Horse Energy Flow

A see-through horse walks and grazes. Each dot is a packet of food energy, followed from the mouth to wherever it ends up.

Walking

Where the eaten energy has gone

Food energy in the gut, before it's absorbed

Sugars, starch and fat absorbed in the small intestine

Fatty acids (VFAs) made by microbes fermenting fiber in the cecum and colon

Rings at the legs: muscles burning fuel to walk

Rings in the body: heat from digestion and keeping warm

Methane from gut microbes, plus urine

Undigested fiber leaving as manure