Table 1: Percentages of gastrointestinal volume for different species (Geor, Harris, and Coenen 2013).Ī further analysis of the horse’s GIT shows why certain feeding management recommendations are made and highlights potential areas of concern. The horse hindgut is relatively large, allowing for optimal fermentation of fibrous feedstuffs that make up the majority of the equine diet. Horse stomachs are relatively small, which corresponds to continuous, small meals.Ģ. When the GIT of a horse is compared to other animals (Table 1), key differences emerge:ġ. This differs from ruminant animals like cattle, goats, deer, and sheep, which are foregut fermenters with a rumen and multicompartment stomach. They are hindgut fermenters, meaning the large intestine is the main site of fermentation of fibrous feedstuffs. Horses are non-ruminant, simple-stomached herbivores. As prey animals, they adapted to a grazing, wandering lifestyle, eating small meals for at least 16 hours each day. Horses evolved on the plains and steppes of North America eating fibrous grasses before being domesticated in Western Eurasia. The evolution of the horse provides a foundation for understanding the equine GIT and the diets horses consumed. Fundamental knowledge of the gastrointestinal tract and how it relates to performance and health is essential to making informed decisions about equine feeding. This fact sheet provides practical knowledge of the physiology and function of the equine GIT and its relation to best practices. Horse owners and managers need a basic understanding of how the equine gastrointestinal tract (GIT) functions to provide ideal nutrition and management for animals in their care.

Photos of the horae