Ongoing Directory of Links For Horse Lovers!

Below, is a random list of links to sites for horse lovers which may feature an ad for our Healthy Horse Feeders. Click on a link and see if you can find us. This is an ongoing indulgence so be sure to check back for new additions.


Equine Now.com
Horse Clicks.com
The Galloping Gurus
Wiki Horse World.com

Our Dental Visit In March A+

Hello readers! Just want to let you know what our equine dentist told us about our horse's teeth during our yearly dental exam. Dr. DeLuna told us that our horse's teeth, particularly our older horse Benny who is about 25 years old now, were in the best shape they have ever been in! Fantastic news! Although I could find no studies on slow feeding and benefits for horses teeth, we can only think that our healthy horse slow feeders are the reason for the improvement. All that chewing action and continuous wearing down that mimics horses in the wild. Here is the link to Dr. DeLuna's website so you can read for yourself all the great information about horse dentistry.

DeLuna Equine Veterinary Services: Looking your Gifted Horse in the Mouth
www.delunaequinedentistry.com

Why Slow Feeding Is The Best Choice For Horses

Equine Digestive Tract Structure and Function

Author:	Dr. Bob Wright, Veterinary Scientist, Equine and Alternative Livestock/OMAFRA
Creation Date:	01 September 1999

A horse has the same requirements for energy, protein, vitamins and minerals as other animals but differs in the type and function of its digestive system, falling between a ruminant and non ruminant.

Non ruminants (humans, pigs and dogs) digest carbohydrates, protein and fat by enzymatic action. Ruminants (cattle, sheep and deer) use bacteria in the fore stomachs to digest fiber by fermentation and use enzymatic digestion in the small intestines.

In the horse, all true digestion is by enzymatic digestion and takes place in the fore gut ahead of the cecum. This accounts for 52-58% of the crude protein digestion and virtually all soluble carbohydrate digestion (fiber excluded). (1) In addition, bacterial or microbial digestion of fibre occurs in the cecum and colon where large quantities of volatile fatty acids are produced through fermentation and are subsequently absorbed. This dual system allows the horse to digest simple carbohydrate sources such as starch from grain in the fore gut. Fibrous sources such as oat hulls, soy hulls, beet pulp, hay and pasture are digested in the hind gut.

For enzymatic and microbial action to digest feed efficiently, the horse needs healthy teeth to grind feed and allow enzymes and bacteria to attack the plant cell walls. Teeth should be examined during the annual health check to ensure that they are wearing normally and are effectively grinding the feed.

The capacity of the stomach of the horse is only about 8-15 litres (eight quarts or two gallons), which makes it difficult to understand how a horse can consume large amounts of food or water. The emptying time of the stomach after filling can be about 12 minutes, and the rate of passage down the small intestine is about 1 ft/min. The net result is that food can go from the mouth to the cecum in about 1½ hours. The small volume of the stomach and rapid passage of food from the stomach is the reason horses eat almost continuously, thus the name "hay burners."

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_digest.htm