What is fermentation in the cecum and large intestine and how does it work?
Look to see what bacteria are in the horses digestive system first, as they provide the fermentation process of the food the horses digest (like grass/hay will have different bacteria as they will need to have a cellulase enzyme to break down the cellulose in the fiberous plants, or like oats/grains will have a different bacteria that have enzymes like amylase to digest the sugars and the enzyme protease to digest the proteins in the grains). Then look to see if those bacteria are in the cecum/large intestine of the horse. Remember that there are specific enzymes that the horse uses to digest the food as it passes thru each part of the GI tract. By the time it gets to the cecum/large intestine the food is pretty well digested by the horse’s own digestion enzymes. All that fiber that is left is then used by the bulk of the bacteria in the horse. You also have to remember that the horse’s digestive system will start to add bile acids/salts to the leftover food in the large intestines als
Since horses are grazers, it takes a long time for food to be broken down. Horses have a relatively small stomach, but their intestines are long and the caecum and large intestine give the bacteria that live there plenty of time to ferment the food the horse has eaten. Note: if you didn’t know, the caecum is the part of the large intestine “below” where the small intestine joins it (our appendix hangs from our caecum); fermentation is anerobic respiration.
