Philip Tuckwell & Lulu

Lifelong horseman Philip Tuckwell first spoke to us in 2021 when his homebred 4-year-old Lulu was having issues with her digestive health and performance.

After communicating at length, we believed that the root cause was stress-related which in turn was negatively impacting her gut microbiome and, subsequently, her performance. 

The importance of the gut-brain axis in regulating stress-related responses has long been appreciated and has recently become more evident in equine research. The microbiota of the hindgut has emerged as a key player in the control of this biological communication network, especially during periods of short- or long-term stress. If the stress-related hormones do not return to their normal, or homeostatic, state and the stress response remains activated, this can lead to a range of wider health issues. 

Read more about the gut-brain axis by clicking here.