Controls of feeding in horses

• Published in: Journal of animal science Vol. 59; no. 5; pp. 1354 - 1361
• Main Author: Ralston, S. L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Am Soc Animal Sci 01-11-1984
• Subjects: alimentacion de los animales; alimentation des animaux; Animal Feed; animal feeding; Animals; caballos; cheval; digestion; Digestive System Physiological Phenomena; Energy Metabolism; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Food Preferences; horses; Horses - physiology; Oropharynx - physiology; Satiation - physiology; Smell; Taste
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.2527/jas1984.5951354x

Members of the genus Equus are large, nonruminant herbivores. These animals utilize the products of both enzymatic digestion in the small intestine and bacterial fermentation (volatile fatty acids) in the cecum and large colon as sources of metabolizable energy. Equine animals rely primarily upon oropharyngeal and external stimuli to control the size and duration of an isolated meal. Meal frequency, however, is regulated by stimuli generated by the presence and (or) absorption of nutrients (sugars, fatty acids, protein) in both the large and small intestine plus metabolic cues reflecting body energy stores. The control of feeding in this species reflects its evolutionary development in an environment which selected for consumption of small, frequent meals of a variety of forages.