Watch as Dr. Leah Mitchell explains how digestion works in horses so you can understand what your own horse needs for better health and performance.
Here’s a quick overview of what she discusses in the video:
How digestion works in horses in an ideal state
- Horses in nature evolved as grazing, herd animals that generally expend little energy.
- Digestion begins in the mouth as the horse ingests and chews feed.
- From there, the feed moves quickly through the stomach and small intestine, where sugars and starches should be digested
- The majority of digestion then happens via fermentation in the horse’s hindgut, which includes the cecum and colon.
Effects of husbandry and performance stress on the horse’s gut and digestion
- Performance horses have much higher energy requirements to perform athletically, so we feed higher-calorie grain feeds to meet their energy and weight needs
- Many horses do not have free access to forage for 18 hours a day as their systems require.
- These types of management or performance stressors can spell trouble for digestive tract health.
How to support optimal digestion in performance horses
- This is where SUCCEED steps in to optimize digestion in your horses naturally.
Is SUCCEED right for you?
Find out if your horse’s health and performance could benefit from added digestive support.