We know good nutrition starts with a healthy gut. Understanding how your horse digests feed can help you make better choices for their health, behaviour and performance. Here’s a breakdown of how the horse’s digestive system works and how the right feeding approach can make a real difference
The Foregut - Starting Digestion the Right Way
The foregut is made up of the stomach and small intestine and is the starting point of digestion. The stomach produces acid and digestive enzymes to break down food before it moves into the small intestine, which is divided into the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Here, proteins, fats and some carbohydrates are digested and absorbed.
The challenge? The horse’s stomach is relatively small and continuously produces acid. Large meals or high starch feeds can cause imbalances, leading to digestive upsets or even gastric ulcers
How British Horse Feeds Can Help:
Feeds such as Speedi-Beet, Fibre-Beet and Cooked Linseed are ideal for supporting foregut and hindgut health. They are low in starch and sugar, easy to digest and gentle on the stomach, helping maintain a steady release of energy
The Hindgut - Powering the Horse Through Fibre
Once feed reaches the hindgut, digestion shifts from enzymes to microbes. The large colon and small colon house trillions of beneficial microbes collectively known as the microbiome. These microbes ferment fibre, producing valuable energy in the form of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
A balanced hindgut microbiome is essential for fibre digestion, energy production and overall health. Disruptions caused by stress, abrupt feed changes or low fibre diets can lead to digestive problems like colic and poor performance
How British Horse Feeds Can Help:
Products like Fibre-Beet and Speedi-Beet provide a highly digestible, soaked fibre mash to promote a healthy hindgut environment. These feeds help fuel the good bacteria and support stable energy levels without excess starch, keeping the hindgut in optimal condition.
Feeding your horse a prebiotic can support fibre digestibility and gut health in the hindgut. Speedi-Beet which contains a natural prebiotic is 25% more digestible than other fibres such as hay and lucerne. This is because beet pulp is rich in pectin, is a soluble fibre and as Speedi-Beet is micronized, this increases fermentation in the hind gut
The Gut-Brain Connection - A Calmer, Happier Horse
Did you know the gut can influence your horse’s behaviour? Stress and poor gut health can alter the balance of microbes reducing beneficial bacteria and increasing harmful strains. This can lead to anxiety, heightened flight responses and even reduced focus on the rider or handler
How British Horse Feeds Can Help:
Feeding a fibre-first diet with products like Fibre-Beet and Speedi-Beet encourages a healthier, more balanced microbiome. This supports calmer behaviour and helps to reduce the risk of digestive stress during exercise, competition or travel
Feeding for Performance, Recovery, and Wellbeing
Whether your horse is in hard work, recovering from illness, or a happy hacker, digestive health is the foundation for well-being. Choosing feeds that are gentle on the stomach and supportive of hindgut health can help improve performance and behaviour. We recommend feeding vitamins and minerals or a quality balancer alongside Speedi-Beet or Fibre-Beet to ensure your horses feed is nutritionally balanced.
British Horse Feeds has options suitable for horses in varying levels of work, from high-performance athletes to leisure companions. Our focus on fibre ensures your horse’s gut stays healthy, energy levels stay consistent and behavioural balance is maintained.
