GUT HEALTH
EQUINE
Performance and Natural Healing with Vermate and Thermal Mud
Keeping your horse healthy and performing at its best goes far beyond feed and routine care. At the core of everything lies the gut, a complex system that influences digestion, immunity, behaviour, and even recovery.
Vermate and Thermal Mud work together to support this system from the inside and out. By restoring microbial balance, reducing stress, and promoting natural healing, they help horses stay resilient, perform better, and recover faster.
Why Gut Health Matters in Horses
A horse’s digestive system relies heavily on the caecum and large intestine to break down plant material. This process depends on a diverse community of microbes, collectively known as the microbiome.
These microbes play a vital role in:
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- Breaking down and fermenting feed
- Producing essential vitamins
- Supporting immune function
- Influencing hormones and behaviour
- Contributing to hoof quality, bone density, and overall condition
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When this microbial balance is disrupted, it can affect everything from digestion to performance and temperament.
The Role of Microbial Diversity
A healthy horse is not supported by a single strain of bacteria, but by a wide and constantly changing ecosystem of microbes.
In nature, horses continuously replenish these microbes through:
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- Grazing and natural forage
- Water sources
- Social interaction
- Environmental exposure
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Modern management, including stabling, limited movement, and controlled feeding, reduces this natural replenishment. Over time, this can lead to imbalance, stress, and increased susceptibility to issues like colic and ulcers.
Why Most Probiotics Fall Short
Many commercial probiotics focus on a narrow group of bacteria, often lactic acid strains. The challenge is that these microbes frequently do not survive the stomach environment, meaning they never reach the areas where they are needed most.
A horse’s gut requires far more than a single strain, it needs a broad spectrum of microbial life, replenished consistently.
Supporting the Gut from Within
Vermate is designed to restore true microbial diversity. It contains a wide range of beneficial microbes, many in a sporulated form, allowing them to survive digestion and reach the hindgut where they are most effective.
Once there, they support:
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- Efficient fermentation and digestion
- Reduced inflammation and irritation
- Improved nutrient absorption
- A healthier intestinal lining
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The humate component plays an equally important role by helping maintain gut pH, supporting digestion, and reducing the risk of ulcers and colic.
Because most commercial probiotics for horses contain lactic acid intended to stabilize gut pH which are destroyed by stomach acid, and don’t reach the intestines, they are ineffective in preventing or treating ulcers and colic.
Beyond Digestion. The Gut–Brain–Performance Link
Gut health does not only affect digestion, it directly influences behaviour, stress response, and performance.
When microbial balance is restored:
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- Cortisol levels are reduced
- Horses cope better with stress
- Anxiety and tension decrease
- Focus and concentration improve
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For stabled or competition horses, where stress cannot always be avoided, this support becomes essential for maintaining both health and performance.
MANAGING KEY RISK FACTORS
Several everyday factors influence gut health and increase the risk of colic or imbalance:
Diet
High-fibre, low-starch diets support microbial stability, while high-starch feeding can disrupt balance and behaviour.
Stress
Pain, travel, environmental changes, and restricted movement elevate cortisol, which can damage the gut lining and trigger inflammation.
Movement
Regular movement is critical for gut motility, circulation, and microbial health. Limited movement, especially in stabled horses, can negatively impact digestion.
Thermal Mud
Natural Healing from the Outside
While Vermate works internally, Thermal Mud supports healing externally.
Sourced from humus-rich material, it contains beneficial microbes and humates along with essential microminerals.
Its benefits include:
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- Stimulating blood flow and oxygen delivery
- Reducing inflammation and swelling
- Accelerating tissue repair
- Supporting muscle recovery
- Helping prevent scar tissue formation
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Used regularly, it can assist both in treatment and in maintaining muscle and soft tissue health after exercise.
Where Thermal Mud Makes a Difference
Thermal Mud is widely used for:
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- Wounds and soft tissue injuries
- Tired or strained muscles
- Melanomas and sarcoids
- Mud fever and skin conditions
- Mange, sweet itch, and related irritations
- Tying-up when used alongside Vermate
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A Practical, Biological Approach to Horse Health
Modern horse management often limits natural exposure to the very elements that support health, beneficial microbes, minerals, and environmental interaction.
Vermate and Thermal Mud restore that missing link.
Together, they offer a daily, practical approach to:
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- Strengthening the gut and immune system
- Reducing stress and improving behaviour
- Enhancing recovery and performance
- Supporting natural healing processes
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Support You Can Trust
Our products are supported by a network of knowledgeable agents across Southern Africa. They use the products themselves and can guide you on how to apply them, when to use them, and what results to expect.
THERMAL MUD FOR SPORT HORSES | RECOVERY & PERFORMANCE CARE