Summer skin problems start long before the itching

Support your horse's hindgut through the biggest seasonal change of the year.

Summer brings many changes: grass quality, insects, more travelling, competitions and routine changes. All of these affect the delicate microbial community living inside your horse's hindgut.

Microbz is a live fermented broth containing active yeast* and beneficial microbes, designed to support normal digestive function as part of your horse's daily management.

*Click here to view study: 2025 study published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science on the influence of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

𐂃 Many owners choose to feed their horses microbz throughout the year to help support their hindgut microbial community. 𐂃

Why do so many horses struggle during the summer?

Common summer conditions linked to poor or compromised hindgut health include: sweet itch (insect bite hypersensitivity), equine hives (urticaria), rain scald (dermatophilosis), mud fever (pastern dermatitis), fecal water syndrome, colic and colonic ulcers.

These common seasonal changes all place extra pressure on your horse's hindgut.

Spring grass

High sugar and changing pasture can disturb the hindgut microbiome.

Midges and insects

Biting insects trigger skin irritation and stress responses.

Travel and events

Transportation and competitions create stress and routine disruption.

Hay and forage changes

New haylage or stabling can alter the microbial balance.

Your horse is really feeding trillions of microbes

More than half of your horse's energy comes from microbes fermenting fibre in the hind gut.

  • Horse's don't digest grass - microbes do.
  • Those microbes break down fibre.
  • Your horse absorbs the nutrients.
  • A balanced hindgut = better use of feed, and better overall wellbeing.
Support your horse's hindgut today
Bono the horse standing in a lush green field

How microbes helped Bono (aged 21)

Bono has been taking microbz horse nutrition for the last three months after struggling with itchy back legs.

His owner, rachel, tried looking up natural remedies for sweet itch in horses, but nothing seemed to do the trick.

Instead, she decided to apply our microbes topically to his skin as well as adding them to his feed.

Within a week, bono had almost stopped scratching completely!

Read our full case study from an experienced dressage rider who used microbes as a sweet itch treatment to get bono's skin back to its gorgeous, shiny, and radiant self in time for their british dressage competition.

Read the case study
Microbz strain
Type
What it does in your horse's gut
Why it matters for your horse
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Live yeast
Supports fibre fermentation in the hindgut
The most widely used live yeast in equine feed, helps horses get more from forage
Saccharomyces boulardii
Live yeast
Helps maintain a settled microbial balance
Often used through feed changes, travel, competition and box rest
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum)
Lactic acid bacteria
Ferments plant carbohydrates from grass and hay
Directly relevant to a forage-based diet
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Lactic acid bacteria
Produces lactic acid, helping keep the gut environment stable
Supports consistent day-to-day digestion
Bifidobacterium longum
Bifidobacteria
Produces short-chain fatty acids
Short-chain fatty acids are a key energy source from fibre
Bacillus subtilis
Spore-forming bacteria
Produces digestive enzymes; survives as a hardy spore
Naturally found in soil and forage, robust through storage and feeding
Lacticaseibacillus casei (L. casei)
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactic acid production: a well-studied gut resident
Adds depth to a balanced gut community
Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri)
Lactic acid bacteria
Naturally occurring lactic acid bacterium found across mammal guts
Part of a diverse, resilient microbial community
Bifidobacterium bifidum
Bifidobacteria
Produces acetate and lactate
Supports beneficial fermentation
Bifidobacterium breve
Bifidobacteria
Ferments carbohydrates
Supports a varied microbial community
Lactobacillus delbrueckii
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactate production during fermentation
Adds to the diversity of the live culture
Lactococcus lactis
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactate production: a classic fermentation organism
Contributes to the live fermented broth
Streptococcus thermophilus
Lactic acid bacteria
Rapid lactate metabolism
A well-established fermentation partner strain
Horses tail with bald patches as it is suffering with sweet itch

Their skin is a mirror of what is happening on the inside...

Over 70% of your horse’s immune system is located in their digestive tract, primarily in the hindgut.

When the hindgut is disrupted by stress, high-sugar diets, or chemical inputs, the immune system loses its balance.

When a seasonal trigger hits, an unbalanced immune system can hyper-react, leading to severe allergic responses:

Sweet Itch symptoms: an intense hypersensitivity to midge saliva, causing frantic rubbing, hair loss, and raw, inflamed skin along the mane, tail, and belly.

Hive (urticaria) symptoms: a sudden, systemic allergic reaction to environmental allergens, feed changes, or insect bites, causing raised, flat welts to erupt across the neck and torso.

FAQs for horses with skin issues

If you need any further support, or if you're unsure how to get started with your horse, you can reach out to us via email at any time.

Drop us a line at info@microbz.co.uk; our team is always here and happy to help you and your horse!

Read more about microbes for horses...

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A horse standing tied to a fence who suffers from sweet itch

Sweet itch in horses: causes, symptoms and how to support your horse

Sweet itch is one of the most common allergic skin conditions affecting horses in the UK. Learn what causes sweet itch, the early signs to look for, and how nutrition, gut health and practical mana...