How To Reduce The Risk Of Gastric Ulcers In Horses

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is one of the most common health problems with horses worldwide. Many studies have proven that 90% of ulcers occur in performance horses. These ulcers cause pain and discomfort in horses, even affecting the horse’s ability to perform. 


Gastric ulcers are a major health issue in horses but many horse owners are not aware of what causes them, and how they can be prevented. 


Let’s Dig in,


What are Gastric Ulcers?

These are the sores that form on the stomach lining. The horse stomach has two major regions namely the upper ‘squamous’ area and the lower ‘glandular’ area. Ulcers mainly occur in the ‘squamous’ area of the stomach or at the junction of the squamous and glandular regions.


Why do gastric ulcers mainly occur in the upper section of the stomach?

Horses evolved as grazing animals which means they are constantly chewing and salivating which means their stomach is always full. Due to this, their stomach doesn’t have an on-off switch for gastric acid production. So, their stomach secretes gastric acid 24 hours whether they are eating or not.  


When horses eat they produce saliva and that helps to buffer the gastric acid in the stomach. This means when they are not eating they aren’t salivating. But they are still secreting gastric acid and this results in a pool of unbuffered gastric fluid collecting in the lower section of the horse’s.


The lower section of the horse stomach can protect itself from gastric ulcers; as it produces enough sticky mucosa to protect itself from acid secretion. But the upper part of the horse’s stomach doesn’t have the same type of protection. 


When a horse has an empty stomach the gastric fluids splash up into the upper section of the stomach. This acid starts to burn holes in the lining of the stomach wall. If this occurs on a repetitive basis ulcers will develop. 


Reasons that increase the risk of gastric ulcers in horses:

Gastric ulcers can be caused by many reasons. Researchers have found some of the reasons mentioned below:

  1. Exercising on an empty stomach

  2. Intense training 

  3. Travel 

  4. Stress

  5. Forage type

  6. Feeding Frequency

  7. Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs)


How to reduce the chance of gastric ulcers:

To reduce the risk of gastric ulcers you need to assess your horse management and review feeding management practices that may help to reduce the gastric ulcer:

  1. Never let horses exercise on an empty stomach

  2. Feed a small meal of alfalfa hay immediately after exercise

  3. Provide turnout time as often as possible

  4. Provide a regular small meal and constant access to quality hay & water


In case if your horse has ulcers you immediately need to treat them with ulcer medication. 


Conclusion

Gastric ulcers are one of the common and serious health issues in horses as it affects their overall well being and performance. There are many reasons why gastric ulcers occur. Horse owners need to have good management skills and know their horses. Using the above-mentioned methods can reduce the risk of gastric ulcers in horses. 

If your horse is suffering from gastric ulcers, shop for the best equine gastric ulcers medication from Abler. Our ulcer products are available in paste, tablet, and granule form that are pre-measured and easy to administer, including the pickiest of horses.

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