Horses Spend Most of Their Day Grazing

Horses spend most of their day grazing, and are a classic example of 'little and often' feeders.

Their stomachs are kept approximately half-full all the time, so that if they need to take flight, they are not running with a full belly. Another evolutionary adaptation the horse has to its 'flight not fight' lifestyle is its vision.

This is very nearly 360 degrees and the distance between the eyes and the mouth allows the horse to see all around it at the same time as grazing. Although flight animals, if cornered and unable to take flight, horses will defend themselves by kicking and biting.

It is important to bear in mind the strong herd instinct that horses have when dealing with the domestic horse. A classic example is to avoid removing all the horses from a field at one time, leaving one horse left behind on its own.

The horse that has been left will exhibit signs of distress including rushing up and down the fence line, whinnying, and in some cases, trying to jump out to join its companions. This is because his 'herd,' which is his safety net, has been removed, and he feels vulnerable.