Downeast Medal Finals

May 2023

Presented by Dover Saddlery

September 14-17, 2023

Visit our website for more information about Downeast. We welcome all feedback and suggestions: please email Ginger at ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com

Horse Digestion

Many people anthropomorphize horses. We think they should be clean. We think they should wear nice, warm blankets when it’s cold, and we think they should eat two or three meals a day.

Horses are horses–not humans. They should be treated like horses. They like to get dirty. They can regulate their own body temperature in most cases. They have a unique digestive system that is very different from the human digestive tract.

Understanding horse digestion should be a top priority. It sometimes seems that the horse’s digestive system is quite delicate, but many of the common digestive problems are due to the unnatural way horses are fed. When a horse is out in the wild with thousands of acres of free-roam grazing, and the only external demand is to maintain itself and occasionally run from predators, this configuration serves it quite well, most of the time.

A minimum of 10 acres is required per horse to make enough forage for consumption, allow adequate movement, and to minimize parasitism. This is difficult to achieve in the modern world for most people. Riding or lunging must suffice for exercise, and the horse is much more reliant upon hay. Dewormers, of course, rid them of parasites- at least most of them, there are exceptions.

Here are some fascinating (and good-to-know) facts about horse digestion:

1. The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore. The digestive system share features with dogs and cats (and humans) which are monogastric, as well as the ruminant in which there are 3-4 gastric compartments. (Camelids have three).

2. As forage (the horse’s natural food) is chewed by the horse, the salivary glands produce up to 10 gallons of saliva (per day). Saliva is crucial for neutralizing stomach acids and reducing the risk of gastric ulcers. Horses do not make as much saliva when eating grain-type feeds.

3. The esophagus, which empties into the stomach, only works in one direction for the horse. Food cannot be regurgitated or vomited.

4. Gastric capacity is 8-10 liters, which is quite small compared to other parts of the digestive system.

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Hemphill's Horses, Feed, and Saddlery

Thank you to Hemphill's for sponsoring Downeast Medal Finals!

Here at Hemphill’s Horses, Feed, and Saddlery, we are proud of our heritage and of the reputation we have built over the past six years. We have had the opportunity to sponsor and set up shop at Downeast Medal Finals since year one! Hemphill’s was founded by Creighton and Margaret Hemphill and grew to become an iconic institution in North Vassalboro, Maine over 30+ years.

The new “Hemphill’s” is family owned and operated by Emily Mitchell and Bill Rafuse. Our children, Elliott, Willa, and Maggie, are growing up enjoying all things equine! Together with our family, staff, and the community at large, we aim to create a mecca for horse lovers across Maine and New England. We are stepping into a tradition of providing a one-stop-shop for all things equine with the sale of horses, tack, and feed, as well as a camp horse rental program. We have expanded our offerings to include educational clinics in a variety of disciplines, seminars on veterinary care and nutrition, a traveling tack shop, competitions, and fun family-friendly events.

Our brave and wonderful staff kept things rolling without missing a beat during the entirety of the shut down in 2020 since our feed business was deemed essential and our sale horses needed daily tending, too. The societal slow down in many areas has really turned into an uptick in our part of the horse industry with more people finding time for outdoor activities and time to add horses into their lives. We love playing matchmaker for many horses and ponies all up and down the east coast.

One of our favorite things about show season and Medal Finals is seeing horses that we have had the pleasure of selling or leasing out in the show ring shining with their new people. We'll look forward to doing that again this year at the Downeast Medal Finals! In the meantime, follow us on Facebook or come see us in North Vassalboro. We're open six days a week and we'd love to help you find your next horse or get you outfitted with tack and equipment. We do offer horse leasing programs in summer and winter as well as in-store specials for IEA, IHSA, 4H, and local barns, so be in touch if you'd like to find out more about what we have to offer!