The food the horses consume consists of different kinds of feeds that provide the right amount of energy. The extracted food in the gastrointestinal tract undergoes physical and chemical transformations, which transform it into substances necessary for proper functioning of the organism.
The digestive tract of horses is quite complicated due to its structure. It has numerous constrictions, loops, slow intestinal peristalsis and different digestion periods for some feeds. The amount of dry matter that horses can take is limited to an average of 2 kg per 100 kg body weight.
As we all know, food intake begins through the mouth. The horse takes the food with its lips, tongue and bites with incisors and then spreads it with the molars.
This process is progressing very smoothly due to the fact that
The incisors wear off when biting grass, trees, beetroot, etc.
The molars are rubbed off when the horse rubs the fodder, which is why the recommended feed should have as long fibres as possible.
During chewing, up to 30 litres of saliva are secreted per day
Sometimes there are digestive disorders that can be caused:
Dental changes, damage to the oral cavity through the frenulum, diseases of the gums and mucous membranes, this disrupts food intake and rubbing, which causes further problems in the digestion process.
Too short a time of taking food may result in insufficient abrasion of the molars and may even cause behavioural disorders.
Taking your horse to work right after eating can lead to serious stomach and intestinal problems. Always after eating let the horses rest for at least 30-60 minutes after eating.
How do you try to reduce the risk of disturbances or even reduce them?
Sometimes let’s observe the horse while eating
Let’s feed about 1 kg of feed every day, which the animal has to eat carefully.
Let’s check the condition of your teeth and mouth at least once a year.
When the horse takes up a piece of food, it is softened with saliva and passes to the oesophagus (the horse swallows 2-3 times a minute), and then to the stomach. But it may not be as colorful here either, because too big a bite may remain in this esophagus, leading to its obstruction. Symptoms that can be observed in this situation are: shaking the head, trying to cough off, ptyalism, sometimes some horses hang their head slightly down and stiffen the body. They stand “like they are” and try to cough.
When can such situations arise?
The horse “throws” on the food, takes it up catchy and does not crumble enough
By serving whole apples, bread and roots
By the administration of dry beet pulp in the mixture in quantities greater than 12 %. It is generally advisable to give beet pulp, but only after it has been soaked.
The function of the oral cavity is to take, crush and form the food, i.e. a sufficiently slippery pulp that passes through the oesophagus to the stomach.
J.K.
With the permission of the RM publisher
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