The combination of trailer transport and exercise increases gastrointestinal permeability and markers of systemic inflammation in horses.

Summary

# Editorial Summary McGilloway and colleagues investigated whether trailer transport combined with exercise could compromise intestinal barrier function and trigger systemic inflammatory responses in horses, a pathway potentially underpinning leaky gut syndrome. Plasma samples and faecal markers of intestinal permeability were collected from horses subjected to three conditions: transport alone, exercise alone, and transport plus exercise, allowing the researchers to assess both individual and cumulative effects of these physiological stressors. The combined transport-and-exercise protocol significantly increased intestinal permeability and elevated circulating markers of systemic inflammation compared with single-stressor conditions, suggesting a synergistic rather than additive relationship between these two common management practices. These findings carry practical implications for scheduling and recovery protocols around competition and travel, particularly for high-performance animals where cumulative stress may compromise mucosal integrity and trigger low-grade inflammatory states affecting performance and health. The work provides mechanistic support for managing exercise timing relative to transport events and highlights the importance of adequate recovery periods between stressful activities in equine management protocols.

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Key Findings

• •Combined trailer transport and exercise induces alterations in gastrointestinal permeability in horses
• •Physiological stressors including transport and exercise increase markers of systemic inflammation
• •Transport and exercise may be contributing factors in the pathophysiology of leaky gut syndrome in horses

Conditions Studied