Hacking Woes

[bouncing_ball]

Yes, that’s me .

Equishure is only ever a sticking plaster for hind gut isdues. Remove the sticking plaster (stop the Equishure) and the problems return.

My mare was at the point of PTS for grumpiness due to her hind gut issues when the chiro vet (a qualified vet) suggested that I get the Equibiome test run on her. It was a revelation.

OP, have a read of this thread.

Has anyone had the Equibiome test done?

Hi, as title please. Despite a brief improvement (couple of weeks) in summer, Fergus' diarrhoea is still there and he's deteriorating again - not scouring yet but definitely really sloppy cow pats. In desperation, I'm considering getting the Equibiome test done and just wondering if anyone has...

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

Ha I said same re Equishure above.

I’ve read all the equibiome threads.

It’s part of why I started the oily herbs and other avenues to support good hind gut bacteria etc.

But I don’t believe there is a current ulcer / gut / hind gut issue so we are going a bit off topic.

 

[bouncing_ball]

This may all be irrelevant to your situation, but worth exploring. The Osteopathic Vet has some good posts on how gut imbalances can impact the whole horse. In my situation, limiting grass during flushes and frost has helped a lot.

Thanks, he’s treated previous horses. i follow his Facebook posts.

He may also just be worried about falling over on the grass if he has has a couple of falls on that kind of terrain...

It doesn’t fit the timing. I hack 3 times a week all year round. He fell in May. Behaviour started mid December.

 

[paddy555]

But it doesn’t “just affect hacking”.

It’s hacking in one location ONLY.

Which bit of he camps away from home, does orienteering rides , hacks on other routes from home, does pleasure & endurance rides, boxes out for nice hacks, goes to gallops, is schooling medium all politely says low grade pain?

So if he isn’t in pain and goes well in other places is it you in this one particular area? For some reason he needs your support and it is lacking

 

[dorsetladette]

Ha I said same re Equishure above.

I’ve read all the equibiome threads.

It’s part of why I started the oily herbs and other avenues to support good hind gut bacteria etc.

But I don’t believe there is a current ulcer / gut / hind gut issue so we are going a bit off topic.

Op. Imagine you've got a niggling toothache, it's been going on for you can't remember how long, the kids have been screaming all day and your husband walks through the door and asks you what's for dinner. At which point you blow your top. It's not what he said it was the timing of when he said it that sent you over the edge. Low grade pain in horses can be very similar. It bubbles away and they hide it well and get on with the job 99% of the time and are generally distracted by their surroundings or what we are asking of them. Maybe that one environment is where metaphorically speaking your horses husband is asking what's for dinner. It just becomes to much.
I don't believe we can ever 100% rule out pain or dismiss it. Sorry to disagree with you.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Thanks, he’s treated previous horses. i follow his Facebook posts.


It doesn’t fit the timing. I hack 3 times a week all year round. He fell in May. Behaviour started mid December.

You know the horse far better than anyone on here, so what do *you* think is causing the problem?

 

[bouncing_ball]

So if he isn’t in pain and goes well in other places is it you in this one particular area? For some reason he needs your support and it is lacking

It is now a significant part me, I’ve become a crumpled mess in this area.

And when he’s tight, tense & bright eyed and not going forwards I’ve become afraid to put my leg on as he feels on verge of explosion or shattering.

Op. Imagine you've got a niggling toothache, it's been going on for you can't remember how long, the kids have been screaming all day and your husband walks through the door and asks you what's for dinner. At which point you blow your top. It's not what he said it was the timing of when he said it that sent you over the edge. Low grade pain in horses can be very similar. It bubbles away and they hide it well and get on with the job 99% of the time and are generally distracted by their surroundings or what we are asking of them. Maybe that one environment is where metaphorically speaking your horses husband is asking what's for dinner. It just becomes to much.
I don't believe we can ever 100% rule out pain or dismiss it. Sorry to disagree with you.

Yes I totally get that.

I’ve had a horse for whom that totally applied to. I’m very aware of it.

And no you can never 100% rule out unexplained pain for any animal in any situation as they can’t talk.

However I take him in a huge range of situations and a huge range of pressure levels away from home and at home.

It doesn’t make much sense that he’s in constant low grade pain and this is the one situation that it shows up.

Also he has regular bodywork (chiro, physio, sports massage) and whilst he’s not always niggle free - he works hard & travels a fair bit etc. he’s not got any consistent patterns of soreness or indications of an underlying problem, nor anything of concern.

I use good professionals frequently, with past horses they’ve guided me to vet checks based on movement or areas that need treating regularly patterns.
Most horses with low grade pain will show repeating bodywork soreness in similar places that comes back.

 

[suestowford]

If the change happened so suddenly, and he only behaves like that in the one place, could it have been something that he saw/heard/smelled? He reacted, and you tensed up, so the next time you went there, you were both a little bit tense, and it's been a situation where you are both feeding off it in a downward spiral? The initial trigger could have been anything, but if this is the cause then you are neither of you helping the other right now. I think asking someone really confident & patient to ride him there might be a really good plan to see if you can break this circle of Doom.

 

[Jinx94]

@bouncing_ball, have you tried giving the both of you a significant break from that particular activity?

I know it sucks and limits what you can do, but I'm wondering whether steering clear of what you can't do and focusing on what you can do would help you both to 'reset'?

 

[bouncing_ball]

You know the horse far better than anyone on here, so what do *you* think is causing the problem?

I can’t fathom whether he’s really anxious or really cross and whether if I was able to show clearer leadership he’d be ok. Whether he’s now feeding off my lack of confidence. But it’s become a vicious circle.

I’ve got worse at showing confident leadership in this specific hacking environment over last year.

Or whether it’s not much to do with me.

He’s very strange getting stressed in walk and getting left behind by his hacking companion who can’t walk that slowly but getting too stressed to walk faster. Or head butting or nipping his companion in stress.

What’s even stranger is he goes from feeling like you are sitting on a police horse to feeling like you are sitting on an unexploded bomb. Generally it’s location related (in same general location). He’s always ok some bits of ride and not so much others. But he rarely explodes into forward movement but seems to get sticky.

Sometimes he’s super reactive to the racehorses. Sometimes he ignores them.

I think various things have upset him in this hacking location and I’ve been nervous after he fell on grass in
2023 (not here) and it’s all built up in his mind.

2021-late 2023 something happening eg being chased by a dog, being galloped past by unexpected racehorses, meeting a loose racehorse etc. were all minor issues soon forgotten. But in last year things like this I think he’s held onto.

He’s gone from happy to be behind, to huge panicked angry tantrums if horses go past him (yet fine about this in different locations). It’s really hard as he’s so tense he canters slower than most horses trot but he doesn’t want to go behind. We did months of just walking but doesn’t seem to have helped much.

I HATE it when he bunches up snd doesn’t go forward. But more leg on a tight tense horse just bounces off, or I get jumping up & down.

There’s definitely an element of separation anxiety in this location. Which don’t see in lorry / at competitions / other hacking.

 

[4Hoofed]

Pain aside as I think it’s been done here.


If you think it’s potentially your mind over what’s actually happening maybe worth trying to reset your brain?
I would be going along the lines of a confident, probably pro rider to ride him out there a few times over a few weeks, if it’s going well let them do it into double figures. If he is cooperating with them I’d then suggest if you can you borrow someone else’s horse and accompany the pro riding him out a few times. I think riding a safe horse there whilst watching him be safe under a pro would be the gold standard for helping your head out? Sounds strange but I think being a similar angle, the usual riding movements, muscle memory etc whilst being on a safe horse can give you an old brain reset alongside watching your horse behaving. It gives similar visuals, feelings etc so can help restore some positive connections, and reprogram both of you. Hopefully from there you could build up to riding him there.

I’d also say how VITAL is it that you do this particular route? If this is the ONLY place he expresses this behaviour? Maybe just avoid it for a while then enact your plan after a little time and space from the issue. It can make life easier sometimes to adopt the path of least resistance. Who knows if he still acts up for the pro etc and nothing turns up from investigation it could be something crazy like an underground pipe is burst or a something random that’s upset him at some point. Their senses are attuned to a whole different perspective and somethings will remain a mystery to us at time!

 

[4Hoofed]

Also, having read your most recent reply, maybe just all these little instances, and the fact it sounds like a very busy environment with a lot going on etc. maybe he has just decided all these little things are too much and the memory of all the little things he’s got over have built up into this issue? Ie just a general feeling of unease, this other instances, and now both of your increasing lack of confidence? Like a perfect storm kinda situation?

 

[bouncing_ball]

@bouncing_ball, have you tried giving the both of you a significant break from that particular activity?

I know it sucks and limits what you can do, but I'm wondering whether steering clear of what you can't do and focusing on what you can do would help you both to 'reset'?

Yes in that issue started late December 2023 and it’s still there.

We do lots of other stuff, groundwork, dressage, clinics, boxing over to hack with friends / did about 3 camps last year, 5-6 x 3 day trec competitions. Winter arena trec. Did some online agility stuff.

So I have tried dropping the open grass hacking location for a bit as lots of other things to concentrate on.

Also in January and February this year I stopped doing any solo hacking and only walk hacked in quiet company, then slowly adding back in faster work.

Nothing seems to help for long.

I REALLY want to get back to enjoying cantering my horse up these grass canter tracks & grass valleys before work.

I keep my horse here, for well draining turnout and for the amazing old turf canter and gallop tracks. And I’ve been not enjoying cantering here for the best part of a year!

But he was wonderful here for 3 years . . .

I am going to stop again for a bit

 

[bouncing_ball]

Also, having read your most recent reply, maybe just all these little instances, and the fact it sounds like a very busy environment with a lot going on etc. maybe he has just decided all these little things are too much and the memory of all the little things he’s got over have built up into this issue? Ie just a general feeling of unease, this other instances, and now both of your increasing lack of confidence? Like a perfect storm kinda situation?

Yes I think this is possible.

It certainly isn’t an environment all horses or all riders do cope with. Very open, very busy.

I was thrilled when he progressed from barely ever hacked in early 2021 to by the summer being a lovely hack in company or solo in this environment, pretty much any weather or any hazard. And he seemed to enjoy hacking.

And continued in 2022 and until December 2023 when changed. I kept thinking with right supportive hacking company & patience would fall back in place.

 

[4Hoofed]

Maybe it’s time to do a reset for you both. A month or two of other routes and activities etc with no pressure to get everyone back to feeling comfortable and confident and then consider a pro? And I really would recommend if you can ride another horse alongside if he goes well you may find it does your mentality a huge amount of good (I mean if your horse a twin ideal for tricking the old lizard brain!)

I’m a big believer that most horses can achieve being confident, happy hackers in most situations but sounds like your sucking each other into a bit of a downwards spiral! Big hugs, it’s incredibly easy for a bit of a wobble to turn into a monster demon that needs vanquished in all areas of life!! I’m sure you’ll get there!

 

[bouncing_ball]

Pain aside as I think it’s been done here.


If you think it’s potentially your mind over what’s actually happening maybe worth trying to reset your brain?
I would be going along the lines of a confident, probably pro rider to ride him out there a few times over a few weeks, if it’s going well let them do it into double figures. If he is cooperating with them I’d then suggest if you can you borrow someone else’s horse and accompany the pro riding him out a few times. I think riding a safe horse there whilst watching him be safe under a pro would be the gold standard for helping your head out? Sounds strange but I think being a similar angle, the usual riding movements, muscle memory etc whilst being on a safe horse can give you an old brain reset alongside watching your horse behaving. It gives similar visuals, feelings etc so can help restore some positive connections, and reprogram both of you. Hopefully from there you could build up to riding him there.

Yes I think that’s a good idea. I’ve asked a friend who is patient and exercises racehorses / breaks youngsters to ride him. If they gel maybe that regularly.

I need to make more effort to ride other horses in same place. Others I have ridden have been fine but I’m a lot more anxious than I used to be.

I’d also say how VITAL is it that you do this particular route? If this is the ONLY place he expresses this behaviour? Maybe just avoid it for a while then enact your plan after a little time and space from the issue. It can make life easier sometimes to adopt the path of least resistance. Who knows if he still acts up for the pro etc and nothing turns up from investigation it could be something crazy like an underground pipe is burst or a something random that’s upset him at some point. Their senses are attuned to a whole different perspective and somethings will remain a mystery to us at time!

I mostly ride before work. The locations that the racehorses are galloping in limit where on the Downs non racehorses can ride in the morning. Hence my tendency to do a similar figure of 8 on the front half of the Downs. (I used to call it my 5 canter, 55 minute hack).

There are other roadwork / roads & tracks options / woods but it’s a bit limited. Especially for before work. Can in theory go miles on tracks in several directions and link to lots more hacking.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Maybe it’s time to do a reset for you both. A month or two of other routes and activities etc with no pressure to get everyone back to feeling comfortable and confident and then consider a pro? And I really would recommend if you can ride another horse alongside if he goes well you may find it does your mentality a huge amount of good (I mean if your horse a twin ideal for tricking the old lizard brain!)

I’m a big believer that most horses can achieve being confident, happy hackers in most situations but sounds like your sucking each other into a bit of a downwards spiral! Big hugs, it’s incredibly easy for a bit of a wobble to turn into a monster demon that needs vanquished in all areas of life!! I’m sure you’ll get there!

Thanks, that sounds sensible.

I’ve got so cross and frustrated with myself lately.

 

[4Hoofed]

Try be kind to yourself as well. You have your horses best interests at heart. Anxiety/fear/pain responses are also there for a reason! Your brain can’t ignore those signals, and honestly it shouldn’t! There is logically a reason behind what you’re feeling! A few incidents, a horse that’s played up (potential pain catalyst aside, but also that will be in your head to the stress/worry of that side of things!) are all negative situations associated with that space!

Make yourself sensible plan, give yourself a really generous timescale to allow to take breaks in the plan if either of you need to step back mentally, or physically for any reason to help avoid feeling like you’ve failed if it’s not fixed in a month, and really focus on setting both of you up for success.

I won’t lie I’m petrified to jump. I had nasty falls (none of the over fences ironically) and a horse who was a very dirty stopper, naughty in courses etc and pushing through it for years through self frustrations, DESTROYED my confidence jumping, but also made be extremely risk averse with horses in general. I jumped my horse a few months ago, he’s not a jumper and neither am I but it has taken me years to stop beating myself up over it and making it worse on myself!

You’ve mentioned you’ve got tools in your arsenal, don’t be frightened to use them as well. Mindfulness, positive affirmations, breathing etc will all be really helpful during your “reset” and also building new neutral to positive associations? I hope this is in some way helpful, and if you ever need a cheerleader

(I jumped a log in a field out hacking the other day just because I fancied it. It was under a foot on an 18hh+ mammoth… but I cantered in actually saying. I CAN ride. I AM good at this! And it was the best feeling. Local dog walkers think I’m crazy but who cares.)

Sorry this was crazy long but don’t underestimate the power of our own brain and its effect on the horse if they have any uncertainty/doubt/negative experience.

 

[maya2008]

Sorry to state the obvious answer but… you say he’s amazing in every other location, including other home hacking routes. Can you just not hack in this location? Or get off and walk if it’s just one field?

It freaks him out. It freaks you out. No one is happy.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Sorry to state the obvious answer but… you say he’s amazing in every other location, including other home hacking routes. Can you just not hack in this location? Or get off and walk if it’s just one field?

It freaks him out. It freaks you out. No one is happy.

It’s a whole Downs :-(

And it’s the best hacking locally. I keep my horse here (not local to me, for the well draining turnout and this incredible hacking). I love travelling at (moderate) speed over old turf grass.

It’s a 20 minute hack from my yard to get to Downs.

There are quiet roads and firm bridleways tracks and a small woods can canter in.

Yard out front is onto a busy road, cross and 5 minutes from 2 hard surfaces bridleways.

There are further home routes (miles of them but quite a long way to other canter tracks) would tend to be a weekend thing.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Try be kind to yourself as well. You have your horses best interests at heart. Anxiety/fear/pain responses are also there for a reason! Your brain can’t ignore those signals, and honestly it shouldn’t! There is logically a reason behind what you’re feeling! A few incidents, a horse that’s played up (potential pain catalyst aside, but also that will be in your head to the stress/worry of that side of things!) are all negative situations associated with that space!

Make yourself sensible plan, give yourself a really generous timescale to allow to take breaks in the plan if either of you need to step back mentally, or physically for any reason to help avoid feeling like you’ve failed if it’s not fixed in a month, and really focus on setting both of you up for success.

I won’t lie I’m petrified to jump. I had nasty falls (none of the over fences ironically) and a horse who was a very dirty stopper, naughty in courses etc and pushing through it for years through self frustrations, DESTROYED my confidence jumping, but also made be extremely risk averse with horses in general. I jumped my horse a few months ago, he’s not a jumper and neither am I but it has taken me years to stop beating myself up over it and making it worse on myself!

You’ve mentioned you’ve got tools in your arsenal, don’t be frightened to use them as well. Mindfulness, positive affirmations, breathing etc will all be really helpful during your “reset” and also building new neutral to positive associations? I hope this is in some way helpful, and if you ever need a cheerleader

(I jumped a log in a field out hacking the other day just because I fancied it. It was under a foot on an 18hh+ mammoth… but I cantered in actually saying. I CAN ride. I AM good at this! And it was the best feeling. Local dog walkers think I’m crazy but who cares.)

Sorry this was crazy long but don’t underestimate the power of our own brain and its effect on the horse if they have any uncertainty/doubt/negative experience.

Thank you that’s really helpful.

Yay for jumping confidently.

We have similar jumping issues (though jumping didn’t matter until we started doing working equitation where small jump isn’t optional).

Jumping small single fences sensibly (especially the single pole no ground line) working equitation style is on the list for 2025 goals.

 

[Boulty]

If it’s literally just this one location and you feel you’ve eliminated all you can then assume that you’ve got stuck in a bit of a doom spiral ie all recent memories of that place are bad, stressful ones and so every time you go there you’re both worried and each negative experience is just stacking on top of each other.

If he’s fine with you on the ground then I honestly would just get off for that bit & back on afterwards. Yes it’s a PITA & inconvenient.

Hopefully over time you’ll gradually be able to stay on for a little bit longer & maybe get back on a bit sooner.

Alternative might be to get a sensible pro to take him there for a while rather than you & see if he does it to same extent?

I’ll have a similar issue (although to a lesser and more generalised extent) to untangle if my Highland gets deemed suitable to return to work in the future as he’s never been great in open spaces but seemed to be getting somewhere when in regular work. Pretty sure in his case it’s definitely a him issue rather than just a me one as he’s actually worse with a different rider who was unaware that he didn’t like going past a certain place as I didn’t think they’d be taking him there.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Sorry I quickly read the title after finishing my nice drink as Wacking Hoes.

Hope you get your issues sorted. It is hard when you can't put your finger on what's wrong. I have developed confidence issues since loosing my beloved mare a couple of years ago and hitting middle age. Things just aren't the same any more.

I would also suggest getting someone else to ride him out for a while to see if they experience the same.

 

[canteron]

If you think it’s location based is there somewhere else you could go - maybe with a school so you can mix a bit of schooling with a little bit of hacking and build up both your confidence

There is a riding school nearby me where they have nice riding around their own fields and you can have ‘hacking’ lessons, maybe something like that would answer a few questions.

Good luck

 

[coblets]

Have you tried asking a cyclist friend to come out with you? A cyclist means he has someone to follow without it being as stressful as another horse where he’s stressing about staying with them. And you might gain confidence from having someone on the ground.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Ha I said same re Equishure above.

I’ve read all the equibiome threads.

It’s part of why I started the oily herbs and other avenues to support good hind gut bacteria etc.

But I don’t believe there is a current ulcer / gut / hind gut issue so we are going a bit off topic.

It might not be related to his current issue, but if you haven’t had the Equibiome test run you don’t know for sure if his hind gut biome is currently in balance.

For a horse where you are scratching your head wondering what on earth is wrong I’d stump up for the test and then at least you’d know. The result might just throw up something that can be helped. If it doesn’t, then it’s still more information to file away.

Good luck whatever happens.

 

[dougpeg]

Move him? Put him on a livery yard a few miles down the road and see if that solves things. Even a trial run would give you information.

It doesn't sound like things are going to improve as they are after a year of trying.

 

[GinaGeo]

If you’re certain you’ve ruled out pain then I’d do one of the following.

1. Stop trying to make him hack in this particular setting. It seems he’s good in other situations, so just don’t insist he hacks here.

2. If you do want to solve it, then I’d go about it differently. Stop trying to just walk, kick on and get going.

Follow a reliable lead horse if you need to. Or have one alongside you for support. See if you can get him thinking forwards, it’s harder to have the explosions if you’re travelling.

If you don’t feel like you’d be the best person to kick him on, then getting someone on him who will seems like a good idea.

And at the same time, getting you on something that won’t react, will help to refill your confidence banks.

It’s just deciding if hacking in this location is a ‘must have’ for you. If it is (and I don’t blame you if it is, it sounds fantastic), I’d get someone else involved to help you work through it. Some things are hard to deal with yourself, once it’s got into your head.

 

[paddy555]

Somewhere you mention HRT. You have to take into account as some people get older they become more risk adverse, more worried, the tiny things in the past that have upset the horse in that location have also worried you. However much you think it is just him they upset your brain may have latched onto these and is now in self preservation status.
Just because you have done lots of brave and daring things in the past doesn’t mean you will still be able to carry on doing them. You are cross and frustrated but your brain still won’t let you.

You may have to accept you are never going to be able to ride this horse in the open spaces and it is pointless beating yourself up. Give up. Go somewhere else where you are happy and enjoy your horse.

If you get the chance borrow a safe horse and ride the open spaces to i

I can’t fathom whether he’s really anxious or really cross and whether if I was able to show clearer leadership he’d be ok. Whether he’s now feeding off my lack of confidence. But it’s become a vicious circle.

I’ve got worse at showing confident leadership in this specific hacking environment over last year.

Or whether it’s not much to do with me.

He’s very strange getting stressed in walk and getting left behind by his hacking companion who can’t walk that slowly but getting too stressed to walk faster. Or head butting or nipping his companion in stress.

What’s even stranger is he goes from feeling like you are sitting on a police horse to feeling like you are sitting on an unexploded bomb. Generally it’s location related (in same general location). He’s always ok some bits of ride and not so much others. But he rarely explodes into forward movement but seems to get sticky.

Sometimes he’s super reactive to the racehorses. Sometimes he ignores them.

I think various things have upset him in this hacking location and I’ve been nervous after he fell on grass in
2023 (not here) and it’s all built up in his mind.

2021-late 2023 something happening eg being chased by a dog, being galloped past by unexpected racehorses, meeting a loose racehorse etc. were all minor issues soon forgotten. But in last year things like this I think he’s held onto.

He’s gone from happy to be behind, to huge panicked angry tantrums if horses go past him (yet fine about this in different locations). It’s really hard as he’s so tense he canters slower than most horses trot but he doesn’t want to go behind. We did months of just walking but doesn’t seem to have helped much.

I HATE it when he bunches up snd doesn’t go forward. But more leg on a tight tense horse just bounces off, or I get jumping up & down.

There’s definitely an element of separation anxiety in this location. Which don’t see in lorry / at competitions / other hacking.

you mentioned HRT. You are getting older and I would guess this is a fair amount of your problem. Just because you could gallop with racehorses, jump 6 foot walls or whatever in the past doesn't mean that you will continue to do so as you get older. Some people especially females seem to get affected with confidence issues as they age.
As you have got older recently your mind is processing it all differently. Whatever you actively think it is in protection mode.

You give examples above of being chased by a dog, you coming off etc. Not only has that upset the horse but also even sub consciously you. So now this lack of confidence (however many times you sing) is coming to the fore and your lack of confidence = horse not getting support so it is the downward spiral.

will it be gone forever? who knows but maybe it will.
I think you will have to give up on the open spaces area with this horse. You are not going to get over the confidence part and the horse is not going to get over it without a stronger (more confident) rider. Stick to more enclosed areas and enjoy your horse there

If you get the chance ride a different horse on the open spaces just to keep your confidence up.
I would imagine that if he fell in hoof boots this may have made you especially nervous and that is difficult to get over.
I appreciate everyone else sees a pain problem but unfortunately I see it as a "you" problem and it is a case of finding a way to make "you" happier.

 

[Fieldlife]

deleted wrong thread

 

[bouncing_ball]

It might not be related to his current issue, but if you haven’t had the Equibiome test run you don’t know for sure if his hind gut biome is currently in balance.

For a horse where you are scratching your head wondering what on earth is wrong I’d stump up for the test and then at least you’d know. The result might just throw up something that can be helped. If it doesn’t, then it’s still more information to file away.

Good luck whatever happens.

Thanks, I’ve ordered test. Whilst I think I’ve got hind gut sorted, looking at the range of “extras” I give him to support hind gut, if I knew which were most helpful would be less effort and probably cheaper!

I’m slightly surprised how little equibiome test is mentioned on here / social media etc

In original thread it seemed like was getting more popular but doesn’t seem to have gained popularity / become more widespread in last few years.

There was some stuff to discredit equibiome I vaguely remember?

I’m complete believer in importance of good gut bacteria for health of him and & horses. Though slightly unsure in general about Carol Hughes.

I already feed Oily herbs, good (non mainstream) pre & probiotics and feed focusing on gut diversity and hind gut support.

Hoping test might show some missing pieces.