So since Jim gets to write boring blogs about math :) , I decided to write a great blog about the horse’s digestive system. This is going to be the best blog post ever. Please hold your excitement.

Basically here is a run through of the horse’s digestive system:

It all starts with prehension, which is where the horse picks up his food with his lips. He then moves it to his molars, where he masticates the food (also known as chewing the food). While he is masticating, the salivary glands help to soften the food. Then it is swallowed and goes through the esophagus, which runs on the left side of the Trachea, goes through the diaphragm and into the stomach. The esophagus is bout 50-60 inches long. Did you know that horse’s can’t throw up either? So then the food goes to the stomach, which can hold 2-4 gallons, and works best when it is only 2/3rds full. Digestion then takes place, with the production of Pepsin to help the digestion. Then the food enters the small intestine. Did you know the horse’s small intestine is 70 feet long? Yea. Pretty crazy. The small intestine is filled with Villi, which help the absorption of nutrients. So then the food is moved to the Large Intestine, which is 25 feet long. The Large Intestine is made up of four parts: 1. The Cecum where the food goes to “ferment” or be broken down by bacteria. This is why horses are hind gut fermenters. The second part of the Large Intestine is the Large Colon, where the last of the nutrients are broken down and absorbed. Then it enters the small colon, where the water is absorbed and “manure balls are formed.”(Who decided to call them “manure balls?” i think that is the weirdest way to put it, but maybe it is just me). Lastly is the rectum, where the manure balls come out.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the horse’s digestive system. So I will leave you with a diagram of the horse’s digestive system:

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