See your horse’s health like you never could before

Sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition

These days it’s hard to talk about nutrition and not hear the term “microbiome”. But have you ever wondered what’s actually happening inside your horse’s gut that you can’t see at the center of your horse’s health and performance? Understanding what constitutes a healthy balance in a horse’s microbiome has remained a mystery… until now.

Introducing the Purina® Microbiome Quotient platform. A new way to connect your horse’s gut health to their wellbeing and performance.

What exactly is the microbiome and why is it so important?

The term microbiome refers to the combined population of all the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that live inside your horse’s digestive tract. Each individual “bug” in a microbiome plays a specific role and is unique to each individual horse, just like your fingerprint is to you.

Research has demonstrated that the microbiome can impact almost every aspect of your horse’s well-being, from digestion to performance and immune function. When your horse faces challenges (factors like training, travel, or stress from demanding performance schedules), it can knock their gut health out of balance and thus knock your horse off their game.

Unlocking the Mystery of the Equine Microbiome

Understanding how to support the optimal balance of the equine microbiome starts with understanding what a healthy one should look like. With over a decade of research and thousands of samples collected from horses across the country, there is now a better understanding of how to identify factors most likely to influence the health and performance of your horse through the microbiome. Knowledge from this incredibly robust database was translated into the Purina® MQ platform and designed to help you unlock insights specific to your horse’s unique gut health.

The Purina® MQ Equine Microbiome Testing Kit

As part of the Purina® MQ platform, an at-home test kit was developed to help you understand your horse’s individual microbiome and receive a personalized nutrition plan tailored to their needs.

The Testing Kit is non-invasive and simple to use. By submitting a fecal swab sample, the bacteria present in your horse’s hindgut will be evaluated and compared against our extensive database of samples.

Once the sample is analyzed, you’ll receive your horse’s MQ report that includes:

• Your horse’s current MQ Status.
• A benchmark of your horse’s MQ Status compared to horses of similar life stage or lifestyle.
• The unique microbial make-up of your horse’s hindgut.
• Current status and functionality of your horse’s microbiome.
• Insights based on your horse’s individual microbiome.
• Personalized nutrition recommendations developed by Purina® PhD 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.