2 How do horses naturally feed? Horses originally lived in the steppes and spent most of their day wandering around and eating the sparse vegetation on the steppe. Horses' digestive tracts and their stomach in particular have adapted to this lifestyle. But why is this? The answer lies in the structure of the horse's stomach: • The stomach is divided into two - the lower part, which has gland-containing mucous tissue, produces the hydrochloric acid that makes up the acid in the stomach. The upper part consists of gland-free mucous tissue which is very sensitive to stomach acid. • Stomach acid is produced constantly, regardless of food consumption, stomach acid is produced 24 hours a day. The buffer is the bicarbonate contained in the saliva, which is produced by constant chewing. Breaks in feeding are therefore harmful to the stomach. • Only a 12 - 14-litre capacity: the stomach is a type of "transitory" organ and the feed only remains there for 1 - 5 hours. Here, the food is "sterilised" and turned into a broth of nutrients for digestion in the small intestine. • Horses' stomachs have very little capacity to expand! Constant and slow feeding is therefore of tremendous importance for the health of the animals' digestive tracts. Dividing line between the mucosal tissues (Margo Plicatus) Gland-free mucosal tissue (unprotected from stomach acid) Entrance of the stomach (Cardia) Oesophagus Small intestine Exit of the stomach (Pylorus) Gland-containing mucosal tissue (protected from stomach acid)
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