Free Faecal Water in Horses: Causes, Diet Fixes & What to Try First
Podcast #43
Free faecal water (aka free fecal water / free fecal liquid) is one of those horse problems that looks “not that bad” on paper… until you’re on wash-duty for the 14th time and your horse’s skin is angry, sore, and stained. 🐴💦
In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida McGilchrist unpacks why FFW is suddenly being talked about everywhere — from first hearing it at a conference in Dijon (2016) to seeing it dominate conversations at AAEP Denver (2025). And yes… she asks the uncomfortable question: is this a disease of modern management in an ancient gut?
You’ll learn:
What FFW is (and why it’s not infectious diarrhoea)
Why it’s likely multifactorial (forage changes, fibre variety, grain load & digestibility, sand irritation, ulcers, nitrates…)
The practical “low-hanging fruit” steps to try first, in a logical order
Why microbiome research can look “conflicting” when it’s only measured at broad levels (and why species-level testing may be the next big clue)
When to loop in your vet (sand assessment, ulcer scoping, more advanced options like faecal transplant)
If you’re dealing with FFW, this is your calm, evidence-informed roadmap.
As always, follow the podcast so more horse owners can find this, and if it helped, share it with a friend (or your whole agistment chat 😉). 💛
Want to see how your current feeding program stacks up for gut health?
Pop your horse’s diet into MyHappy.Horse and check the gut health score (7-day free trial availabile): https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324
