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Controls of Feeding in Horses^{1, 2,}

Colorado State University³, Fort Collins 80523

Abstract

Members of the genus Equus are large, nonruminant herbivores. These animals utilize the products of both enzymatic digestion in the small intestine and bacterial fermentation (volatile fatty acids) in the cecum and large colon as sources of metabolizable energy. Equine animals rely primarily upon oropharyngeal and external stimuli to control the size and duration of an isolated meal. Meal frequency, however, is regulated by stimuli generated by the presence and(or) absorption of nutrients (sugars, fatty acids, protein) in both the large and small intestine plus metabolic cues reflecting body energy stores. The control of feeding in this species reflects its evolutionary development in an environment which selected for consumption of small, frequent meals of a variety of forages.

¹ Research reported in this paper was supported in part by grants in aid from NIH Training Grant GM-02051-10, USDA Grant PENN 5-26121 and the Fund for the Study of Feeding Behavior, Dept. of Clin. Studies, School of Vet. Med., Univ. of Pennsylvania.

² Presented at a symposium on "Controls of Feeding in Farm Animals" held July 27, 1983 at the 75th Annu. Meet. Amer. Soc. Anim. Sci., Washington State Univ., Pullman.

³ College of Vet. Med.