Digestive Quiz

1. List the types of digestive systems of horses.

2. List the components of the foregut.

3. What are the signs that a horse needs to have its teeth floated?

4. What keeps a horse from being able to belch or vomit, and what are some                  consequences of this?

5. What nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine?

6. List the components of the hindgut.

7. What makes up the large intestine?

8. Is it normal to hear gut sounds?

9. Where do volatile fatty acids come from, and how do they benefit the horse?

10. List some factors that can influence digestibility.

Answer 

 1. Ruminants Nonruminants

      Hindgut fermenters

2. Mouth Esophagus

      Stomach Small intestine

3. Head sideways Dropping grain

        Excess salivation when chewing

4. The sphincter at the junction of the esophagus and stomach is one-way; excess gas produced can rupture the stomach and cause the horse to die.

5. Carbohydrates    Vitamins   Fat Minerals    Protein

6. Cecum   Small colon    Large colon   Rectum

7. Large colon    RectumSmall colon

8. Yes, it is normal to hear the mixing activities of the cecum.

9. From broken down fibrous feeds; they are a source of energy

10. Type or source of feedstuff           

       Frequency of feeding

Level of feedstuff maturity 

Rate of passage

       Processing method Compounds that interfere with digestibility

Digestive Flash Card Quiz 

with pictures

  http://quizlet.com/6091548/horse-4-h-digestive-system-flash-cards/

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=digestive-system-practice-quiz 

http://quizlet.com/18917584/equine-anatomy-abdomendigestive-system-flash-cards/ 

Digestion Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lqk7igz9L4 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKN0p-8E1GA

  

 The Horse's Digestive System 

 

The anatomy of the horse's digestive system is fairly simple and straightforward, as it is much like yours with only a few minor differences. Starting from the top, the digestive system is composed of:

• the mouth and teeth
• esophogus
• stomach
• small intestine
• cecum
• large colon
• small colon
• rectum
• anus

The major difference between the horse and you is the importance of the cecum to the horse, whereas our appendix (which is the closest thing to the horse's cecum) is almost non-functional in humans.

 Almost all digestion of simple carbohydrates, protein, and fat takes place primarily in the small intestine, though it begins in the stomach. Simple carbohydrates (starches and sugars) and protein begin digestion in the stomach by being slightly broken down, and then the majority of the digestion of these nutrients occurs in the small intestine. Fats are slightly hydrolyzed by enzymes in the stomach, but the majority of fat digestion also occurs in the early small intestine.

 

Where does digestion begin?

 

 

Mouth and Teeth:

The mouth is very important as it is where digestion begins.
The teeth harvest the feed, and when the horse is grazing act as the prehensile organ, which means they bring the grass into the mouth. The upper lip is the main prehensile organ when your horse is eating grain and other loose feeds.
The teeth also break down the feed so that the horse can swallow (masticate) it, and so digestion can more easily take place later in the tract.
The salivary glands also play an important role in digestion. These glands produce saliva which is essential not only to moisten the food and assist its movement through the tract, but also as the beginning of carbohydrate digestion.

Esophogus:

The esophogus is pretty simple, as it is simply a passageway from the mouth to the stomach. It has rings of muscle around it that relax and contract to move food down towards the stomach, a process known as peristalsis.


                                Stomach:

                                   The above picture shows two views of the horse stomach.


This is where digestion really begins. Acid (specifically hydrochloric acid) and enzymes start to break down all the various nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) in the stomach.
The stomach makes up approximately 9% of the horse’s total digestive system, making it relatively small compared to body size. In comparison, your stomach makes up approximately 17% of your total digestive tract.
This small size is important to keep in mind. It is one part of the horse anatomy that makes the digestive tract of the horse so delicate.

Small Intestine:

After the stomach comes the small intestine, where almost all absorption of nutrients occurs. Various secretions are put into tract at the beginning of the small intestine allowing the nutrients to be broken up more thoroughly than the stomach did.
The small intestine has three “sections” which altogether make up about 35% of the entire tract - the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. The jejunum and beginning of the ileum is where most nutrients are absorbed, though some are absorbed in the duodenum.
The inner lining of the small intestine is lined with little projections called villi. Villi look like a bunch of little fingers stuck to the lining, and their purpose is to increase surface area. The more surface area, the more nutrient absorption.

                                                                


                              
                            
             In the above picture, the small intestine is yellow, the colon is orange, and the rectum and anus are red.

Cecum:

This is where your horse varies greatly from you. Your cecum is basically non-existent, while your horse’s makes up 16% of his total digestive anatomy!
The cecum is at the beginning of the large intestine and is a “blind sac” -- it only has one opening, so everything has to go back out the same opening it goes in. Feed goes in, spends time being mixed around and digested by the microbes, and exits again into the rest of the large intestine.
This is another place where the horse anatomy makes the digestive tract delicate -- if something gets stuck in there, everything gets backed up, and you end up with big problems...usually colic.

In the cecum, microbes ferment and break down the fiber that your horse consumes in his forage. This provides him with important nutrients such as volatile fatty acids and some amino acids that would otherwise be wasted.
During evolution, some mammals developed a symbiotic relationship with microbes -- the microbes break down feed that the host (your horse in this case) could not otherwise use, and in return, the microbes get a “safe” place to live inside the host. Since mammals don’t make the enzymes necessary to break down the feeds that the microbes love, the relationship works well.




                           
                          In the picture above, the cecum is colored yellow. The uncolored part is the colon.

 In the picture below, the cecum is green, the colon is orange, the small intestine is yellow, the stomach is red, the rectum is blue, and the anus is brown. The left side is the layout as it is in a live horse, the right side is the intestines spread out so everything is able to be seen.

Colon:

The large and small colon is where your horse reabsorbs most of the water that is present in the digestive tract. This is also where wastes from body functions are secreted in preparation for being passed out of the body.
Microbial fermentation continues along the length of the colon. The colon makes up approximately 45% of the horse’s digestive tract, compared to 17% of yours.
Since the colon is so large, it is another place where the horse anatomy makes the digestive system delicate -- there are so many twists and turns that it is easy for it to get kinked or twisted, causing various types of colic.

                    In the picture below, the colon is colored yellow, and the cecum is the uncolored part
                        

Rectum and Anus:

This is the last part of the horse anatomy in the digestive system. The rectum is the last section of colon that is in the pelvic area, and the anus is the opening at the end of the tract.


A great digestive article.

http://equinenutritionnerd.com/2014/06/29/the-equine-digestive-system/

                    



                                                        Word Bank

Stomach     Caecum    Liver, upper extremity    Small colon      Left kidney and its ureter   Mouth          Oesophagus      Diaphragm      Pharynxn     Small intestine     Rectum    Caecum     Large colon    Urethra    Spleen      Duodenum    Bladder


                                                  













Answeres:
 1. Mouth
2. Pharynx
3. Oesophagus
4. Diaphragm
5. Spleen
6. Stomach
7. Duodenum
8. Liver, upper extremity
9. Large colon
10. Caecum
11. Small intestine
12. Small colon
13. Rectum
14. Anus
15. Left kidney and its ureter
16. Bladder
17. Urethra

 Here are some online quizzes.

http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Animals/Digestive-System-Of-The-Horse-149780.html

http://www.purposegames.com/game/digestive-system-of-the-horse-game




                                                                 

A digestion video.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A0LEVvji8sdUKTQAjLEnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTB0N25ndmVnBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwNF8x?p=horse+digestion&tnr=21&vid=83422E1E5AE20506C48F83422E1E5AE20506C48F&l=481&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DUN.608046565012540475%26pid%3D15.1&sigi=11rh5vog6&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmaWXVKI-gq4&sigr=11buihd8f&tt=b&tit=3D+Horse+Digestion+Guide&sigt=10opjbo4t&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dhorse%2Bdigestion%26ei%3DUTF-8%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla&sigb=12rnfirgh&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001


A link to a article.
http://www.succeed-equine.com/equine-health/the-healthy-equine-digestive-system/

What causes colic?
http://www.vetprofessionals.com/horseprofessional/downloads/colic_sample.pdf 

Behavior Flash Cards and a Quiz

A link to horse bowl flash cards online.
 http://www.cram.com/search?query=horse+bowl&sm=1

 Understanding The Horse

Quiz

                                         

                                   Behavior Patterns                               Communication                                                Major Senses

     What behavior is this horse exhibiting?

A.  Agonistic
B.  Epimeletic
C.  Ingestive
D.  Reactive

Epimeletic behavior

Epimeletic behavior - behavior related to giving care and attention, most commonly between a mare and foal but also between other horses (for example, horses standing together under shade or “swishing” flies from one another)

What behavior is below?

A. .Agonistic
B.  Contactual behavior
C.  Investigative behavior
D. Sexual behavior
                                                 

Agonistic behavior/ Combat behavior
Agonistic behavior - behavior associated with conflict or fighting, including anger, aggression, submission, and flight from conflict. Sometimes behaviorists separate this behavior into two categories - aggression and fearfulness



This behavior is?

A.  Combat

B.  Protective

C.  Contactual

D.  Investigative

Contactual behavior

Contactual behavior - behavior related to seeking affection, protection, or similar benefits derived from contact with other animals.



 This behavior demonstrates what?

A.  Contactual

B.  Gregarious

C.  Ingestive

D.Dominance/
        submission









Dominance\submission

Dominance\submission - behavioral activities often referred to as “pecking order”. Dominance hierarchies are extremely prevalent in the social order of horses. Dominance is generally established through agonistic behavior and may be extremely violent (fighting between stallions) or as simple as threatening looks (ears pinned back and squeals). If the lower-ranked (submissive) animal has room to escape, often no contact occurs, and the hierarchy is therefore established or maintained with little or no fighting.




What behavior is this?

 A. Investigative
B.  Protective
C.  Elimitive
D.  Epimeletic

Investigative behavior

Investigative behavior - This involves the way horses inspect their environment, look smell, touch listen and sometimes run away. Activities associated with curiosity or the exploration of surroundings or the objects within their environment.




What behavior is this?

 A. Eliminative

B.  Protective

C.  Ingestive

D.  Agonistic

Ingestive behavior

Ingestive behavior - behavioral activities associated with eating and drinking.

What behavior is this?

 A. Care Giving

B.  Ingestive

C.  Sexual

D.  Gregarious/ Allelomimetic

Gregarious/Allelomimetic behavior

Gregarious/Allelomimetic behavior - behavior related to mimicry; contagious or infectious behavior, such as when one horse copies the behavior of another (for example, if one horse starts running, others are likely to join in)

What behavior?

A.  Protective

B.  Agonistic

C.  Eliminative

D.  Investigative













Eliminative behavior

Eliminative behavior - behavioral activities associated with defecation and urination.

This behavior is?

 A.  Epimeletic/Care-giving

B.  Sexual

C.  Ingestive

D.  Gregarious

Epimeletic behavior/Care-Giving  behavior

Epimeletic behavior/Care-Giving  behavior related to giving care and attention, most commonly between a mare and foal but also between other horses (for example, horses standing together under shade or “swishing” flies from one another).

 What behavior?

 

A.  Epimeletic

B.  Investigativ

C.   Sexual

D.  Contactual

Sexual behavior

Sexual behavior - behavior related to mating between males and females.

Tonight we will review Equine Behavior, so be ready for a open 
discussion.

1. Define the term behavior.

2. Define the term herd behavior.

3. Name and describe different behavioral categories associated with horses

4. Identify signs of different emotions/communication of a horse

5. Describe the sense of the vision, touch, smell, and hearing of the horse

6. Describe  bad behaviors common in some horses

7. What is imprinting?

8. Body signals 

Are there any behaviors you have in common with the horse? How does understanding the horses behavior help you to train/work with the horse?
Here is a link to a article on how stress can effect a horse. http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-training/best-horse-living-3420.aspx

Horse behavior will teach you the characteristics of the horse and give you an understanding of the horse’s reasons for certain actions or habits.When you know why a horse does something, you will be better prepared to respond to him properly. It is important that you know the horse's traits and instinctive response in order to be successful in training the animal. Keep in mind that they vary to different degrees in every horse, but they are common to all.

TYPES OF BEHAVIOR

Animal behaviorists have classified the social behavior of horses (and other animals) into the following categories:

Contactual Behavior

- behavior related to seeking affection, protection or other benefits by contact with other animals. Communication behavior (see the section on communication) is sometimes considered as a separate category.

Ingestive Behavior

- behavioral activities associated with eating and drinking

Eliminative Behavior

- behavioral activities associated with defecation and urination.

Sexual Behavior

- behavior related to mating between males and

Females.

Epimeletic Behavior

- behavior related to giving care and attention, most common between a mare and foal, but also between other horses, such as

 horses standing together under shade and “switching” flies from one another.

Allelomimetic Behavior

- behavior related to mimicry; contagious or infectious behavior such as when one horse copies the behavior of another. If one horse starts running, for example, others are likely to join in. This may be a defense maneuver that is typical of wild horses.

Investigative Behavior

- behavioral activities associated with curiosity; the exploration of the surroundings or objects. Horses are noted for using all their senses to thoroughly “check out” any new item, horse or place with which

they are presented.

Agonistic Behavior

- behavior associated with conflict or fighting, including anger, aggression, submission and flight from conflict. 

 Sometimes behaviorists separate this into two categories (aggression and fearfulness).

Dominance \ Submission

- behavioral activities often referred to as “pecking order,” because the early behavioral work in this area was done with poultry.

 Dominance hierarchies are extremely prevalent in the social order of horses.

Body Signals

 Horses are good at letting us know exactly how they are feeling; the only problem is most people don’t know how to speak “horse”. So here are some tips on reading a horse’s body language.
 
 If a horse’s tail is:

· High: they are alert or excited

· Low: it is a sign of exhaustion, fear, pain or submission

· Held high over its back: (as seen in most foals) they are playful or are very alarmed

· Swishing: they are irritated. 

If a horse’s legs are:

· Pawing: they are frustrated

· One front-leg lifted: can be a mild threat (or a normal stance sometimes when eating

· A back-leg lifted: is often a more defensive threat

· Stamping: indicates a mild threat or protest (or they may be getting rid of insects or flies biting their legs). 

Some horses’ facial expressions include:

· Snapping: This is seen in foals showing submission to an older horse. They will open their mouths and draw back the corners, then open and shut their jaws.

· Jaws open with teeth exposed: this shows aggression or possible attack.

· The Flehmen response: This is caused by an intense or unusual smell, usually in stallions when they sense a 

 mare in heat. They stick their nose in the air and curl the upper lip over their nose.

· Flared nostrils: usually means they are excited or alert.

· Showing white around the eyes: usually means they are angry or scared. (White around the eyes is also a

 normal characteristic of the Appaloosa breed.)

The horses’ ears are a unique feature:

· Neutral: is when the ears are held loosely upward, openings facing forward or outward.

· Pricked: ears held stiff with openings pointed directly forward means the horse is alert.

· Airplane ears: the ears flop out laterally with openings facing down, usually meaning the horse is

 tired or depressed.

· Drooped ears: hang down loosely to the side, usually meaning tiredness or pain.

· Ears angled backward (with openings directed back towards a rider): usually mean attentiveness

 to the rider or listening to commands.

· Ears pinned flat against the neck: (see picture below) the means watch out! The horse is angry and aggressive.