digestion in horses

Question
hello ma'am, within how many minutes does digestion starts in thoroughbred horses when they are fed bran mash?

Answer
Hello Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  The horse begins to digest feed moments after it begins eating however, depending on the composition of the feed, digestion may not be completed for 2-3 days.  Grains are (ideally) digested in the stomach of the horse shortly after being eaten but forages are fermented in the cecum many hours later.  As a fiber-based feed, bran will begin to be digested within 1-2 hours but will not be fully digested (if at all) until a day or two later.

Thanks, Corlena