Transporting and Exercising Unconditioned Horses: Effects on Microflora Populations.

This research investigates the effect of transportation and physical stress on the gut bacteria of horses. The study found changes in the equine gut microbiome after transportation but not after physical exercises.

Objective and Methodology

• The aim of the research was to understand if transportation and exerting physical stress on horses influence the microflora populations (i.e., the community of microscopic organism like bacteria, fungi, etc.) in their hindgut (the last part of horse’s digestive tract).
• Four horses were involved in the study. They were exposed to three different transport durations – 0 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours, with a 7-day rest period between each transport.
• The diet for these horses was maintained at 0.91 kg/day of Purina Impact All Stages 12% feed, along with unlimited access to Coastal Bermudagrass hay.
• Researchers collected fecal samples before (0 hours) and 48 hours after each transport to analyse the bacterial population in the horses’ hindgut.
• In a separate test, three horses were subjected to varied exercise intensity tests, maintaining again a 7-day rest period between each test. The intensity was measured by tracking the heart rate of the horses to ensure they were doing either aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen) exercise.

Results and Findings

• The prokaryotic community (a group of organism which lacks nucleus in the cell) was profiled by conducting a 16S metagenomic analysis, which is a powerful tool for studying microbial diversity in an environment.
• Differences were found in the gut microbiome during the three transport periods. Significant changes were noted specifically for two microbiome groups: Bacteroidetes, which increased 48 hours after transport; and Firmicutes, which decreased 48 hours after transport.
• However, the microbial communities after varying exercise intensities showed no change in diversity when compared to the controls (samples at 0 hours).
• This suggests that the changes in the horse’s gut microflora are likely a result of transport-related stress durations rather than those associated with physical exercises.