Maintaining your horse's digestive health is essential for their overall well-being, performance, and happiness. Horses have a unique digestive system that requires mindful care and attention, from proper feeding schedules to hydration and dental maintenance. Let’s break it all down and provide you with actionable steps to keep your horse thriving.
1. Digestion Starts in the Mouth
Like humans, a horse's digestion begins in the mouth. Proper chewing is crucial because it allows saliva, which contains enzymes, to mix with their food and aid in digestion. Annual dental checkups ensure that your horse's teeth are in top shape, enabling them to chew effectively and avoid complications like choking or colic.
2. A Small Stomach and a Constant Digestive Flow
Despite their large size, horses have relatively small stomachs—holding only about 2-4 gallons. This is because they evolved as grazers, eating small amounts of food throughout the day. In the wild, horses graze for up to 17 hours daily while traveling across large areas.
One unique aspect of their digestive anatomy is the absence of a gallbladder. This means bile, which helps digest fats, constantly flows into their intestines. For this reason, horses are not designed to eat large, infrequent meals.
3. Feeding Guidelines: Small, Frequent Meals
To mimic natural grazing:
- Feed as often as possible. If turnout on grass isn’t an option, provide high-quality hay.
- Use a hay net or slow feeder to extend feeding time and prevent boredom.
- Never feed more than 4 pounds of hay or grain at once, as horses cannot effectively digest larger quantities.
A general rule:
- 80% of their diet should be forage (grass or hay).
- 20% can be grain, but many horses thrive on a grain-free diet with adequate forage and fortified supplements.
🧂 Pro Tip: Provide free-choice salt. Horses instinctively know when they need extra electrolytes and minerals.
4. Hydration: The Most Important Nutrient
Water is critical for every aspect of a horse's health. The average 1,000-pound horse needs 5-10 gallons daily in moderate weather and even more during heat or exercise. Without proper hydration, your horse is at risk of colic, impaction, and other life-threatening conditions.
According to Peter Huntington, B.V.Sc., M.A.C.V.Sc., director of nutrition at Kentucky Equine Research:
“A horse can live for almost a month without food, but within a mere 48 hours without water a horse can begin to show signs of colic and can quickly develop an impaction, lethargy, and life-threatening sequelae. A horse can only survive about five days without water.”
Encourage water consumption by adding sodium to their diet and ensuring constant access to clean, fresh water. In colder climates, horses prefer warmer water, so consider heated waterers to prevent freezing.
🧽 Pro Tip: Clean water troughs regularly to prevent algae and debris buildup.
5. The Role of Forage and Supplements
Forage, such as grass or hay, is the cornerstone of your horse's diet. Alfalfa can be added as needed to supplement high-quality grass hay. Avoid over-supplementing if your horse’s feed is already fortified with essential vitamins and minerals.
Consistent access to hay promotes a healthier gut, which leads to easier training, riding, and handling.
6. Holistic Health: Balancing Mind and Body
Feeding plans should not only consider a horse’s anatomy and physiology but also their mental well-being. Horses with access to frequent meals or grazing are often calmer and more cooperative. Slow feeders or hay nets can provide enrichment while preventing digestive issues like ulcers or colic.
7. Deworming and Gut Health
Parasites can wreak havoc on your horse’s digestive system. Work with your veterinarian to develop a targeted deworming schedule and consider probiotics or prebiotics to restore gut health after deworming.
8. Understanding Water’s Role in Preventing Colic
Research has shown that water intake directly affects colic risk. A recent study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science’s July 2021 edition suggests that providing less water in smaller amounts more frequently may reduce complications from colic by preventing overloading the gut with large volumes of water.
This highlights the importance of encouraging frequent hydration, especially after feeding.
In an interview with The Horse, Marco Gandini, DVM, PhD, of the University of Turin’s Department of Veterinary Sciences, in Grugliasco, Italy said, regarding the study:
“Even in our clinic we used to administer large amounts of water (up to 10 liters in a 500-kilogram horse) via nasogastric tube to resolve large colon impactions, until we came across these cases,” he said. “Then we changed our protocols, going instead for frequent, low volume (water through a nasal tube) combined with intravenous fluid therapy.
“Based on our clinical experience, we believe that our approach can guarantee a rapid resolution of the problem, limiting the risks associated with common therapeutic protocols,” Gandini continued. “In particular, the use of frequent enteral (direct into the digestive system) fluid therapy with small quantities of water with the administration of parenteral (intravenous) isotonic fluids is useful in resolving colon impactions, even those that are quite severe.”
Conclusion: Your Horse’s Health is in Your Hands
By understanding your horse's unique digestive needs and creating a feeding and care plan tailored to their anatomy, physiology, and lifestyle, you can ensure they stay healthy, happy, and ready to perform.
Want to keep your horse’s digestive health on track? Start with small, consistent changes like introducing a slow feeder, providing unlimited clean water, and scheduling regular dental checkups. Your horse will thank you with improved energy, better behavior, and a shiny coat.
While digestive health is a cornerstone of equine wellness, supporting your horse’s overall well-being is just as important. That’s where Dr. Garber’s Equine Formulas come in. From Joint Health to Calming Stress Relief, these holistic remedies are designed to address key areas of equine health naturally, keeping your horse in peak condition both physically and emotionally.
Visit Dr. Garber’s Equine Collection to explore these vet-approved supplements and take the next step in giving your horse the care they deserve.
