Research-led

EquiNectar
Science Center.

Equine digestive science, EquiNectar research and the wider evidence behind how we think about the horse's gut.

Explore research spanning digestion, pasture, hindgut fermentation, fecal pH, the microbiome, metabolomics and veterinary gastrointestinal health. Every study record explains what was tested, who conducted it, what was measured, what was found and where the limitations lie.

The library at a glance

15 Research records in the Science Center

13 Peer-reviewed research records

5 Studies directly evaluating EquiNectar

10 Open-access research records

Original sources DOI, journal or primary research record wherever available.

Clear provenance Authors, institutions, funding and involvement are recorded.

Limitations included Study weaknesses are part of the record, not hidden away.

Product relationship We state explicitly whether EquiNectar was actually tested.

Science in context

Research is most useful when you can see exactly what it says.

The EquiNectar Science Center brings our own research together with carefully selected external work relevant to equine digestive health.

That means distinguishing between research that directly evaluated EquiNectar, independent EquiNectar research, external supporting science and exploratory work.

Each record is designed to answer the questions that matter: what was actually measured, how many horses were involved, what changed, who funded the work, whether it was peer reviewed, and what conclusions the evidence can — and cannot — support.

Research library

Explore the evidence.

Search by study, subject or finding, or filter the library according to the type of evidence you want to explore.

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Showing 15 research records

Peer reviewed

EQN-S04

EquiNectar Leisure Horse Microbiome & Metabolome Study

Peer-reviewed research in 10 leisure horses found measurable changes in both the fecal metabolome and microbiome after eight weeks of EquiNectar supplementation, including higher mean short-chain fatty acids and shifts in several fibre-associated bacterial groups.

Year 2026

Study type Prospective before-and-after intervention study

Sample 10 horses; 8 paired sample sets used for 16S microbiome analysis

Microbiome Metabolome Short-chain fatty acids Volatile organic compounds

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EquiNectar research Internal exploratory trial report

EquiNectar Individual Microbiome & VOC Pilot Study

An exploratory 2026 pilot followed individual microbiome and fermentation-metabolite responses during EquiNectar supplementation. All three healthy leisure horses showed increased butyrate, although the magnitude and wider microbial response varied substantially between individuals.

Year 2026

Study type Exploratory before-and-after pilot study

Sample 3 healthy horses plus 1 separate antibiotic case

Area Microbiome & metabolomics

Microbiome Volatile organic compounds Butyrate Individual response

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EquiNectar research Peer reviewed

EQN-S02

EquiNectar Spring Pasture Metabolomics Study

In a randomized study of 45 pastured horses and ponies, six weeks of EquiNectar supplementation produced a fecal volatile-metabolome profile that differed significantly from horses exposed to spring pasture without EquiNectar.

Year 2019

Study type Randomized controlled field study

Sample 45 randomized: 24 EquiNectar, 21 control

Area Microbiome & metabolomics

Metabolome Volatile organic compounds Spring pasture Spring pasture

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EquiNectar research Preprint

EquiNectar Racehorse Fecal pH Study

In 72 Thoroughbred racehorses completing four weeks of EquiNectar supplementation, mean fecal pH increased from 6.20 to 6.40, while the number of horses above the study's normal fecal-pH threshold increased from 8 to 40.

Year 2023

Study type Pilot longitudinal field study

Sample 78 recruited; 72 included in final paired analysis

Area Hindgut pH & fermentation

Fecal pH Hindgut fermentation Racehorses High-concentrate diets

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Independent EquiNectar research Peer reviewed

EQN-S05

EquiNectar Veterinary Gastrointestinal Field Study

In a published retrospective veterinary field study of 39 horses receiving EquiNectar as part of gastrointestinal management, 79% showed improvement and presenting signs resolved in 49% of cases over the study period.

Year 2024

Study type Retrospective observational field study

Sample 39 horses

Area Veterinary gastrointestinal outcomes

Veterinary field study Gastrointestinal health Recurrent abdominal pain Excess fecal water

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S01

Short-Chain Fatty Acids & Colic in Horses — 2025 Review

Independent peer-reviewed research from Lincoln Memorial University reviews how short-chain fatty acids — particularly acetate, propionate and butyrate — support the equine gut barrier, energy metabolism and immune regulation, and how disruption of SCFA production may contribute to gastrointestinal dysfunction and colic risk.

Year 2025

Study type Narrative review

Area SCFAs, gut barrier & inflammation

Short-chain fatty acids Butyrate Colic Gut barrier

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S02

Horse Gut Microbiome, Behavior & Welfare Study

Independent peer-reviewed research in 185 healthy sport horses found significant associations between fecal microbiome composition, equitation conditions and behavioral indicators of compromised welfare, supporting further investigation of the equine microbiota–gut–brain axis.

Year 2020

Study type Prospective longitudinal observational cohort study

Sample 185 horses

Area Gut-brain axis & behavior

Microbiome Gut-brain axis Behavior Equine welfare

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S03

Butyrate, Gut Barrier & Inflammation in Livestock — 2025 Review

A peer-reviewed cross-species review examining evidence that butyrate supports intestinal barrier integrity, microbial balance, immune regulation and inflammatory control across cattle, pigs, sheep and goats.

Year 2025

Study type Narrative review

Area SCFAs, gut barrier & inflammation

Butyrate Short-chain fatty acids Gut barrier Inflammation

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S04

Intestinal Permeability & the Equine Gut Barrier - 2017 Review

A peer-reviewed equine review examining how diet, microbiota, inflammation, exercise, reduced intestinal blood flow and gastrointestinal disease can disrupt the intestinal barrier and increase permeability in horses.

Year 2017

Study type Narrative review

Area Gut barrier & intestinal permeability

Intestinal permeability Gut barrier Leaky gut Hindgut acidosis

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S06

High-Fiber vs High-Starch Microbiota Across the Horse Digestive Tract

In 19 healthy horses, high-fiber and high-starch diets produced significantly different microbial communities across most regions of the digestive tract. High-starch feeding was associated with lower microbial diversity in several hindgut compartments, more amylolytic bacteria and smaller populations of several core fiber-associated bacterial groups.

Year 2024

Study type Randomized comparative dietary intervention study

Sample 19 horses: 10 high-fiber and 9 high-starch

Area Starch, fiber & microbiome

Starch Fiber Hindgut fermentation Microbiome

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S07

Performance Horse Welfare, Equestrian Culture & Cognitive Dissonance

A peer-reviewed qualitative study of 22 equestrians found that concern for performance horse welfare can coexist with attitudes and cultural norms that justify or minimise potentially harmful practices. Five themes highlighted the influence of cognitive dissonance, objectification, instrumentalisation of care and equestrian enculturation.

Year 2025

Study type Qualitative interview study using reflexive thematic analysis

Sample 22 equestrians

Area Behavior, welfare & human factors

Horse welfare Performance horses Equestrian culture Cognitive dissonance

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S08

Road Transport & the Equine Cecal Microbiota

In a controlled study of six horses, road transport and exposure to an unfamiliar environment were associated with measurable changes in cecal microbial diversity and several bacterial taxa, supporting the idea that travel can influence the equine hindgut microbiota.

Year 2018

Study type Randomized controlled transport study

Sample 6 horses: 3 travel and 3 control

Area Travel, stress & microbiome

Travel Transport stress Microbiome Cecal microbiota

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S09

Genetics & Equine Metabolic Syndrome

A genome-wide study of Welsh ponies and Morgan horses found numerous genetic regions associated with equine metabolic syndrome traits, supporting EMS as a complex polygenic condition involving both shared and breed-specific genetic risk.

Year 2019

Study type Genome-wide association study and meta-analysis

Sample 550 horses and ponies: 264 Welsh ponies and 286 Morgan horses

Area Metabolic health & insulin dysregulation

Equine metabolic syndrome Insulin dysregulation Genetics Genetic risk

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

EXT-S10

Risk Factors for Colic in Horses: Multicenter Case-Control Study

A multicenter case-control study comparing 406 horses with colic and 406 non-colic controls identified associations between colic risk and factors including water access, concentrate and whole-grain corn intake, parasite control, previous colic history, outdoor management, age and breed.

Year 1996

Study type Multicenter case-control epidemiological study

Sample 812 horses: 406 colic cases and 406 non-colic controls

Area Colic risk & prevention

Colic Colic risk factors Horse management Water access

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External supporting research Peer reviewed

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Low-Starch Diet, Gastric Disease & Ridden Pain in Sport Horses

A prospective study of nine show-jumping Warmbloods found significant improvements in gastric disease and ridden pain scores after 12 weeks following a change from a high-sugar, high-starch pelleted feed to a cooked, muesli-type low-starch diet.

Year 2024

Study type Prospective observational cohort study

Sample 9 horses

Area Gastric health, diet & performance

Equine gastric disease Gastric ulcers Low-starch diet Starch

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Understanding the evidence

Not every study answers the same question.

Different research designs provide different types of evidence. We keep those distinctions visible so that a pilot study, a veterinary case series and a peer-reviewed controlled study are not presented as though they carry identical weight.

01 Peer-reviewed research

Research formally evaluated by scientific peers before publication. Study design still matters, but external review adds an important level of scrutiny.

02 Controlled studies

Studies with an untreated or comparison group can help distinguish an intervention from changes caused by time, environment or diet.

03 Veterinary field evidence

Real-world cases tell us what happens under practical veterinary conditions, although multiple variables often prevent simple cause-and-effect conclusions.

04 Exploratory research

Small pilots and emerging datasets can reveal useful mechanisms and generate new hypotheses, but should not be treated as definitive population-level evidence.

Research transparency

The details matter as much as the headline.

Every Science Center record is structured to make the provenance of the evidence visible — including the things that are sometimes left out of commercial summaries.

Original study title and publication record

Authors and research institutions

Study population and sample size

Methods and what was actually measured

Funding and competing interests where reported

Tharos / EquiNectar involvement

Study limitations

Direct links to the original research

Looking for practical horse-health information?

The Science Center examines the evidence. Our Horse Health Resources translate digestive science into practical guides around feeding, management and the signs owners may notice.

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