{"id":14630,"date":"2019-03-14T11:46:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T16:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/be55915bbd.nxcli.net\/?p=14630"},"modified":"2026-03-08T09:07:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T14:07:59","slug":"digestive-support-horse-cur-ost-eq-tri-gut-versus-eq-pro-gut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nouvelleresearch.com\/index.php\/articles\/14630-digestive-support-horse-cur-ost-eq-tri-gut-versus-eq-pro-gut","title":{"rendered":"Digestive Support in the Horse; Cur-OST EQ Tri-GUT versus EQ Pro-GUT"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Digestive support is one of the key and most critical aspects to aiding a horse with almost any condition.<\/strong> The main problem can be obvious, such as gas, loose stools, colitis, or a colic history.\u00a0 However, in many horses, the gut is a silent player in the ongoing inflammatory problems contributing to joint issues, back problems, irritability, poor performance, tendon issues and yes, hoof problems.\u00a0 As owners, we spend a small fortune on nutritional supplements, but forget that in order to utilize those nutrients, your horse’s gut or digestive tract must be working properly.\u00a0 Here are two key Cur-OST\u00ae formulas that I utilize in patients and in our own rehabilitation facility to help those horses achieve their highest level of success in health and soundness.<\/p>\r\n

To start with, almost every horse has some level of digestive disturbance based on my experience and research.\u00a0 It is just a question of to what degree it is playing a role.\u00a0 It could be a primary problem or it could be secondary.\u00a0 Either way, you are better served to manage it first, then assess the impact on your horse, rather than continuously spending money on nutritional supplements that don’t appear to be working.\u00a0 I am not against nutrition, and am actually very in favor of high quality nutrition, but all too often I see owners continuing to feed various supplements, but yet making very little gains.\u00a0 Address the gut first and foremost in your horse, and then conquer the mountain of nutrition!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

At Nouvelle Research, Inc., we have two distinct ‘gut’ or digestive support formulas that we utilize and recommend, however, whether to choose one or the other can be problematic at times.\u00a0 Here is my personal approach with each horse and how I choose accordingly.<\/p>\r\n

Evaluating the Horse’s Feces and History<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

The first step for me is to determine not if gut health is a problem, but to what degree<\/strong>.\u00a0 I almost always assume it is a player in the game for that horse, but now it is a question of to what extent.\u00a0 Is there an obvious problem in the horse, such as colitis, gas, loose stools, mucus accumulation on the feces, a colic history or incidence of ulcers?\u00a0 Also, I will look at the feces and determine the color, moisture content, and yes…the odor or smell.\u00a0 Normal feces, respectively, are formed fecal balls that break apart easily, but don’t crumble.\u00a0 They are green in color or green-brown and have some roughage fibers present when the fecal balls are broken open, but not huge strands of undigested forage or grains.\u00a0 If I put a fecal ball into my gloved hand and squeeze, there should be moderate moisture exuding like a moist sponge, but not excessive.\u00a0 Also, there is generally little odor to the normal equine feces and if there is a foul odor or even a sweet smell, it is a sign there is a problem.<\/p>\r\n

If the horse is present in our facility or I am working on them at a distance, I will often recommend having a fecal culture performed, just to get an idea or indication regarding lactic acid bacterial buildup or over-growth.\u00a0 This can be a real problem for some and even obvious when we evaluate their history and feces, but for others, it can be a silent problem.\u00a0 I, personally, like to get a culture done to have a baseline level for my patients and work from there.\u00a0 Is it an absolute must have?\u00a0 No, but it is nice to have a baseline level for monitoring purposes.<\/p>\r\n

Now, depending on how extensively the gut is involved in each case, and also dependent on the fecal culture results and visible problems with the feces themselves, I will choose a path for support and supplementation.<\/p>\r\n

Cur-OST\u00ae EQ Tri-GUT and Horse Digestive Health<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

If the horse has a clear history of digestive issues, despite maybe not being the primary problem, or has a positive culture with high levels of lactic acid bacterial overgrowth, I will generally opt for a minimum of a 30-day course of the Cur-OST\u00ae EQ Tri-GUT<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\r\n

The Cur-OST EQ Tri-GUT contains a blend of 3 herbs.\u00a0 The herbs utilized include Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica,\u00a0 and Phyllanthus emblica. <\/em>These three herbs offer multiple benefits to the equine digestive tract including:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n