The horse’s (non-ruminant herbivore) gastrointestinal tract differs from that of cattle (ruminant). The horse’s soft palate closes after it swallows food, trapping the food in the larynx. In addition, the horse has muscular contractions in the esophagus that only go in a downward direction. Unlike cattle, the horse cannot reverse the direction of esophageal contractions. The cardiac sphincter muscle closes tightly when food enters the stomach and does not release, trapping food in the stomach. Therefore, horses cannot regurgitate their food and chew it again like cattle can.
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This work is supported in part by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. 2020-41595-30123 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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