Often referred to as the body’s second brain, digestive efficiency is a lively, if stomach churning, discussion held in all corners of the globe. Even Hippocrates himself claimed that ‘all diseases begin in the gut’, so this is hardly a new concept. However, it’s easy to forget that it’s not just humans who are driven by the critical importance of maintaining a finely tuned constitution. In recent years, scientists have become increasingly aware that animal health and performance is just as reliant on intestinal stability and the impact of the microbiome, (literally the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi), is coming under increasing scrutiny. In the case of highly prized racehorses, digestive upsets – which can also lead to more serious problems such as laminitis and colic – are a common and long-standing problem for owners and trainers as, quite simply, poor performance equals less prize money.
‘This forms the scientific focus of THAROS’, explains CEO Harry Paul. Now living in Shropshire, Harry started life in Argentina and Brazil and has 25 years of experience in multinational companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Coupled with an early job that involved training polo ponies, Harry was perfectly placed to take the reins at THAROS.
The business was founded in 2015 and 2018 will see the market launch of their first product, EquiNectar®. ‘This is the culmination of years of research and development’, continues Harry. EquiNectar® is an enzyme rich, malt extract that has been scientifically proven to improve the health and performance of racehorses suffering from common digestive problems. We’ve had a hugely successful trial with trainers in Newmarket and it has been described as a total ‘game changer’. The key features are a number of live enzymes and its liquid, honey like taste that is highly palatable to horses which, in turn, also helps with the rest of the feed. We have created, through science, a solution to an age-old problem’.
Though the current focus is primarily on the equine sector, this product can be hugely beneficial to other animals. For example, after birthing a calf, a cow’s system is in disarray and they quite often suffer from lameness. EquiNectar® can drastically improve this state and thus be truly beneficial to the dairy industry. Trials are underway to test applications for companion animals, such as dogs and cats. Ultimately, our fundamental aim is to promote animal health through world-class, scientific innovation’.
