Horse Anatomy Exam 1 Practice

In horses, the fermentation of fibrous plant material happens in the hindgut, with the cecum serving as the primary fermentation chamber. The ileum releases partly digested material into the cecum, where a dense, anaerobic microbial population breaks down cellulose and other fibers into volatile fatty acids. These VFAs are absorbed through the cecal wall and provide a major energy source for the horse. The stomach and small intestine mainly handle enzymatic digestion and nutrient absorption, not fermentation, while the esophagus is just a passage. Therefore, the cecum is the main site of hindgut fermentation.