Feed little and often

• A horse's stomach is roughly the size of a rugby ball and has a capacity of 8-14 litres.
• By the time food has reached the stomach, the addition of saliva will have doubled the volume of food entering it.
• Feeding too much cereal based feed in one meal will mean that food passes through the digestive system more quickly. This may stop it from being digested properly and can result in large amounts of starch reaching the hind gut which may cause laminitis or colic.
• Fibre based feeds can be fed in large quantities as they are eaten much more slowly than cereal based feeds. Fibre “trickles” through the digestive system providing slow release energy. It is also important for maintaining regular gut movement known as peristalsis.