Prebiotics are fibers (like oat beta glucan, as well as mannanoligosaccharides and fructooligosaccharides, which are contained within this product’s yeast extract) that are an excellent source of nutrition for the gut microbiome (beneficial bacteria that live in the horse’s digestive tract). We think of prebiotics as a nutritional care package for the resident microbes of the gut who are critical to a horse’s overall wellbeing.  

Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms typically presented on the label in CFUs (colony forming units). In the Four Sixes Complete Gut Protection supplement, the probiotics are Lactobacillus reuterii, Bifidobacterium longum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1077. These specific microorganisms are known to support nutrient digestion, the gastrointestinal immune response, and normal pathogen detoxification. 

Postbiotics are end-products of microbial fermentation with a plethora of health benefits. Listed as Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Product on the label, this ingredient by Diamond V® has an abundance of scientific evidence showing its ability to support, digestion, and even joint health.

Horses are highly prone to a variety of digestive health challenges, from minor disruptions to serious illness, so nearly all horses can benefit from gut support. Hard-working performance horses are under added stress from training, shipping, competition, schedule changes, stall confinement, and more - all this makes them even better candidates for proactive GI supplementation to help reduce the risk of gastric and hindgut upset. The gastrointestinal system plays a major role in equine whole-body health, housing approximately 70% of the animal’s immune system.  Gut health products, including the Four Sixes Complete Gut Protection formula, can have positive effects on your horse’s performance, recovery, and overall wellness. 

Additional use cases for the Four Sixes Complete Gut Protection supplement include:

• Training and horse shows
• Weaning
• Feed changes (both grain and forage)
• Horses moving to a new location
• Horses adjusting to new herd dynamics
• Horses recovering from surgery or on layup/stall rest
• Horses in changing circumstances (weather, schedule, new riders, etc.)  
• Senior horses (as horses age, their gut function becomes less effective)
• Horses undergoing antibiotic treatment or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) therapy

Oat beta glucans is a prebiotic that provides a broad range of benefits from insulin modulation for animals with metabolic disorders to promoting health of equine stomach tissues.  

In horses, the stomach is highly susceptible to uncomfortable, serious gastric challenges. Show horses, race horses, and performance horses have numerous risk factors of gastric problems, due to their higher stress lifestyles. The Four Sixes Complete Gut Protection formula provides oat beta-glucan to provide proactive daily support to the horse's stomach lining.

L-glutamine is an amino acid (protein building block) that and is the preferred energy source for enterocytes, the cells responsible for digestion and absorption of nutrients in the horse's small intestine. 

Supplementing horse's with l-glutamine helps supports cellular health in the horses digestive tract.

L-glutamine is particularly important for horses experiencing any type of stress because it helps protect and maintain the delicate lining of their gut.

The Four Sixes Complete Gut Protection formula was carefully developed by the equine health experts at the Four Sixes Ranch in partnership with other leading equine veterinarians and PhD equine nutritionists. Its combination of research-backed prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, L-glutamine, and oat beta glucan was designed to target every major component of the equine digestive system, including gastric tissues and the hindgut.

Because approximately 70% of the horse's immune system is housed in the gut, support for the entire GI tract may have whole-body benefits for your horse, including immune support during times of stress, gastrointestinal support during diet changes or treatment with oral medications (antibiotics, NSAIDs, etc.), and even joint support in performance horses.