In 2005, Biovance was made aware of a series of anecdotal reports by several veterinarians claiming to have successfully treated a number of severe EGUS cases by daily supplementation of the diet with ReStore™. The progress of several of these cases was documented by clinicians at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University. What was surprising is that some of these horses were nonresponsive to recognized therapeutic regimens, but did respond quickly and dramatically to ReStore™. To expand on these observations, a study was initiated in cooperation with Dr. D. Millar (Millar Equine Medicine, Jones, Oklahoma) and Dr. M. Major (Oakridge Equine Hospital, Edmond, Oklahoma) to evaluate the impact that feeding ReStore™ had on gastric ulcers and lesions and subsequent feed consumption and animal performance.
Twenty Thoroughbred mares and geldings, currently in training were selected for the study. These horses came from several sources, all under different training regimens and nutritional management. All showed clinical symptoms of EGUS which was confirmed by endoscopic examination. They were evenly divided into treatment and control groups. Each horse was scored based upon the numbers and severity of the lesions present. At the end of 30 days and again at 60 days, all horses were reexamined and rescored. The treatment consisted of supplementation of ReStore™ to the regular diet at a rate of ½ lb per day. The controls received a placebo fed at a similar rate.
The following are Dr. Millar’s observations and conclusions:
ReStore™ is a unique blend of peptides, amino acids and soluble nitrogen sources, which have been shown to stimulate the growth of the amylolytic and cellulolytic bacterial populations found in the G.I.T. of the horse. ReStore™’s effect on reducing both the incidence and severity of EGUS is mediated by its positive impact on the equine digestive process, thus minimizing one critical source of stress commonly experienced by horses in training or while asked to perform at their full genetic potential.
Understanding how your horse digests carbohydrates is the first step to getting the results you want from your feeding program. You don’t have to become an expert on the equine digestive tract to understand how it works. But it is important to grasp the basic concepts of the physiological and metabolic processes of the horse and how they affect nutritional strategies.
The horse is a prey animal. For millions of years it was the target of flesh-eating pred-ators. During its physiological evolution, it developed a unique digestive system as one of the crucial traits necessary for survival. It’s a system designed to handle continuous limited inputs as the horse grazed up to 20 hours a day while it covered up to 30 miles a day with the herd.
The system that evolved is truly marvelous. It’s a system for an animal that had to depend on speed for survival. It’s a system unencumbered by the size and weight of a large stomach. It’s a system that supports the metabolic processes that allow the horse to produce from forage and browse all the protein and energy it needs for growth, and maintenance.
Dr. William E. Julien, nutritionist and veter-inarian, says, “I believe the cause of most horse maladies is based on nutritional mis-
management and refusal to accept the fact that nutrition is physiology. The problem goes way beyond simply how much protein or energy is fed each day.”
The evolution of the horse’s unique digestive system supports his thesis: Nutrition must begin with physiology, the biological functions and vital processes of the living organism. Metabolism, the chemical and physical processes that convert ingested feed into metabolites that support growth, maintenance and energy, is dependent on physiology. You can’t have one without the other, but you’ve got to consider physiology first.
How your horse digests carbohydrates
Carbohydrates for horses can be divided into those that can be hydrolyzed and those that must be fermented. Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which a feedstuff reacts with water (with the help of enzymes) and is changed into one or more other substances, such as starch into glucose. Feedstuffs that cannot be hydrolyzed enter the cecum and large colon. Here they are fermented by resident micro flora to produce volatile fatty acids and structural nitrogen.
The hindgut’s normal function is the fermentation of non-hydrolyzable carbohydrates. For example: hemicelluloses, cellulose and ligno-cellulose, and soluble fibers are all fermentable carbohydrates.
But hydrolysis has its limits. When the horse’s small stomach and intestines can’t handle the load, the excess hydrolyzable carbo-hydrate moves to the hindgut where it is fermented with the remaining non-hydrolyzable carbohydrates.
The hydrolyzable carbohydrates are now where they don’t belong; this triggers rapid fermentation and disrupts the normal pH of the hindgut. This rapid fermentation and change in pH can also cause significant negative modifications in resident bacterial populations, favoring organisms that can actually harm the horse!
The digestive system now has a carbohydrate overload.
The horse is an herbivorous (grass or plant eating) prey (food for carnivores) species that has evolved successfully because of his ability to run or escape predators for survival. Like all herbivorous prey species the form of energy needed for survival comes from fermentation. But to accommodate the necessary mobility of the horse, the digestive organ was formed in the hindgut, not a massive foregut like other less mobile prey species.
- Hindgut of the horse is the large intestine. This is the fermentation vat, which includes the ceacum and large colon.
- Foregut is the stomach and small intestine. The stomach and small intestine absorb the soluble starches and sugars as well as fat (vegetable oils). Vegetable oils are just long chains of fatty acids. That’s why fat added to the diet is so useful to the horse as an energy source.
Energy
- The chemical substrate (fuel), i.e. volatile fatty acids that the body systems use for fuel.
Fermentation
- The decomposition of complex substances (structural carbohydrates and fiber) into simpler volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and other utilizable energy (fuel).
- In this case, structural carbohydrates in the presence of ReStore™ increase fermentation resulting in greater production of VFAs and amino acids (fuel and building blocks for the body systems).
Metabolism
- The transformation of feedstuffs (hay, grass, concentrates) into utilizable energy (fuel).
- In the horse, the “hindgut” is the major digestive organ.
- Within the hindgut there resides bacteria whose major purpose is to consume structural carbohydrates in the form of grass, hay, fiber (beet pulp, wheat mids, rice hulls), and produce energy in the form of volatile fatty acids.
- ReStore™ provides the bacteria with the necessary ingredients to enhance their ability to multiply. With more bacteria to breakdown fiber, more energy is produced, thus a greater metabolic impact (more energy produced per unit volume of fiber) to the horse.
- Bacteria provide a source of amino acids. Bacteria multiply, do their job, and then die. The bacteria then become the source of amino acids through the breakdown and absorption of their bodies.
Physiological Effect
- The impact the energy source has on the function of the horse.
- Specifically, with ReStore™ the bacteria have the necessary substrate (material) to proliferate (multiply) resulting in the ability to produce more energy (fuel) because of the bacteria’s increased numbers. The net effect in the presence of fiber (SC) is more Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs).
- The abundant energy that is produced by the increased number of bacteria in the form of volatile fatty acids and amino acids becomes the horse’s major source of utilizable energy and is the form of energy that the horse evolved, as an herbivorous prey specie, to use for his survival. This form of energy augments his physical and physiological function.
- Physiological function is the chemical reactions in all body systems, including but not limited to, musculo-skeletal function, growth, healing, immune system, body temperature, hormone production and regulation, etc.
Structural Carbohydrates (SC)
- Plant fiber (cellulose), grass, hay and forages.
- In the horse, structural carbohydrates provide the essential form of energy. Bacterial breakdown (fermentation) of the fiber (source of structural carbohydrates) results in the formation of utilizable energy in the form of volatile fatty acids. The primary form of energy the horse utilizes for exercise and survival.
Non-structural Carbohydrates (NSC)
- Sugar, soluble starches found in grains.
- Grass and hay have various amounts of non-structural sugars that vary with the stage of growth and amount of moisture. Immature grass has more nutrients than older mature grass.
- Non-structural carbohydrates provide energy that is stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. In some individuals, improper utilization of muscle glycogen results in “tying up” syndrome, which is a severe form of myositis (muscle inflammation and injury). The medical term for this syndrome is Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy.
- Non-structural carbohydrates are incriminated in several disorders of the horse some related to insulin resistance, digestive distresses, behavioral problems, and developmental abnormalities.
- NSCs are usually absorbed in the small intestine. If the NSCs are fed in excess (bloused one or twice a day) and reach the large bowel they are fermented easier than structural carbohydrates. NSC fermentation causes changes in the chemistry of the large bowel resulting in a cascade of events that can culminate in the death of large numbers of bacteria, which in turn release endotoxins, the consequence of which can be laminitis, colic, or even endotoxemia and death.
- Grains have both structural and non-structural carbohydrates, predominantly non-structural.
Proteins
- Long chains of amino acids. Two sources: animal and plant.
- Amino acids are the building blocks for bone, muscle, body tissues and fluids; bio-mass.
Attention Deficit Disorder Syndrome in children and adults has been recognized by the medical community as a very real problem. Poor performance at work or school, the inability to focus on a task and see it through; erratic and antisocial behavior all are symptomatic. Although recognized in humans for over 100 years, it has never been reported in other species; yet inexplicable changes in behavior or performance are common in a number of domestic animals, horses included.
Could poor equine behavior, unpredictable performance, or training stallouts be caused by a form of ADDS? The answer is yes and no. No, because the root problem in ADDS human patients is hormonal and veterinary science has not established similar hormonal imbalances in the horse. Yes, because veterinary science has recently made a major breakthrough in identifying a condition that can and does negatively impact your horse’s interactions with you and his environment. That breakthrough is the discovery that diet, in conjunction with nutrient management, is the root cause of several serious physiological problems in horses, and that these problems and the associated discomfort they cause, can negatively modify behavior.
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How do diet and the management of that diet impact behavior? Simply put, too much of a good thing in too short a time becomes a recipe for disaster. This is true under a variety of conditions, and can be experienced by even pastured horses, but usually it is horses in training or competing in the show pen that are most effected. In the horse, nutrient utilization is heavily dependant upon hind gut breakdown of ingested feed through the action of the bacteria that naturally live there. This breakdown is called fermentation. Feeds that are calorically dense, and chemically made up of carbohydrate in a rapidly fermentable form are the triggering machanisms. The negative impact of such diets is made worse by rapid consumption over a limited period of time. This causes digestive upset, which becomes a source of nonspecific pain and irritation to the horse. A horse’s reaction to irritation is to move away, but in this situation, escape becomes impossible. Such horses react the only way they know how and that is to focus on the source of irritation. It becomes a vicious cycle that is almost impossible to break without a new approach to equine nutritional management.
ReStore™ is an equine-specific nutriceutical that has been shown to be effective in maximizing digestive efficiency in the horse. It does this by stimulating the natural digestive process, thus minimizing the risks associated with feeding calorically dense, readily fermentable grain-based rations, or any situation where rapid fermentation can lead to problems, such as pastured horses or even horses fed good quality grass hay. By breaking the cycle of feed and irritation, ReStore™ allows your horse to keep his head where you want it to be, in the game, not worrying about how to relieve pain.
Rapid fetal growth demands more protein, but reduces space for normal fill
Revolution™ Equine Prescription Diet introduced by Biovance Life Sciences, Inc., of Omaha, offers a new way to nutritionally manage the pregnant mare. According to the company, the product offers “a proven way to ensure optimum nutrition for prepartum fetal growth, while simultaneously preparing the mare for the physiological demands imposed by lactation. Perhaps of even greater significance is the role played by Revolution™ in protecting the mare against the common metabolic and physiologic risks associated with foaling, such as eclampsia and post parturient colic.
Revolution™ contains ReStore™, the patented equine supplement that enhances digestive efficiency and helps maintain gastric motility — both important in the prevention of Dietary Distress Syndrome (DDS) in horses.
Late gestation has a double impact on the mare’s nutritional and digestive health. The exponential growth of the fetus greatly increases the demand for protein and energy. At the same time, the rapid increase in the size of the fetus and associated tissues reduces the space available for normal fill and motility in the gastro-intestinal tract.
To meet the nutrient needs of both the growing fetus and the mare herself, current nutritional husbandry practices rely heavily on feeding concentrates formulated from grains. The resulting diet is rich in fermentable starch and sugar. These substances can cause a diabetic-like state in the mare, which has been associated with a number of metabolic problems referred to collectively as Equine Dietary Distress Syndrome (DDS).
Grain-based diets offer another risk to the parturient and post parturient mare. High grain diets can cause abnormal conditions in the large bowel and ceacum, which significantly increase the risk of colic. Colic caused by right dorsal displacement post foaling, is the number one killer of post foaling mares and makes this population of horses the most likely to need surgery.
Biovance reports the low carbohydrate, calorically dense composition Revolution™ product, significantly reduces the carbohydrate load on the digestive system, stabilizes intestinal pH and promotes optimum large bowel fermentation.
In addition, the special blend of enzymes and specific amino acids and protein in the Revolution™ / ReStore™ combination enhances the normal fermentation process in the horse. Together, this unique combination safely increases production of volatile fatty acids, microbial proteins, and digestive efficiency — increasing the digestible energy and protein in the diet.
This combination of a stabilizing effect on the gastro-intestinal tract and an increase in digestible energy and protein is especially beneficial to mares in late gestation and lactation.
The season is rapidly approaching when decisions must be made and money must be spent on breeding next year’s futurity winner. This is the easy part. Getting a mare in foal can be a very frustrating experience. It is also almost always guaranteed to be expensive. However, recent breakthroughs in the physiological chemistry of both the breeding mare and stallion offer new hope in making breeding your mare less like a trip to your local casino.
The key to minimizing risk (both physiological and financial) in equine reproductive management is to understand exactly what is going on and what are the consequences of that action. To begin, equine sex, properly done, is a violent, stressful activity, even when the stallion is not an active participant. Outside elements such as extenders, and even semen that are inserted into the mare, can be viewed as "foreign material", especially since the uterus of the mare is so immunologically active. This in and of itself poses problems, but to add insult to injury, if the union of the stallion’s sperm and the mare’s egg is successful, the end result is a parasitic organism (read foal) that is eventually expelled when the mare’s body has had enough.
Successful reproduction, the production of a live foal at birth, involves short-circuiting a series of physiological checks and balances inherent in the mare to ward off 
infection and deal with immunological challenges. Physiological chemists have discovered that two fatty acids found predominantly in fish oils, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) appear to play a key roll in allowing and maintaining a successful pregnancy. They also report that to work, the DHA and EPA must be available to the mare in a specific ratio that only exists in certain cold water fish oils.
For the past four years, Biovance’s technical team has worked closely with a leading supplier of a DHA/EPA complex to develop a product that is effective in horses. This product is palatable, and “user friendly”. It is also highly biologically available due to a proprietary process used in its manufacture. Finally, it is cost effective. This product, called Target E, will soon be available -- just in time for the breeding season. Look for details on our website and upcoming newsletters.
Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a disease complex in horses and foals associated with injury to the mucosa of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. EGUS has a profound impact on both condition and performance of horses. Progressive training is correlated with worsening of G.I.T. lesions (Murray, 1996). A prevalence of gastric ulceration of 80-90% in racing horses and 60% in show horses has been reported (Hammond, 1986, Vatistas 1994, Murray 1996). Horses on pasture and exercised lightly typically have normal stomachs, while horses kept in box stalls and trained intensively have an increased prevalence of gastric ulcers. Murray (1989) reported a 51% prevalence of gastric lesions in asymptomatic foals using endoscopic evaluation with the majority of these lesions found in the squamous epithelial mucosa.
