THE SMALL INTESTINE

In the small intestine, digestible energy substances used for explosive muscle activity are extracted and then stored in the muscle and fatty tissues of the horse. The horse has a fairly limited capacity to absorb this type of carbohydrates, the nutritional importance of which should not be exaggerated. The small intestine boasts an impressive length of around 30 metres and the contents of the horse’s stomach pass through it with an incredible speed. It takes no more than 1 hour for the feed that the horse swallows to finish its journey through the small intestine. Next stop is the main collection point in the horse’s stomach – the large intestine