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In the United States, there is little clarity on the qualifications and availability of equine nutritionists. Currently, no regulatory body exists for formal credentialing outside of veterinary medicine. Most equine nutritionists are not veterinarians but do have advanced scientific degrees (Master of Science and/or Doctor of Philosophy) in the field of Animal Science. However, not all reporting to be equine nutritionists have formal education in the field of equine nutrition. To discuss this, a workshop was held at the 2023 Equine Science Society (ESS) meeting. The purpose of this discussion was to share ideas among equine nutrition professionals about how best to provide support for the inclusion of the specialty as part of a horse's health team, alongside the veterinarian, farrier and other equine health specialists. In human, small animal and livestock practices, the importance of nutrition as part of an overall health, production (livestock) and well-being plan has been documented. However, surveys of veterinarians, the top source of information for horse owners, reveal a lack of confidence in the area of nutrition after graduating from veterinary school and a lack of available continuing education opportunities to learn more. Further, it appears that many horse owners may unknowingly be obtaining nutrition information from unverified sources (such as the internet). The discussion included formal and informal education of equine nutritionists, as well as avenues to open lines of communication with the veterinary community to provide nutrition resources for horse owners, managers and veterinarians., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest ‘None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.’, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

All species, including horses, suffer from alterations that increase intestinal permeability. These alterations, also known as "leaky gut," may lead to severe disease as the normal intestinal barrier becomes compromised and can no longer protect against harmful luminal contents including microbial toxins and pathogens. Leaky gut results from a variety of conditions including physical stressors, decreased blood flow to the intestine, inflammatory disease, and pathogenic infections, among others. Several testing methods exist to diagnose these alterations in both a clinical and research setting. To date, most research has focused on regulation of the host immune response due to the wide variety of factors that can potentially influence the intestinal barrier. This article serves to review the normal intestinal barrier, measurement of barrier permeability, pathogenesis and main causes of altered permeability, and highlight potential alternative therapies of leaky gut in horses while relating what has been studied in other species. Conditions resulting in barrier dysfunction and leaky gut can be a major cause of decreased performance and also death in horses. A better understanding of the intestinal barrier in disease and ways to optimize the function of this barrier is vital to the long-term health and maintenance of these animals.