Learning About Horses - Taste & Mouth

 Learning About Horses - 

Taste (gustation)

Sense of taste in horses is probably not as important as sense of smell. It is difficult to separate behavioral responses due to taste or olfactory sense. 

Horses use their sense of taste to differentiate between different types of feed. If a horse has access to multiple forage species the horse will select different types and species more than sheep, goats, or cattle. 

Horses are NOT "nutrition wise." Based on research it seems like horses will not balance their own rations when provided with a variety of feeds. Horses will also consume higher levels than necessary to meet their nutrient needs. However, they are selective grazers basing their choices on taste and texture. They will USUALLY avoid toxic plants if there are better choices available. BUT will eat them if pasture or hay is limited. They choose to graze on younger more tender plants.

Tip of the tongue

The tip of a horses' tongue is very mobile. This helps the incisors and lips select, grasp, and move it into the mouth. The tip of the tongue is also very sensitive and allows the horse to choose what it wants in its mouth since it can not see right in front of its nose. 

Use their tongue

The top of the tongue is covered with papillae (tiny protuberances) that provide traction. The papillae help move the food down to the esophagus for swallowing. As the horse eats, the food mass will stick to the top of its tongue. The horse presses this to the roof of their mouth and move it to the teeth for mastication. The more the food is masticated, the more it breaks down, releasing nutrition, and more saliva is released to help in digestion. 

They also use their tongues to clean their teeth, poke out leftover food, and allow saliva to wash over them. 

Horse taste buds are located on the base of the tongue or the soft palate and are ovoid in shape. They function as chemical receptors and the Glossopharyngeal nerve or the Trigeminal nerve may become activated. Horses also have some extra taste buds on the Epiglottis. The epiglottis covers the windpipe opening during the swallowing process. So when a horse swallows he gets an extra burst of flavor. Horses do not have any taste buds on the tips of their tongue. 

Horses prefer sweet and salty flavors. They can taste salty, sour, sweet, and bitter. 

The cheek teeth grind the food which mixes with alkaline saliva. There are 3 pairs of salivary glands: Parotid, Submaxillary, and Sublingual. 

The Parotid (located behind the jaw and under the ear) are the largest. Partly under the Parotid glands and partly inside the jaw bone itself are the Submaxillary glands. The Sublingual gland is found under the tongue and can be felt under the skin in between the bones in the jaw. It's like a little bubble that will flex when you push on it. 

Adult horses can secrete up to 10 gallons of salvia a day!!!

Horses should eat slowly. Grain should take 5-10 minutes PER POUND to consume. Hay should be consumed at their leisure and usually takes 15-20 minutes to eat a pound of hay. Hay will absorb four times its weight in saliva. 

Saliva is the digestive juice that acts on starches and sugars and lubricates the food to help with swallowing. The tongue helps push the food towards the pharynx. 

When a horse drinks the tongue is used like a suction pump like we do when we drink from a straw. The horse consumes 1/2 pint of water per swallow. 

https://www.equisearch.com/discoverhorses/horse-taste?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-expert-how-to-for-english-riders

https://www.communitynewslinesville.com/horsin-around-with-roseanne/2258-the-horses-sense-of-taste#:~:text=Horses%20have%20taste%20buds%2C%20just,Trigeminus%20nerve%20may%20become%20activated.&text=The%20horse%20does%20not%20have,the%20tip%20of%20the%20tongue.

https://horse-canada.com/magazine/miscellaneous/10-amazing-facts-equine-sense-taste/