Keeping Your Horse's Hindgut Healthy

B1. A thiamine deficiency can then lead to a loss of appetite.
Altered Behaviour Studies have shown that horses with acidic hindgut contents resulting from the fermentation of grain are more likely to exhibit abnormal behaviour.
How can you keep your horses hindgut healthy?
Follow these seven tips for keeping your horses hindgut functioning normally
1. Feed plenty of forage. A healthy hindgut is almost completely dependent on feeding enough forage. Bulky forage is needed to keep the hindgut full to prevent it from physically collapsing on itself or twisting up in a severe case of colic. Healthy bacterial populations are also dependent on having lots of fibre available for fermentation. As a general rule you should feed a minimum of 1 kilogram of fibre per 100 kilograms of bodyweight in forage per day 1 percent of bodyweight. The more forage you can feed the better so unless you have a good reason for limiting your horses forage intake feed a completely forage diet and only use grains when absolutely necessary. Note If you are concerned about a weight disadvantage in racing and other performance horses due to large amounts of forage being carried in the gut reduce the amount of forage being fed slightly in the days leading up to a race or event.
2. Feed cooked grains to prevent grain being fermented in the hindgut. If you feed grains always use a cooked grain i e. grain that has been steam flaked micronised extruded or boiled as uncooked grains with the exception of oats are poorly digested in the horses small intestine and will almost certainly end up being fermented in the hindgut. Oats may be fed uncooked.
3. Feed grains in small meals. Never feed more than 0 5 kilograms of grain per 100 kilograms of bodyweight 0 5 percent of bodyweight in any one meal. Feeding grains in larger meals will make the feed travel quickly through the small intestine and will push undigested grains into the hindgut where they will be fermented.
4. Make sure your horse is drinking enough water. Water intake is crucial for maintaining a healthy hindgut. Dehydration will result in the hindgut contents drying out too much and can lead to problems like impaction colic. If you live in a cold climate offering your horses warmed water may help to increase their water intake. If you suspect your horse is not drinking enough water try adding molasses or