletes: A Multi-Cohort Study across Different Types of Sports.. mSystems. 2023;8:e0025923.
    doi: 10.1128/msystems.00259-23pmc: PMC10470055pubmed: 37498086google scholar: lookup
  81. Hughes RL, Holscher HD. Fueling Gut Microbes: A Review of the Interaction between Diet, Exercise, and the Gut Microbiota in Athletes.. Adv. Nutr. 2021;12:2190–2215.
    doi: 10.1093/advances/nmab077pmc: PMC8634498pubmed: 34229348google scholar: lookup
  82. Chapuis RJJ, Becker AAMJ, Dowling PM, Weese JS. Characterisation of faecal microbiota in horses medicated with oral doxycycline hyclate.. Equine Vet. J. 2023;55:129–141.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13570pubmed: 35202500google scholar: lookup
  83. Turnbaugh PJ, Ley RE, Mahowald MA, Magrini V, Mardis ER, Gordon JI. An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest.. Nature. 2006;444:1027–1031.
    doi: 10.1038/nature05414pubmed: 17183312google scholar: lookup
  84. Biddle AS, Tomb JF, Fan Z. Microbiome and Blood Analyte Differences Point to Community and Metabolic Signatures in Lean and Obese Horses.. Front. Vet. Sci. 2018;5:225.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00225pmc: PMC6158370pubmed: 30294603google scholar: lookup
  85. Su S, Zhao Y, Liu Z, Liu G, Du M, Wu J, Bai D, Li B, Bou G, Zhang X. Characterization and comparison of the bacterial microbiota in different gastrointestinal tract compartments of Mongolian horses.. Microbiologyopen. 2020;9:1085–1101.
    doi: 10.1002/mbo3.1020pmc: PMC7294312pubmed: 32153142google scholar: lookup
  86. Zhao Y, Li B, Bai D, Huang J, Shiraigo W, Yang L, Zhao Q, Ren X, Wu J, Bao W. Comparison of Fecal Microbiota of Mongolian and Thoroughbred Horses by High-Throughput Sequencing of the V4 Region of the 16S RRNA Gene.. Asian-Australas J. Anim. Sci. 2016;29:1345–1352.
    doi: 10.5713/ajas.15.0587pmc: PMC5003997pubmed: 26954132google scholar: lookup
  87. Ericsson AC, Johnson PJ, Lopes MA, Perry SC, Lanter HR. A Microbiological Map of the Healthy Equine Gastrointestinal Tract.. PLoS ONE. 2016;11:e0166523.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166523pmc: PMC5112786pubmed: 27846295google scholar: lookup
  88. Milinovich GJ, Burrell PC, Pollitt CC, Kliever AV, Blackall LL, Ouwerkerk D, Woodland E, Trott DJ. Microbial ecology of the equine hindgut during oligofructose-induced laminitis subject category: Microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions.. ISME J. 2008;2:1169.
    doi: 10.1038/ismej.2008.100pubmed: 18580970google scholar: lookup
  89. Burakova I, Smirnova Y, Gryaznova M, Syromyatnikov M, Chizhkov P, Popov E, Popov V. The Effect of Short-Term Consumption of Lactic Acid Bacteria on the Gut Microbiota in Obese People.. Nutrients. 2022;14:3384.
    doi: 10.3390/nᐖ3384pmc: PMC9415828pubmed: 36014890google scholar: lookup
  90. Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2023;37:1514–1527.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16734pmc: PMC10365054pubmed: 37148147google scholar: lookup
  91. Hardy L, Martin M, Barré C, Tanquerel L. Prevalence of gastric ulcers in horses from the French Republican Guard cavalry regiment and association with plasma gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2025;149:105566.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105566pubmed: 40204167google scholar: lookup
  92. Muñoz-Prieto A, Contreras-Aguilar MD, Cerón JJ, Ayala I, Martin-Cuervo M, Gonzalez-Sanchez JC, Jacobsen S, Kuleš J, Beletić A, Rubić I. Changes in Proteins in Saliva and Serum in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome Using a Proteomic Approach.. Animals. 2022;12:1169.
    doi: 10.3390/ani12091169pmc: PMC9103582pubmed: 35565595google scholar: lookup
  93. Contreras-Aguilar MD, Escribano D, Martínez-Subiela S, Martín-Cuervo M, Lamy E, Tecles F, Cerón JJ. Changes in saliva analytes in equine acute abdominal disease: A sialochemistry approach.. BMC Vet. Res. 2019;15:187.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-1933-6pmc: PMC6554884pubmed: 31170977google scholar: lookup
  94. Elnozahi NA, Said EA, Bistawroos AE, Aly RG. Effect of sodium butyrate on gastric ulcer aggravation and hepatic injury inflicted by bile duct ligation in rats.. Saudi Pharm. J. 2020;28:675–682.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2020.04.008pmc: PMC7292876pubmed: 32550798google scholar: lookup
  95. Bello-Perez LA, Flores-Silva PC, Agama-Acevedo E, Tovar J. Starch digestibility: Past, present, and future.. J. Sci. Food Agric. 2020;100:5009–5016.
    doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8955pubmed: 29427318google scholar: lookup
  96. Pace FA, Montes JH, Philippe MG, Ramos LFP, Clementino FMM, Júnior JMdO, Moreira F, Bianchi I, Peripolli V. Interactive effects between sugar source and pelleting temperature on processing, digestibility and blood metabolites in nursery piglets.. Livest. Sci. 2020;240:104182.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2020.104182google scholar: lookup
  97. Mann S, Ramsay JD, Wakshlag JJ, Stokol T, Reed S, Divers TJ. Investigating the pathogenesis of high-serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity in Thoroughbred racehorses: A series of case-control studies.. Equine Vet. J. 2022;54:39–51.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13435pubmed: 33555643google scholar: lookup
  98. Pratt S, Bowen I, Hallowell G, Shipman E, Redpath A. Assessment of agreement using the equine glandular gastric disease grading system in 84 cases.. Vet. Med. Sci. 2022;8:1472–1477.
    doi: 10.1002/vms3.807pmc: PMC9297748pubmed: 35412651google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 100,113 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.