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==Introduction==

==Introduction==

The horse is a monagastric hindgut fermenter. The horse evolved for grazing and it does so for up to 17 hours a day. The typical horse's diet consists of 7-12% protein and 4% fat, the remainder being made up of carbohydrate. A high proportion of the carbohydrate is in the form of '''starch'''. A mature horse eats 2-2.5% of it's body weight in dry matter every day, 1.5-1.75% of this should be fibre (hay/haylage). This is to prevent a rapid drop in pH in the large intestine and also to stimulate peristalsis in the gut and prevent build up of gas.

The horse is a monagastric hindgut fermenter. The horse evolved for grazing and it does so for up to 17 hours a day. A high proportion of the horse's dietary carbohydrate is in the form of '''starch'''. A mature horse eats 2-2.5% of it's body weight in dry matter every day, 1.5-1.75% of this should be fibre (hay/haylage). This is to prevent a rapid drop in pH in the large intestine and also to stimulate peristalsis in the gut and prevent build up of gas.

Undigested material spends a long time in the caecum and large intestine being digested by microbial fermentation, mainly cellulose (95% after 65 hours). Most microbial fermentation occurs in the colon (as opposed to the [[Hindgut Fermenters - Rabbit - Anatomy & Physiology|rabbit]], where most occurs in the caecum).

Undigested material spends a long time in the caecum and large intestine being digested by microbial fermentation, mainly cellulose (95% after 65 hours). Most microbial fermentation occurs in the colon (as opposed to the [[Hindgut Fermenters - Rabbit - Anatomy & Physiology|rabbit]], where most occurs in the caecum).