EquiNectar research Hindgut pH & fermentation

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.

Original study title

Short Communication: Can Fecal pH Document Changes in the Intestinal Metabolome of Horses Receiving Enzyme Rich Malt Extract Feed Supplementation

Fecal pH Hindgut fermentation Racehorses High-concentrate diets

Study at a glance

Year 2023

Study type Pilot longitudinal field study

Sample 78 recruited; 72 included in final paired analysis

Duration 4 weeks

Population Thoroughbred racehorses in active flat-race training

Publication Preprint

EquiNectar tested? Yes

Peer reviewed No / not specified

Open access Yes

Relationship EquiNectar research

6.20 → 6.40

Mean fecal pH over four weeks (p<0.0001)

8/72 → 40/72

Horses in the study's normal fecal-pH category

78 → 72

Horses recruited → included in final analysis

7 → 0

Horses in the study's severe low-pH category

Research question

What did the researchers want to understand?

Can fecal pH provide a simple, non-invasive and cost-effective way to document changes in the intestinal environment of Thoroughbred racehorses receiving EquiNectar, and what is the rate and magnitude of change during four weeks of supplementation?

Researchers

Study authors

Mark Bowen

Medicine Vet Equine Referrals Limited

Tim Jones

Tharos Ltd

Ben Nedas

Tharos Ltd

Rosemary Waring

University of Birmingham
Tharos Ltd

Research organizations

Research institutions

Tharos Ltd

Commercial research organization

Website ↗

Medicine Vet Equine Referrals Limited

Veterinary referral practice
United Kingdom

University of Birmingham

University

Methodology

How the study was conducted

Study design

Seventy-eight Thoroughbred racehorses in flat-race training were recruited from training yards in Newmarket, UK.

All horses received EquiNectar at 150 ml twice daily in their normal feed for four weeks. Existing feeding and training routines were otherwise maintained and feed rates were not adjusted according to individual body weight.

There was no separate untreated control population, so horses were compared longitudinally with their own baseline measurements.

Six recruited horses were excluded because they did not remain in training with the same trainer throughout the study, leaving 72 horses with paired baseline and week-four measurements.

What was measured

Fresh fecal samples were measured using a calibrated HI-981030 handheld pH meter.

Measurements were taken in triplicate from three areas of freshly produced feces and averaged for each horse. Where individual measurements differed substantially, further readings were taken and outliers excluded.

Fecal pH was assessed at baseline and at approximately weeks 2, 3 and 4.

The study classified fecal pH as normal above 6.4, subclinical acidosis below 6.4, and severe acidosis below 6.0.

Study findings

Key results

• Mean fecal pH increased from 6.20 (95% CI 6.15–6.24) at baseline to 6.40 (95% CI 6.38–6.44) after four weeks (p<0.0001).

• 8 of 72 horses were above the study's normal fecal-pH threshold at baseline, increasing to 40 of 72 at week four (p<0.001).

• Seven horses were in the study's severe low-pH category at baseline; none remained in that category at week four.

• Changes were apparent after two weeks of supplementation.

• Normal feeding and training routines continued throughout the study.

Interpretation

What do the findings mean?

The principal finding was a statistically significant reduction in fecal acidity during four weeks of EquiNectar supplementation.

Mean fecal pH increased from 6.20 at baseline to 6.40 after four weeks (p<0.0001). The number of horses above the study's normal fecal-pH threshold increased from 8 of 72 to 40 of 72 (p<0.001), while the seven horses initially classified in the severe low-pH category were no longer in that category at week four.

These findings demonstrate that EquiNectar supplementation was associated with a measurable change in fecal pH. They do not, by themselves, demonstrate a direct change in cecal or colonic pH or establish treatment of a specific gastrointestinal disease.

In practice

Why this research matters

Performance horses are commonly fed concentrate-based diets to help meet their energy requirements. When rapidly fermentable carbohydrate reaches the hindgut, it can alter fermentation and contribute to a more acidic environment.

This study is relevant because the horses remained within their normal training and feeding programs while EquiNectar was added to the ration. Over four weeks, fecal acidity decreased significantly without otherwise changing those routines.

Fecal pH provides a practical, non-invasive way of monitoring changes in the digestive environment, although it should not be interpreted as a direct measurement of cecal or colonic pH.

Research transparency

Study limitations

This was a pilot field study and did not include a separate untreated control group, so the horses acted as their own longitudinal controls.

Although 78 horses were recruited, six were excluded because they did not remain in training with the same trainer throughout the study, leaving 72 horses with paired baseline and week-four data.

Fecal pH is an indirect measure of the intestinal environment. The study did not simultaneously measure the microbiome or metabolome, so the biological mechanisms underlying the observed pH change were not directly demonstrated within this trial.

The intervention lasted four weeks. It is therefore unknown whether fecal pH would have continued to change with longer supplementation.

Clinical outcomes such as fecal consistency and performance were not systematically recorded.

EquiNectar context

How this research relates to EquiNectar

This study directly evaluated EquiNectar, an Enzyme Rich Malt Extract feed supplement. EquiNectar was added to each horse's existing ration at 150 ml twice daily while normal feeding and training routines continued.

The study therefore provides direct evidence of a measurable change in fecal pH during EquiNectar supplementation in Thoroughbred racehorses.

Tharos / EquiNectar involvement

Tharos Ltd funded the research and was involved in study design and the decision to publish the data. According to the manuscript, the funder was not involved in the analysis or interpretation of the data or in preparation of the manuscript.

EquiNectar evaluated Yes

Transparency

Funding & competing interests

Funding statement

This research was funded by Tharos Ltd.

Competing interests

The research was funded by Tharos Ltd. The manuscript states that the funder was involved in study design and the decision to publish the data, including payment of publication charges, but was not involved in the analysis or interpretation of the data or in preparation of the manuscript.

Source record

Publication details

Journal

Preprints.org

Year

2023

DOI

10.20944/preprints202307.0537.v1

Species

Horse

Population

Thoroughbred racehorses in active flat-race training

Sample

78 recruited; 72 included in final paired analysis

Duration

4 weeks

Setting

Thoroughbred flat-race training yards in Newmarket, UK

License

CC BY 4.0

Read full text ↗

Recommended citation

Bowen M, Jones T, Nedas B, Waring R. Short Communication: Can Fecal pH Document Changes in the Intestinal Metabolome of Horses Receiving Enzyme Rich Malt Extract Feed Supplementation. Preprints. 2023; 2023070537. doi:10.20944/preprints202307.0537.v1.

Sources & further reading

Vet Times — Innovating equine health through scientific discovery, 9 January 2024

and:

EquiNectar UK — Vet Times / EquiNectar Volume 54, 9 January 2024

EquiNectar Racehorse Fecal pH Study

What did the researchers want to understand?

Study authors

Mark Bowen

Tim Jones

Ben Nedas

Rosemary Waring

Research institutions

Tharos Ltd

Medicine Vet Equine Referrals Limited

University of Birmingham

How the study was conducted

Key results

What do the findings mean?

Why this research matters

Study limitations

How this research relates to EquiNectar

Funding & competing interests

Funding statement

Competing interests

Publication details

Sources & further reading

Related practical resources

Hindgut Acidosis in Horses: Signs, Causes & Management