Jonesville, NC:   Micro and macronutrients are an important and vital part of health and overall performance in the equine athlete or recovering patient.  These nutrients are often provided in artificial or synthetic forms, which can be hard to digest and assimilate in the gastrointestinal tract, making their use questionable in some cases.  In many instances, equine patients often respond better to nutrients in their natural form, as they are found in food, do to other co-factors present to aid in absorption and overall function.  After all, the body was designed to take in food and from this food extract the nutrients that are needed. Hindgut health has also become a major player in the equine industry, contributing to ulcers, poor performance, leaky gut syndrome, bacterial overgrowth and inflammation on many levels.  In many cases, the patients do not demonstrate clinical problems directly connected with the hindgut, but more so display inflammatory problems elsewhere in the body as a result, including metabolic issues, laminitis, allergies and even eye problems.  Research has indicated that in many metabolic patients, there exists an overgrowth of lactic acid producing bacteria in the hindgut and feces, which may play a role in acidosis and hindgut concerns, contributing to leaky gut syndrome.  Considering the high presence of hindgut conditions in the horse and high use of artificial nutrients, we have to provide for these patients on a level that supplies nutrients in their natural form while helping to heal the damage that has been created