For Starters
Did You Know…
In the wild, horses will graze for between 16 and 18 hours a day, consuming small amounts of food frequently.
The reason horses eat small amounts of food frequently is down to limited stomach capacity. Horses actually have relatively small stomachs compared to their overall size, holding between two and four gallons of material, or 7.6 to 15 litres.
Horses are non-ruminant herbivores. Unlike cows and other ruminants, horses don't have multi-compartmentalised stomachs for extensive fermentation. Instead, they rely on hindgut fermentation to break down fibre.
Horses have a one-way oesophageal valve, which stops them from vomiting or regurgitating their food. This means that once they consume something, it’s generally a one-way street to the other end.
Horses can be picky eaters when it comes to feed thanks to well-developed taste buds and a discerning sense of smell, all of which can make feeding and introducing new feeds a challenge.
And finally, the act of eating and chewing plays a significant role in the behavioural well-being of horses. Restricting access to forage or feeding methods that limit chewing time can lead to boredom, increased stress, and the development of undesirable behaviours such as cribbing.