It is amazing how easy it is to help some horses and how frustrating and difficult it can be to help others. The challenge is that every horse suffering from recumbent sleep deprivation is an individu

 disease, leading to a new term: functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) .

Even though these new technologies are not available to the horse, we can still use the components of FGID in humans to better understand equine digestive disorders. There are many similarities between FGID in humans and horses. Both involve abnormal motility and inflammation. There is also a connection between the nervous and digestive systems, creating a negative feedback loop, often the cause of digestive disturbances such as hindgut inflammation and possibly even colonic ulcers. In the horse these FGIDs may start out small with weight loss or poor performance, but if left untreated can, over time, develop into ulcers, chronic and acute diarrhea, colitis, or even colic. 

A Stressful Cycle 

How does this process start? There are many different factors that can lead to hindgut dysfunction including intermittent meals, sand irritation, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and large grain meals. These elements can lead to a buildup of lactic acid, altered motility, and the death of beneficial hindgut microflora. Together, these negative effects merge leading to bacterial overgrowth, a change in mucosal secretions, and mucosal inflammation resulting in colitis. Underneath these changes are the everyday stressors our horses endure; confinement, trailering, separation, and the stress of performance and training all feed into this cycle, intensifying the underlying GI disorder. This cycle can greatly alter GI function, not only affecting performance and overall condition but leading to various disorders including leaky gut syndrome. 

Stress Management 

Within traditional management practices the changes needed to reverse this stressful cycle are difficult and at times impossible to implement. Lack of available land and horse owners living in more suburban areas limit the ability of the horse to live in its natural state: on pasture. Some changes can be made to their diet such as feeding less concentrates, higher quality and free choice forage, as well as feeding more meals per day. Changing training and trailering routines may also help to reduce everyday stressors. However, these changes alone may not be enough to improve the horse’s stress level and mitigate its effect on their digestive health.