High-Starch Diets’ Effects on Stress Response in Horses

Horses and high-starch diets generally don’t mix well. Not only has this type of diet been shown to disturb the composition and activity of the gut microbiota, increasing a horse’s risk of colic, but it might also affect behavior, according to the results of a recent study.

“Because it is known that intestinal microbiota can interact with the nervous system, modification of the microbiota may directly alter behavior,” noted Alexandra Destrez, PhD, Lecturer at AgroSup Dijon (UMR Metafort), in France.

To investigate the extent to which intestinal stress caused by a high-starch diet is associated with behavioral