The Equines Digestive Tract
Objective
The purpose of this lab was to familiarise students with the structure of an equines digestive tract so
that students could then internally and externally examine and have a closer perspective on the
digestive tract. The lab also gave students the chance to be able to obtain an understanding of the
different sizes of the internal organs and how they connect and work together to provide the horse
with a sufficient digestive system. It also gave students to recognise and understand why a horse
could have problems if they were to eat something they could not digest . By performing this lab, it
was hoped that students would have developed a more comprehensive understanding of the equine
digestion system and how it works to serve its purpose.
Introduction
Horses are classified as herbivores, or roughage eaters. They are grazing animals with digestive
systems designed for a constant consumption of plant food.
Unlike most other herbivores, the digestive system of the horse is considered monogastric rather
than ruminant. Their main Digestive organs include the stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
The stomach and small intestine are commonly referred to as the upper gut, and are where most of
the protein, fat, vitamins and minerals contained in feed are digested and absorbed. With the
equines stomach and large fibre-digesting hindgut, the horse is designed to eat little and often in its
portions. By the digestive tracts design, forages should dominate the horse's diet. Grain, fat,
supplemental protein, vitamins and minerals are important, but should make up a smaller portion of
the ration.
“A Mature horse can consume about 2.5 to 3.0% of their body weight in feed each day. A mature
1000 lb horse will eat about 25 to 30 pounds of feed each day. Ideally, horses should consume a
minimum of 1% of their body weight in hay or pasture each day. As a general rule, forages should
comprise at least 1/2 of the total weight of daily feed consumption for optimum growth and
development”. Source obtained from http://www.merricks.com/digestion.html#stomach
1
, Materials and methods
Students gathered around one equines digestive tract which was presented before us on a four
tables which were put together to enable students to fully see the digestive tract laid out, as the
tract was very large in size. Each student took their own notes and photographs while the teacher
did the dissection. The reason for this was because the tracts are quite difficult to get hold of, and
with the size of the tract it was easier for the students to just observe one. The coil of the intestine
was laid upon the table so that students could get an idea of its overall length. The Tools that were
used for the dissection were scalpels, tweezers and scissors. Everybody in the lab had to be in full
protective clothing, for example rubber gloves, plastic aprons and lab coats. This is because the tract
consisted of a lot of fluids. The teacher was also in protective clothing and in addition had to wear
wellington boots to act as protective shoes. This had to be done because as he dissected the
digestive tract all the fluids dripped onto the floor and it’s essential for the lab and everyone
participating to stay clean and hygienic. Each student then took it turns to ask one another questions
about the digestive tract and what they could see. By doing this, it gave students a better insight and
comparison and therefore gave students a better overall observation.
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the digestive tract laid upon the four tables with the intestines laid out so that
students fully see its length.
2
Objective
The purpose of this lab was to familiarise students with the structure of an equines digestive tract so
that students could then internally and externally examine and have a closer perspective on the
digestive tract. The lab also gave students the chance to be able to obtain an understanding of the
different sizes of the internal organs and how they connect and work together to provide the horse
with a sufficient digestive system. It also gave students to recognise and understand why a horse
could have problems if they were to eat something they could not digest . By performing this lab, it
was hoped that students would have developed a more comprehensive understanding of the equine
digestion system and how it works to serve its purpose.
Introduction
Horses are classified as herbivores, or roughage eaters. They are grazing animals with digestive
systems designed for a constant consumption of plant food.
Unlike most other herbivores, the digestive system of the horse is considered monogastric rather
than ruminant. Their main Digestive organs include the stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
The stomach and small intestine are commonly referred to as the upper gut, and are where most of
the protein, fat, vitamins and minerals contained in feed are digested and absorbed. With the
equines stomach and large fibre-digesting hindgut, the horse is designed to eat little and often in its
portions. By the digestive tracts design, forages should dominate the horse's diet. Grain, fat,
supplemental protein, vitamins and minerals are important, but should make up a smaller portion of
the ration.
“A Mature horse can consume about 2.5 to 3.0% of their body weight in feed each day. A mature
1000 lb horse will eat about 25 to 30 pounds of feed each day. Ideally, horses should consume a
minimum of 1% of their body weight in hay or pasture each day. As a general rule, forages should
comprise at least 1/2 of the total weight of daily feed consumption for optimum growth and
development”. Source obtained from http://www.merricks.com/digestion.html#stomach
1
, Materials and methods
Students gathered around one equines digestive tract which was presented before us on a four
tables which were put together to enable students to fully see the digestive tract laid out, as the
tract was very large in size. Each student took their own notes and photographs while the teacher
did the dissection. The reason for this was because the tracts are quite difficult to get hold of, and
with the size of the tract it was easier for the students to just observe one. The coil of the intestine
was laid upon the table so that students could get an idea of its overall length. The Tools that were
used for the dissection were scalpels, tweezers and scissors. Everybody in the lab had to be in full
protective clothing, for example rubber gloves, plastic aprons and lab coats. This is because the tract
consisted of a lot of fluids. The teacher was also in protective clothing and in addition had to wear
wellington boots to act as protective shoes. This had to be done because as he dissected the
digestive tract all the fluids dripped onto the floor and it’s essential for the lab and everyone
participating to stay clean and hygienic. Each student then took it turns to ask one another questions
about the digestive tract and what they could see. By doing this, it gave students a better insight and
comparison and therefore gave students a better overall observation.
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the digestive tract laid upon the four tables with the intestines laid out so that
students fully see its length.
2
