The Hunger Clock

One of the greatest adjustments the domestic horse makes is something most people never think about.

The horse’s relationship with hunger.

In the wild, a horse is almost never truly “waiting for food.”

Grazing is constant. Intake is slow. The stomach is rarely empty. The horse’s system is designed for continuity, not interruption.

The horse lives by what I call the Hunger Clock.

It is not just about calories.

It is about biology, expectation, and rhythm.

A horse is built to eat for most of the day, moving as it does so.

Small amounts, almost constantly.

That steady flow buffers stomach acid, supports the hindgut, and keeps the horse’s nervous system stable.

Domestic life changes that completely.

We feed meals.

Two a day. Sometimes three.

Large gaps in between.

Long hours where the horse has nothing to do except wait.

And the horse adapts.

Some horses become food anxious.

Some become aggressive at feeding time.

Some develop pacing, fence walking, or stable habits.

Some become dull, shut down, or withdrawn.

Many develop ulcers quietly, without dramatic signs.

This is not misbehaviour.

This is the prey animal’s body responding to an unnatural feeding rhythm.

When a horse is meal fed, the stomach spends more time empty. Acid continues to be produced. The horse’s gut becomes less buffered. The Hunger Clock starts ticking loudly.

The horse begins to live in anticipation.

That is why feeding is never just feeding.

It is management of the horse’s internal world.

The solution is not complicated, but it is fundamental.

More fibre. More continuity. More forage time. Smaller gaps. More movement with feeding. Systems that respect how the horse was designed to function.

When we align domestic feeding with the horse’s natural rhythm, we do not just improve digestion.

We improve the horse’s peace.

Because the domestic horse is always adapting.

And hunger is one of the first places that adaptation shows.