Sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition
It's challenging to talk about nutrition these days without hearing the term “microbiome.” But have you ever wondered what's actually happening in your horse's gut that you can't see at the center of your horse's health and performance? Understanding what constitutes a vigorous balance in a horse's microbiome has been a mystery… until now.
Introducing the Purina® Microbiome Quotient™ platform, a modern way to link your horse’s gut health to his well-being and performance.
What exactly is the microbiome and why is it so critical?
The term microbiome refers to the totality of all the bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses that live in your horse's digestive tract. Each individual “germ” in a microbiome plays a specific role and is unique to each individual horse, just like your fingerprint is to you.
Research has shown that the microbiome can affect almost every aspect of your horse's well-being, from digestion to performance and immune function. When your horse faces challenges (factors such as training, travel, or stress from demanding performance schedules), this can throw his gut health out of balance, putting your horse out of shape.
Uncovering the secret of the horse microbiome
To understand how to support the optimal balance of a horse's microbiome, one must first understand what a vigorous microbiome should look like. After over a decade of research and thousands of samples collected from horses across the country, we now have a better understanding of how to identify the factors most likely to impact your horse's health and performance via the microbiome. The knowledge from this incredibly tough database has been transferred to the Purina® MQ™ platform and is designed to facilitate you gain insights specifically tailored to your horse's unique gut health.
The Purina® MQ™ Equine Microbiome Testing Kit
As part of the Purina® MQ™ platform, a home testing kit has been developed to facilitate you understand your horse's individual microbiome and receive a personalized nutritional plan tailored to his needs.
The test kit is non-invasive and straightforward to utilize. By submitting a stool sample, the bacteria present in your horse's colon are evaluated and compared to our extensive sample database.
Once the sample is analyzed, you will receive your horse's MQ™ report, which includes:
- The current MQ™ status of your horse.
- A measure of your horse's MQ™ status compared to horses at a similar stage of life or with a similar lifestyle.
- The unique microbial composition of your horse's huge intestine.
- Current status and functionality of your horse’s microbiome.
- Insights based on your horse’s individual microbiome.
- Personalized nutritional recommendations developed by Purina® nutritionists.
Ready to discover your horse's microbiome? Visit mq.purinamills.com to try a test kit today and learn more about the Purina® Microbiome Quotient™ platform.
