A horse has only one stomach. Unlike ruminants such as cows and sheep, which have multi-compartmented stomachs (typically four compartments), horses are non-ruminant herbivores with a simple, single-chambered stomach that functions similarly to a human's stomach
. This stomach is relatively small for the horse's body size, holding about 3 to 5 gallons (approximately 2-4 gallons depending on the source), and makes up roughly 9-10% of the total digestive tract volume
. The horse's stomach has three main regions: the saccus caecus, the fundus, and the pyloric region, each playing a role in digestion
. Because the stomach is small and fills quickly, horses are adapted to eat small, frequent meals rather than large, infrequent ones. Their digestion relies heavily on fermentation in the hindgut (cecum and colon), which is much larger and acts somewhat like a fermentation vat to break down fibrous plant material
. In summary:
- Horses have one single stomach.
- The stomach is relatively small compared to body size (3-5 gallons capacity).
- Horses are non-ruminants, so they do not have multiple stomach compartments like cattle.
- Their digestive system relies on hindgut fermentation for fiber digestion.
This anatomy necessitates feeding horses small, frequent meals to maintain digestive health and prevent issues like gastric ulcers
