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 a...