Abler - Equine Health Products

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 a...

Equine Intestinal Tract is divided into large sections based on its functionality. All these sections are the same in mammals. This includes the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and small colon. Anatomy About Equine Intestinal Tract Stomach: The stomach is a large sac that condenses the feed which is ingested by horses. The acid present in the stomach helps to break down feed particles and an enzyme called pepsin starts protein digestion. Small and Large Intestine: True digestion starts in the small intestine that gets liquefied feed materials from the stomach with the pancreas secreted by enzymes into the small intestine. Small intestines are the primary site for digestion and absorption of sugar, starch, protein, and fat. Calcium, phosphorous, and fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K are also absorbed by the small intestine. The next segment is the large intestine which starting with the cecum and ends with a descending colon. The large intestine acts like a large fe...