A horse's diet is closely linked to its feeding behavior and to the specific gastrointestinal characteristics of the species. Therefore, appropriate feeding management is essential, as it influences the horse’s behavioral, digestive, and metabolic health.
Digestive Physiology
The horse is a monogastric herbivore, with a relatively small stomach and a well-developed small and large intestine. As a result, its digestive process combines the benefits of enzymatic digestion with those of microbial fermentation.
Equine digestive physiology is marked by a rapid and intensive enzymatic digestion in the small intestine, followed by a long and intense microbial fermentation process in the large intestine.
Feed Intake
Horses have a high capacity to ingest fibrous forage, largely due to the microbial population in the large intestine, which can digest high-fiber feeds and recycle nitrogen. Over the course of evolution, horses developed the ability to consume large quantities of forage to meet their energy requirements, given the low digestibility of such feeds.
Mares and Foals
Typically, after foaling, mares and foals are turned out to pasture as early as possible. In these conditions, grass combined with conserved forages makes up 60% to 80% of their diet. Grazing provides important benefits for nutrition, exercise, and the expression of natural behavior.
Sport Horses
The feeding management of sport horses varies according to the type and intensity of physical effort required. Physical activity increases musculoskeletal workload, enhances blood circulation, and stimulates respiratory function. Additionally, the confinement of horses in stalls and the lack of grazing significantly affect feeding management.
However, these adjustments must always follow the fundamental principle that the horse's diet should primarily consist of high-quality forage, with compound feed as a supplement.
