Fenner Pines Farm

11/24/2024

Good to know!! 😍🐦‍⬛

11/23/2024

11/19/2024

After Evie’s lesson, she lead her sister Cordelia around on Queenie. Both girls did a great job!

11/19/2024

Ava and Splash

11/19/2024

25 year old Splash was full of s***k for his lesson on a Spring-like Saturday. Hailey did a great job and learned a lot today.

11/18/2024

Horses have a fascinating and unique digestive system that requires careful attention. As non-ruminant herbivores, horses thrive on forage-based diets and have a single-compartment stomach—similar to humans. Since horses are hindgut fermenters, they also rely on fermentation in their hindgut (cecum and colon) to extract energy from forage. 🌾

🔬 How it Works:

1️⃣ Chewing (Mechanical Digestion):
Digestion starts in the mouth, where chewing breaks food into smaller pieces, increasing the surface area for digestive enzymes. Chewing also produces saliva, which buffers stomach acid and supports gastric health. Horses with dental issues may struggle to chew, so their diet may need to be adjusted. 🦷💧

2️⃣ The Stomach (Chemical Digestion):
In the stomach, gastric acid, enzymes, and microbes continue breaking down food. The stomach’s acidic environment helps digest food and defends against harmful microorganisms. However, since horses continuously produce stomach acid—even when not eating—long periods of time without food (forage) can increase their risk of ulcers. 🧪🍴

3️⃣ The Small Intestine (Nutrient Absorption):
After the stomach, digesta moves to the small intestine, where enzymes continue to break down the food even more. Nutrients like starch, protein, and fats are absorbed. 🌟

4️⃣ Hindgut Fermentation (Cecum & Colon):
In the hindgut, microbes ferment fibre from hay, pasture, and other forages, producing volatile fatty acids (VFAs) which are a major energy source for horses. Any undigested food continues through the colon, where water is absorbed, and waste is formed. 🌾🔥

📖 Want to learn more about equine digestion health and ways to support it? Check out our full article for a deeper dive! 🌿🐴

🇨🇦https://madbarn.ca/supplements-for-digestive-health-in-horses/
🇺🇸https://madbarn.com/supplements-for-digestive-health-in-horses/

11/12/2024

Happy Veteran’s Day 🇺🇸
We enjoyed the last warm weather day for a while, with Evie and Queen.

11/12/2024

Weekend lesson with Krystal and Queenie.

11/03/2024

This is an ongoing series in which UK-based consultant, Eiddwen Skellon takes us on a journey through some of the key muscles and their functions as they relate to the correct development of our equine partners.

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween 🎃

10/29/2024

🌿 Understanding the difference between WSC and ESC in hay is essential for balancing your horse’s diet.

WSC (Water-Soluble Carbohydrates) encompasses various types of sugars, including simple sugars, fructans, and pectins. While fructans and pectins are not digestible in the small intestine, they ferment in the hindgut.

ESC (Ethanol-Soluble Carbohydrates) is a portion of WSC that includes simple sugar, which are digested in the small intestine and affect glycemic load.

To learn more about reading a hay analysis, check out our article:
🇺🇸https://madbarn.com/how-to-take-a-hay-sample/
🇨🇦https://madbarn.ca/how-to-take-a-hay-sample/