A good diet is vital to the health and happiness of a horse and it ensures that they perform at their best. Horses are non-ruminant animals, meaning they have a simple, one chamber stomach similar to humans, dogs, and pigs. However, their diets are very different since horses are able to digest and absorb nutrients from foods that most other non-ruminant animals cant. This special ability is due to the horse’s very well developed cecum and their large capacity for nutrient absorption. The cecum is a pouch that sits between the small and large intestines. It is here that food ferments and breaks down. It is also where millions of microorganisms and bacterias live which are largely responsible for breaking down the foods. For example, a horse
