The horse's diet is associated with its feeding behavior and the specific gastrointestinal characteristics that they present. Thus, adequate food management is essential, influencing the horse's health in behavioral, digestive and metabolic terms.
digestive physiology
The horse is a monogastric herbivore animal with a digestive system consisting of a small stomach and well-developed small and large intestines. Thus, the type of digestion has characteristics that combine the advantages of enzymatic digestion with the advantages of microbial digestion.
The digestive physiology of horses is characterized by rapid and intense enzymatic digestion in the small intestine and a long and intense process of microbial fermentation in the large intestine.
food intake
The horse has a high ability to ingest forage, in part due to the microbial population of the large intestine, which is able to take advantage of fiber-rich foods and recycle nitrogen. Throughout its evolution, the horse acquired the ability to consume high amounts of forage, in order to guarantee the coverage of its energy needs, given the low digestibility of this type of feed.
mares and foals
Normally after calving, both mares and foals are placed on the pasture as soon as possible, so the grass, together with the preserved forage, represents 60 to 80% of the feeding of these animals. Keeping animals on pasture has advantages in terms of nutrition, exercise and expression of natural behavior.
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sport horses
The feeding management of the sport horse will vary depending on the type and intensity of the effort required of the horse. Physical activity enhances musculoskeletal work, intensifies blood circulation and respiratory function. The confinement of the animal in a box and the absence of grazing also causes changes in food management.
However, these changes must respect the general principle that the diet should essentially consist of quality forage feed and be supplemented by compound feed.
