The majority of domestic
horses have stomach ulcers. So odds are good that your horse does, too. It’s
not a big mystery as to why this happens and it is avoidable.
The
stats. There are two common stats you see: 60% of performance horses
and 90% of race horses have ulcers. A veterinary friend of mine refers to
university studies concluding that 80% of all adult domestic horses have
ulcers. Even foals can have ulcers. Often there are no external signs that a
horse has ulcers and the only way to be certain is to look at the stomach
lining using endoscopy. Before you can deal with your horse's ulcers, you need
to understand why they happen.
Natural eating. Horses
are grazing animals. They are designed to take in small amounts of forage
continually and their stomachs generate gastric acid continually to initiate
digestion. Acid is generated in the lower part of the stomach, which has a
glandular lining tough enough to withstand direct contact with acid. Forage in
the stomach mats up and absorbs acid. Saliva generated by chewing coats the
stomach wall and has a buffering effect on the acid, as does the calcium
present in the forage. As long as a horse is grazing, he’s okay.
Enter domestication.
Many things about the horse’s natural life are changed by living with humans:
his freedom of movement, his social life, his eating patterns. Feeding twice a
day has become a tradition, along with the use of simple carbohydrates in the form
of grain to provide energy.
The empty stomach. The
twice-a-day feeding practice results in long periods – hours at a time – when
the horse’s stomach is empty. This is when ulcers get started. Acid is still
being generated but there is nothing in the stomach to absorb or buffer it. The
pH of the stomach becomes very acidic. When the horse moves around, the acid
accumulating in the lower stomach splashes onto the wall of the upper stomach,
which has a different, more fragile lining. The chemical burns that result are
ulcers. In extreme cases, the gastric acid can score tracks in the stomach
lining as it runs down the wall. The endoscopic image above shows this clearly.
Outward signs of ulcers.
What’s incredible is that horses can cope with ulcers at all. But they do and
we may not even know ulcers are present until there is some outward change in
behavior. Horses may show signs of pain. They may stop eating and drinking.
They may not give their all in performance. These outward signs often become
visible when the horse is put in stressful situations.
The vicious cycle.
Stress sets in motion a vicious cycle the horse can’t handle. Stress
causes an increase in production of gastric acid and a lessened desire to eat
and drink. Without food coming into the stomach, the increased flow of acid results
in increased burning of the upper stomach wall. The discomfort this burning produces
causes more stress and the cycle continues.
What to do. If your
horse has been diagnosed with ulcers, your vet may prescribe omeprazole to
inhibit production of acid. Non-prescription
natural products are also available that help by balancing stomach pH.
These can provide relief from the discomfort of ulcers and set up the
conditions under which damaged tissue can begin to heal. The same medications
can be used in lower doses as a preventive strategy. However, a more natural
diet is the real solution. The key thing is to feed more forage more often. The
ideal is full-time pasture turnout. The next best thing is free choice hay. After
that, a slow hay feeder is a good choice. At the very least, you need to give
your horse an additional forage feeding in the middle of the day. Note that
there are challenges with some of these strategies. For example, you have to be
careful with full-time pasture turnout during periods of warm days and cool
nights. It’s also possible that your horse will become obese if allowed to eat
all the time. The bottom line is that managing your horse’s diet requires
paying attention and making adjustments as needed.
The rest of his diet.
Forage must be the basis of the diet. But no forage contains all the vitamins
and minerals a horse needs, so you'll need a supplement. Look for low-starch
mixes. Avoid grain entirely. Overuse of grain sets the horse up for many
problems, including ulcers. Modern low-starch mixes, whether vitamin/mineral
supplements or complete fortified feeds, have all the advantages of grain and
none of the dangers.
Final thoughts. We can’t
make the lives of our domestic horses exactly like those of their wild cousins
and we wouldn’t want to. Life in the wild is brutal. However, we can commit to
making the way we feed our horses as natural as possible. Even small changes,
like adding a third forage feeding per day or hanging a hay bag in addition to
the flakes put out at meal time will help. We owe it to our horses to make the
effort. Fortunately, it's easy to learn about this aspect of horse care. There are many great educational resources online.
If you found this
article helpful, please like, share, and comment.
The majority of domestic
horses have stomach ulcers. So odds are good that your horse does, too. It’s
not a big mystery as to why this happens and it is avoidable.
The
stats. There are two common stats you see: 60% of performance horses
and 90% of race horses have ulcers. A veterinary friend of mine refers to
university studies concluding that 80% of all adult domestic horses have
ulcers. Even foals can have ulcers. Often there are no external signs that a
horse has ulcers and the only way to be certain is to look at the stomach
lining using endoscopy. Before you can deal with your horse's ulcers, you need
to understand why they happen.
Natural eating. Horses
are grazing animals. They are designed to take in small amounts of forage
continually and their stomachs generate gastric acid continually to initiate
digestion. Acid is generated in the lower part of the stomach, which has a
glandular lining tough enough to withstand direct contact with acid. Forage in
the stomach mats up and absorbs acid. Saliva generated by chewing coats the
stomach wall and has a buffering effect on the acid, as does the calcium
present in the forage. As long as a horse is grazing, he’s okay.
Enter domestication.
Many things about the horse’s natural life are changed by living with humans:
his freedom of movement, his social life, his eating patterns. Feeding twice a
day has become a tradition, along with the use of simple carbohydrates in the form
of grain to provide energy.
The empty stomach. The
twice-a-day feeding practice results in long periods – hours at a time – when
the horse’s stomach is empty. This is when ulcers get started. Acid is still
being generated but there is nothing in the stomach to absorb or buffer it. The
pH of the stomach becomes very acidic. When the horse moves around, the acid
accumulating in the lower stomach splashes onto the wall of the upper stomach,
which has a different, more fragile lining. The chemical burns that result are
ulcers. In extreme cases, the gastric acid can score tracks in the stomach
lining as it runs down the wall. The endoscopic image above shows this clearly.
Outward signs of ulcers.
What’s incredible is that horses can cope with ulcers at all. But they do and
we may not even know ulcers are present until there is some outward change in
behavior. Horses may show signs of pain. They may stop eating and drinking.
They may not give their all in performance. These outward signs often become
visible when the horse is put in stressful situations.
The vicious cycle.
Stress sets in motion a vicious cycle the horse can’t handle. Stress
causes an increase in production of gastric acid and a lessened desire to eat
and drink. Without food coming into the stomach, the increased flow of acid results
in increased burning of the upper stomach wall. The discomfort this burning produces
causes more stress and the cycle continues.
What to do. If your
horse has been diagnosed with ulcers, your vet may prescribe omeprazole to
inhibit production of acid. Non-prescription
natural products are also available that help by balancing stomach pH.
These can provide relief from the discomfort of ulcers and set up the
conditions under which damaged tissue can begin to heal. The same medications
can be used in lower doses as a preventive strategy. However, a more natural
diet is the real solution. The key thing is to feed more forage more often. The
ideal is full-time pasture turnout. The next best thing is free choice hay. After
that, a slow hay feeder is a good choice. At the very least, you need to give
your horse an additional forage feeding in the middle of the day. Note that
there are challenges with some of these strategies. For example, you have to be
careful with full-time pasture turnout during periods of warm days and cool
nights. It’s also possible that your horse will become obese if allowed to eat
all the time. The bottom line is that managing your horse’s diet requires
paying attention and making adjustments as needed.
The rest of his diet.
Forage must be the basis of the diet. But no forage contains all the vitamins
and minerals a horse needs, so you'll need a supplement. Look for low-starch
mixes. Avoid grain entirely. Overuse of grain sets the horse up for many
problems, including ulcers. Modern low-starch mixes, whether vitamin/mineral
supplements or complete fortified feeds, have all the advantages of grain and
none of the dangers.
Final thoughts. We can’t
make the lives of our domestic horses exactly like those of their wild cousins
and we wouldn’t want to. Life in the wild is brutal. However, we can commit to
making the way we feed our horses as natural as possible. Even small changes,
like adding a third forage feeding per day or hanging a hay bag in addition to
the flakes put out at meal time will help. We owe it to our horses to make the
effort. Fortunately, it's easy to learn about this aspect of horse care. There are many great educational resources online.
If you found this
article helpful, please like, share, and comment.
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