The Beginner’s Guide to the Equine Digestive System

Horses have an extraordinarily large digestive system — compared to humans they have more than double the length if you were to place them side-by-side, start to finish! This long path for food digestion is packed with twists and turns (and the inability to vomit), so it’s easy to see how digestive upsets can occur in our equine partners. Below is a quick overview to give you a better understanding of how we can feed to our horses’ needs while keeping in mind how they evolved. 

Two of the most important functions of horse lips are sifting through food and helping the tongue push it back to the molars as the horse continuously grazes and chews. Chewing of forage is essential — not only does it make sure tough stalks are ground to prevent impactions, but the chewing action produces saliva to lubricate the food as it passes through the tract. Healthy teeth and access to free-choice forage are imperative to a healthy start to the digestive process. 

Horses naturally graze with their heads down, so food is transported up the esophagus by strong muscle contractions to the stomach. The stomach is located at an angle to the esophagus that makes regurgitation impossible, which is why digestive issues can be so scary in horses. The equine stomach is also incredibly small for such a large animal — it empties quickly but continuously produces acid. If the stomach is not kept relatively full, acid can begin splashing up to the upper region of the stomach, creating ulcers.  

Intestines and the Hindgut 

Like the stomach, food also travels rather quickly through almost 70 feet of intestine, and this is the site where most carbohydrates and proteins are absorbed by enzymes. After that long journey, food continues to the