Subscribe to our newsletter now
Receive the latest offers, exclusive content and news from Hartog Family Farms.
A healthy digestive system is essential for your horse’s overall wellbeing, immunity and performance. But with so many gut health supplements available, it can be difficult to know what your horse really needs.
Terms such as prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics are often used together, but they do not mean the same thing.
In short: prebiotics feed beneficial gut bacteria, probiotics add live beneficial microorganisms, and postbiotics provide the useful compounds produced during fermentation. Each supports gut health in a different way.
In this article, we explain the difference between prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics for horses, when extra digestive support may be useful, and why Hartog Digest contains both prebiotics and postbiotics.
A horse’s digestive system relies on a healthy and active community of microorganisms in the hindgut. These microorganisms ferment fiber, produce valuable nutrients and support normal digestive and immune function.
Various factors can influence the gut environment and place additional demands on the digestive system, including:
During these periods, the production of beneficial fermentation products may be reduced. Providing targeted nutritional support can help digestive balance and support hindgut health when your horse needs it most.
Supporting your horse’s gut health can help maintain digestive balance, especially during periods of change or stress.
| Term | What is it? | How does it work? | Main function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prebiotics | Fermentable ingredients that nourish beneficial gut microorganisms | Supports beneficial existing microorganisms already present in the hindgut | Feeds beneficial microorganisms |
| Probiotics | Live beneficial microorganisms | Introduces live microorganisms to the digestive tract | Supports fibre fermentation |
| Postbiotics | Beneficial metabolites produced during microbial fermentation | Provides beneficial metabolites directly | Supports gut health and immunity |
Prebiotics serve as the food source for beneficial gut bacteria, supporting their colonisation and function. You can think of them as fuel for the microbiota. By feeding these microorganisms you are providing indirect support to the microbiome.
However, if a horse is already suffering from digestive issues such as hindgut acidosis or has been on medication, fermentation may be compromised. In such cases, the effectiveness of prebiotics is reduced because the beneficial bacteria they support, are not functioning optimally and thus cannot optimally process the prebiotics.
Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that are able to ferment fiber. You can think of them as the factories. By introducing additional beneficial bacteria this, just like prebiotics, provides indirect support to gut health.
However, one challenge with probiotics is ensuring that (enough) live organisms survive the digestive process and reach the hindgut in a functional state. Factors such as stress, feed quality, and medication can reduce their effectiveness. How many organisms arrive in the hindgut whilst still alive and functional is unknown.
Therefore, the effectiveness of probiotics is under debate.
Postbiotics are the beneficial metabolites that probiotics naturally produce when breaking down prebiotics under optimal conditions. You can think of them as the goods. Postbiotics are produced through precise fermentation inputs (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and processes outside of the horse to create hundreds of beneficial metabolites to directly support the immune system and gut health.
A substantial difference between pre-, pro- and postbiotics is that only postbiotics directly provide support. Postbiotics are non-living, meaning they do not rely on live bacteria to function. Instead, they are absorbed directly by the intestinal wall and microbiota, providing immediate support to the gut and immune system.
Since postbiotics are produced through precise fermentation processes outside the horse, they ensure consistent and effective delivery of beneficial metabolites. This makes them a reliable and efficient way to support gut health, even in horses with compromised digestion.
Postbiotics provide beneficial fermentation metabolites directly, without relying on live microorganisms surviving the digestive tract.
They provide beneficial fermentation compounds directly, making them a practical choice for horses that need extra digestive support.
Postbiotics may be especially useful during periods such as:
Because they are produced through a controlled fermentation process outside the horse, they deliver a consistent source of beneficial compounds that supports a healthy hindgut microbiome for optimal gut health, digestive- and immune function.
Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics each have a different role. One is not automatically better than the other. The best choice depends on your horse’s needs and the situation.
A key difference is that prebiotics and probiotics support gut health indirectly. Postbiotics, on the other hand, provide beneficial fermentation metabolites directly, making them the only one of the three that can deliver direct support.For horses that need stable and practical digestive support, a combination of prebiotics and postbiotics can be a strong choice.
Hartog Digest has been developed to support the digestive system and gut health of horses in a targeted way. Its formula contains both prebiotics from chicory and postbiotics from TruEquine.
The prebiotics help nourish the microbiome. The postbiotics provide valuable metabolites that support gut health and the immune system.
This combination allows Hartog Digest to support the digestive system on multiple levels.
Hartog Digest is suitable for horses that may benefit from additional digestive support, such as horses with sensitive digestion or horses going through stressful periods, management changes or ration changes.
Instead of combining multiple separate supplements, Hartog Digest offers an all-in-one solution in an easy-to-feed roughage mix.
The postbiotics in Hartog Digest are supplied by TruEquine, a postbiotic technology whose effectiveness has been proven in 17 scientific equine studies (source: https://truequinepostbiotic.com/resources/)
Its unique formula supports the microbiome, gut health and digestive function. Thanks to the combination of prebiotics and postbiotics, Hartog Digest helps support digestive balance from within.
If you want to support your horse’s digestive system in a practical and consistent way, Hartog Digest offers a reliable solution for everyday gut health support.
Prebiotics feed beneficial microorganisms. Probiotics provide beneficial bacteria to process fibers (including prebiotic fibers. Postbiotics deliver the end-products of fermentation directly, ensuring a consistent and effective impact.
Postbiotics deliver beneficial fermentation metabolites directly to the digestive system. These metabolites help support gut health, intestinal function and immune function. Because postbiotics are non-living, they do not depend on live microorganisms surviving the digestive tract to be effective unlike probiotics.
Extra gut support may be useful during stress, transport, competitions, ration changes, medication, seasonal transitions, stable changes or periods of sensitive digestion.
Hartog Digest does not contain traditional probiotics. Instead, it contains prebiotics and postbiotics, which support the digestive system and microbiome in different but complementary ways.
Prebiotics help nourish beneficial microorganisms already present in the hindgut. Postbiotics provide beneficial fermentation metabolites directly, without relying on live microorganisms surviving the digestive tract and remaining active in the hindgut.
Because postbiotics are produced through a controlled fermentation process outside the horse, they provide a consistent and reliable source of beneficial metabolites to support gut health, digestive function and immune function.
Yes. Hartog Digest is specifically designed to support horses with sensitive digestion. The combination of prebiotics and postbiotics helps support hindgut health and digestive function, while the roughage-based formula makes it easy to incorporate into the daily ration
Postbiotics are included because they provide beneficial fermentation metabolites directly. Unlike prebiotics and probiotics, they do not rely on fermentation inside the horse or on live microorganisms surviving the digestive tract. This makes them a consistent and reliable way to support gut health and immune function.
Receive the latest offers, exclusive content and news from Hartog Family Farms.