Has anyone had the Equibiome test done?

[lynz88]

So funny you mention sarcoids. While I'm waiting for my results, I started feeding the oily herbs - about 6 weeks ago now. My horse has a sarcoid problem that only started about 2 years ago. He has a very large raised/flar sarcoid that I've never been able to make go away for the entire 2 years he has had it. Well. In the past 2 weeks I've noticed it has been shrinking away and just this week realized that over 50% of it is completely flat - as if there was never a sarcoid. Not sure if related but that is the only change I've made while I wait and it hasn't responded to anything to date.

 

[lynz88]

Just got my equibiome test results back. I have only just skimmed it but in seeing how low he is across the board in his gut bacteria I think explains quite a bit! On target with very few bacteria. As I wait to see if I have a flight back to the UK (what a fun game of Russian Roulette these days!) I at least have some reading to do and it seems like a lot to fix

 

[Chianti]

Just got my equibiome test results back. I have only just skimmed it but in seeing how low he is across the board in his gut bacteria I think explains quite a bit! On target with very few bacteria. As I wait to see if I have a flight back to the UK (what a fun game of Russian Roulette these days!) I at least have some reading to do and it seems like a lot to fix

Have you joined the Facebook group? It's really useful to be able to ask questions.

 

[lynz88]

I have though am going to email them directly as I've got some questions. Very strangely when I was looking at changing his feed, I was debating adding some oats but wasn't sure and wanted to see how he got on first. It has been suggested in my report to add a handful or so of bruised oats into his feed. They also suggested a few of their products which I will look into a bit more as some of them don't say how much to feed or how long the bag lasts and also was suggested to add some hedgerow, polyphenols, and vit B. I'm thinking the oily herbs I am already feeding has the polyphenol in it as it does say all herbs are high in it but am curious about which hedgerow herbs would be good. I see D&H do an herb thing but some of it overlaps with what I already feed as well as his treats from Hilton Herbs (which I've never seen him lllloooovvveee so much - even prefers the herbs over sugary treats).

 

[MuddyMonster]

Another update. Regular vet was out yesterday for annual jabs and health checks.

She stood looking at my mare who has had the Equibiome analysis and follow on protocols, and declared 'She looks healthy now'.

That sums it up. Also, interestingly, this is the first year since she came back off loan 4 years ago that she hasn't thrown up new sarcoids in the spring. According to the vet, it has been a bumper year so far for sarcoids.

Mare remains on the Equibiome no 7 maintenance supplement, plus oily herbs and hedgerow plants, fed fresh when available, otherwise dry. The other two are getting the same less the supplement.

So glad it is going well for you & your mare.

I think it was you that suggested adding oily herbs to my EMS horse's feed and I must admit, a month or so later I do think he's less bloated after coming in. So thank you for that

I think I'll start adding D&H hedgerow herbs into the mix & I won't feel so bad about letting him browse and snack on the hedges out hacking! Or maybe I'll start picking from the hedgerow for him out walking ? How much do you feed of the hedgerow herbs out of curiosity?

I'm half considering trying him on their maintenance supplement but it does say you need to try the others first, so maybe not.

I don't have any major issues - other than him being prone to general metabolic stuff & laminitis etc with his EMS - I could get him tested I guess just to see but it just feels a bit wasteful at the moment given the current climate.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I think I'll start adding D&H hedgerow herbs into the mix & I won't feel so bad about letting him browse and snack on the hedges out hacking! Or maybe I'll start picking from the hedgerow for him out walking ? How much do you feed of the hedgerow herbs out of curiosity?

Fresh herbs?

Not very scientific! About a heaped wheelbarrow full of cleavers and nettles between 3 neds, with more cleavers than nettles, and allowed to wilt down overnight. It shrinks down dramatically. Each horse can munch through their daily ration in less than 10 mins, so I reckon it's not much different or less compared to what they would eat given free access to them growing fresh.

ETA About this much per day between 3, the cat is checking up on the quantities! This is my knackered garden seat herb drying bench.



You can feed the Equibiome prebiotic long term without the horse having been tested. I have the two non-tested ones on that.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Fresh herbs?

Not very scientific! About a heaped wheelbarrow full of cleavers and nettles between 3 neds, with more cleavers than nettles, and allowed to wilt down overnight. It shrinks down dramatically. Each horse can munch through their daily ration in less than 10 mins, so I reckon it's not much different or less compared to what they would eat given free access to them growing fresh.

ETA About this much per day between 3, the cat is checking up on the quantities! This is my knackered garden seat herb drying bench.

View attachment 94610

You can feed the Equibiome prebiotic long term without the horse having been tested. I have the two non-tested ones on that.

Thank you do much! That's really helpful, looking at yours I suspect I could still feed more hedgerow herbs so might try increasing again. Handy to know about the pre-biotic too, I'll look into that one

Love the feline quantity checker too!

 

[lynz88]

TP. I just went back on this thread and just realized your horse has very similar results to mine that you've shared. I also had the same recommendations, actually. Funny because I remember mentioning that our horses seemed to have similar clinical signs...I am hopeful! Maybe I just follow your plan ??

 

[Miss_Millie]

Bumping up this thread again as I have recently ordered the test. Looking forward to getting my mare's results...how is everyone finding the recommended supplementation long-term, are you still seeing good health in your horses?

 

[Chianti]

My pony is now just on their No7 supplement. It's been nearly a year since his last test so I've just sent off another sample to have him retested. He sems much happier in himself but - he has a completely different lifestyle now as he's out on a track rather than being in a relatively small paddock. I followed most of the protocol but not all of it.

 

[Tiddlypom]

My mare has been on the Biome food no 7 maintenance supplement since last autumn after finishing her approx 5 months worth post results course of other numbered Biome supplements. She has maintained the improvement.

She will stay on Biome food 7 plus her wide range of herbs indefinitely now.

I really ought to get her retested for interest's sake, but haven't as yet. Her original results came back in May '21.

 

[sbloom]

I was with an equine physio yesterday, fitting her saddle, and she said that the test and the ulcer supplement was brilliant for her horse, she's very against scoping and omeprazole etc, similar to me (I think they cause as many issues as they solve in so many cases) but that the EquiBiome approach was incredibly effective.

 

[cauda equina]

IMO the great thing about optimising your horse's gut flora is that it's more likely to the root of the problems, rather than just treating the symptoms which may be ulcers or something else

 

[Miss_Millie]

Thanks everyone, this sounds very promising. Can't wait to get my mare's results back soon!

 

[SEL]

Bumping up this thread again as I have recently ordered the test. Looking forward to getting my mare's results...how is everyone finding the recommended supplementation long-term, are you still seeing good health in your horses?

My big mare was one of the first tested (2017 I think) and I've got quite lazy about feeding herbs - but she has great hay and an amazing hedge to browse on. Probably took a year for her gut to really show changes but it's never reverted back to the cow pat, ulcery mess that she was thankfully.

 

[LJF0664]

I've just bitten the bullet and ordered the test after reading the reviews on this thread. Its expensive, but I can't find a negative review, and will hopefully work out cheaper than trial and error on different supplements! My mare is really sensitive below the stifle on her right side, which makes me think hind gut issues, but doesn't really show any other classic ulcer symptoms, so scoping feels like unnecessary stress.

 

[stangs]

Is anyone else having issue with the website? I went to go order a kit today, but server seems to be down.

 

[Dru]

Based on this thread I've just ordered the test kit. I am at the point of considering PTS for my mare as she keeps getting ulcers and I just can't afford to treat them again. She was treated in spring, scoped clear but already showing signs they have returned. Fingers crossed it helps her.

 

[Chianti]

Based on this thread I've just ordered the test kit. I am at the point of considering PTS for my mare as she keeps getting ulcers and I just can't afford to treat them again. She was treated in spring, scoped clear but already showing signs they have returned. Fingers crossed it helps her.

I hope it helps. Have you worked out what might be causing them? My pony got them twice. The first time I thought was because he wasn't getting enough fiber at the yard we were on then. I thought I'd got that dealt with but he got them again not long after he'd been scoped almost clear. The only thing I could think was that he'd been stressed by the treatments and by changes to the paddock he was in and field companions. We moved yards and it took over a year for me to think he's OK.

 

[Dru]

She's had them many times in the 5 years I've owned her. First time probably stress from coming over from Ireland and a couple of yard moves. Then she broke her leg and was treated on and off for about a year so attributed that to pain/stress/box rest. Then had 2 clear years before she was diagnosed with arthritic hocks and was treated again so that was probs pain related.

Then moved yards so she could have 24/7 summer turnout but she never settled there (I treated her with Abler during this period) and also had her hocks fused whilst there so when I moved yards again in March she was immediately scoped and treated again.

Current yard is chill, I've massively reduced her workload, don't take her to any events etc so I don't think she's stressed but as of a couple of weeks ago the ulcer symptoms have come back. She has to have the injections rather than paste so it's about £4k every time I treat her, which just isn't sustainable. I'm not having her scoped again.

I'm going to get the vet out to check her hocks again but I'm not prepared to throw more £ at her or put her through another rehab so this is a final attempt to resolve it within a reasonable budget.

 

[lynz88]

Dru - I hope it works out for you because I was at a point of PTS as well. I haven't strictly followed their advice but we are leaps and bounds better so I'm going with it for now....

 

[Dru]

Posted off the poop today. Paid for the £25 extra test too despite having no clue what it's for!

 

[Dru]

Does it take the full 10 weeks to get results back? Coming up to 7 weeks for me now.

 

[Tiddlypom]

It was maybe 9 weeks for my results to come back. I fully sympathise with your impatience to find out what they are...

Another positive difference following my mare's Equibiome testing and results. Prior to that, I had identified that she was very sensitive to certain foods, micronised linseed being one of them. I had to take great care that any feed balancers didn't contain any linseed, and many of them do.

My other 2 are on micronised linseed, and I can't quite remember why I tried my sensitive one back on it, but she's getting a mugful twice a day like the others, has been for months and is grand on it. Very interesting, I thought, that she can now cope with linseed whereas before even a tiny quantity sent her uber grumpy.

 

[cauda equina]

It would make sense that she couldn't handle certain foods if she didn't have the intestinal wherewithal to deal with them

I wonder if the apparent increase in horses with dietary sensitivities is at least partly related to problems with gut flora

 

[PurBee]

She's had them many times in the 5 years I've owned her. First time probably stress from coming over from Ireland and a couple of yard moves. Then she broke her leg and was treated on and off for about a year so attributed that to pain/stress/box rest. Then had 2 clear years before she was diagnosed with arthritic hocks and was treated again so that was probs pain related.

Then moved yards so she could have 24/7 summer turnout but she never settled there (I treated her with Abler during this period) and also had her hocks fused whilst there so when I moved yards again in March she was immediately scoped and treated again.

Current yard is chill, I've massively reduced her workload, don't take her to any events etc so I don't think she's stressed but as of a couple of weeks ago the ulcer symptoms have come back. She has to have the injections rather than paste so it's about £4k every time I treat her, which just isn't sustainable. I'm not having her scoped again.

I'm going to get the vet out to check her hocks again but I'm not prepared to throw more £ at her or put her through another rehab so this is a final attempt to resolve it within a reasonable budget.

As a last ditch attempt with such a history of ulcers, have you tried l-glutamine? Its an amino acid that helps to heal the lining of the gut and is widely studied in humans for stomach ulcer repair, but not in horses, although there’s a few articles about its gut protective role in the horse world.

I’d use a hefty dose of glutamine for ulcers - study shows that 25-30g is tolerated well by human athletes so that gives the idea of dose a horse could handle. Humans usually for nutritional top-up take 1-3g, boby-builders take higher doses, as it repairs muscles fast too….its a very good ‘repairing’ amino acid for various cellular processes. So, a horse could easily take 10-20 - but in a recurring ulcer case id be likely to maintain a high dose for a while. Start off with 5g a few days, then 10g….working up to at least 20g+ As maintenance dose.

As last ditch attempt as youre on the edge of pts, understandably, i’d try that, and turn the horse away to complete stress-free turn-out, for half a year, plenty of low carb fresh hay, bucket feed with minerals and glutamine added.

There’s a few supplements for coating the guts like aloe vera, slippery elm, and other mucilaginous herbs, but if i had to choose just one, i’d go with glutamine as it repairs cells in a variety of ways that the other supps havent had studied.

https://ojs.bilpublishing.com/index.php/vsr/article/view/1619

https://www.succeed-equine.com/education/l-glutamine-for-horses/

Phospholipids from lecithin supplementation is also another potent nutrient key for helping healing ulcers:

https://sbsequine.com/equine-gastric-ulcers/

 

[Dru]

It's on my list. I've just today started her on Ron Fields, next on list is ReyleneGI as there is a published study backing its ingredients up as a treatment option. Once I have the equibiome results, assuming they show major issues, I'll probably treat one final time with Abler to give her a final shot with the equibiome advice. I think it's probably unfair to expect a supplement to treat ulcers so just trying to make her comfortable until the results are back. She's so bad right now I can't even touch her to groom without her biting/kicking.

 

[lynz88]

I think I waited 7 or 8 weeks for mine.

I've put mine on the Ron Fields stuff. Doesn't seem to do anything for his winter grumpies BUT he has become even more relaxed in his back and someone just the other day commented on how shiny he is with his winter fur. Chiro was out on Tues and couldn't believe he is actually carrying himself and said he is so much better in his back in general.

 

[Dru]

My report has arrived. Overall she's pretty close to target for most categories and her gut is classed as stable overall in the new report format. The only things flagged are low biome diversity, very low prevotella (which could be contributing to acidosis, which matches her symptoms) and in the pathogens section she has sky high levels of leptospira as well as slightly too high levels for 3 other things. The advice given is that if any of those are high I should seek vet advice, which is a bit alarming.

Joined the results lounge and the general consensus seems to be that it's a load of twaddle. I was also advised to use biome foods #2, 3, 6 and 7 but #3 doesn't exist yet!

Fortunately, I've had her on Ron Fields Pre-Ulc for a week and it does seem to have had a positive impact on her. I was able to groom her this weekend for the first time in weeks and even rode her briefly today at walk. Will keep her on it until it runs out but I've ordered a full treatment dose of Abler as it was just too much seeing her so bad when I know I can fix it, at least temporarily.

 

[cauda equina]

The main thing reading Equibiome's advice is that you should aim to feed a variety of things - different grass species, hedge pickings, 'weeds' - which is what the human gut experts say - I'm thinking of Dr Tim Spector saying you should aim to eat 30 different plants per week
I wonder if the different Biome Foods are absolutely necessary and if the same results could be acheived just by increasing variety