The upper digestive tract is where every meal begins: lips, teeth, saliva, esophagus, and stomach. When something goes wrong up here, whether it's poor dentition, bolted grain, or long hours without feed, the intestines inherit the problem.
Mouth and esophagus
Chewing mixes feed with saliva, which lubricates it and helps buffer. The esophagus then carries the bolus down to the stomach. Choke is an obstruction of the esophagus, and it's an emergency.
The stomach in brief
The horse's stomach is relatively small and secretes acid continuously, so it does best with frequent forage. For the deeper dive, read Esophagus and Stomach and Dentition.
Putting it to work
Feed for chewing time, and keep the water clean. Call your veterinarian for choke, quidding that keeps up, or signs of gastric pain. If you want ongoing digestive nutritional support, G-Tract fits into many forage-first programs, and you'll find it in our hindgut support collection.
These statements are about nutritional support. ImmuBiome supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Quick questions
Why is this post short compared with others? It's the series overview, so the anatomy detail lives in the linked chapters. We made it clearer without repeating the full esophagus article.
Is the stomach part of the foregut? Yes. The stomach and small intestine make up the foregut, and the cecum and colon are the hindgut.
What should I read next? Start with Esophagus and Stomach, then go on to Gastric Ulceration.
