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Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a major equine health problem
worldwide. Some studies have reported an incidence of ulcers in performance horses in excess
of 90% of horses training. A more recent study conducted in Western Australia found 53% of
horses had ulcers.
Ulcers negatively and sometimes severely affect a horse's ability to perform. They cause
pain and discomfort, reduce a horse's appetite which in turn limits its capacity to maintain
bodyweight and lead to the development of vices including windsucking and crib biting.
While gastric ulcers have long been recognised as a major health concern there seemingly
wasn't much progress made in preventing them in performance horses. New research conducted
in Australia and the USA is however starting to shine some light on how ulcers can be
avoided.
What Are Gastric Ulcers
Gastric ulcers are lesions that are found in the stomach of horses. The horse's stomach is
made up of 2 major regions, the upper 'squamous' area and the lower 'glandular' area. The
majority of ulcers in adult performance horses occur either in the squamous area or at the
junction of the squamaous and glandular regions.
It is thought that the lack of buffering and protection from gastric acids in the upper
squamous area of the stomach is what makes it more prone to ulceration when compared to the
lower glandular area which secretes mucous to protect itself from the gastric acids that are
continuously secreted into the stomach.
Why Do Gastric Ulcers Occur
Gastric ulcers are a 'mulit-factorial' disease, meaning they are caused by many things. The
following factors have been identified as possible causes of gastric ulcers:
1. Training—horses in training are known to have a higher incidence and also more severe
gastric ulceration than horses not in work. In a recent study it was reported that the risk
of developing moderate to severe gastric ulceration increased 1.7 times for every week that
a horse was in training (Lester et al. 2008).
2. Training location—in thoroughbreds, horses that were exercised on a track on the property
where they lived had 3.3 times less chance of having gastric ulcers (Lester et al. 2008).
3. Turnout/paddock time—horses that were given access to some turnout time were less likely
to develop ulcers (Lester et al. 2008).
4. Turnout time with paddock mates—horses turned out with other horses are even less likely
to develop ulcers than horses turned out alone (Lester et al. 2008).
5. Stress/nervousness—talkback radio playing in stables was found to increase the likelihood
of thoroughbred horses developing ulcers, suggesting stress is a risk factor for ulcers
(Lester et al. 2008).
6. Exercise on an empty stomach—as a horse exercises the pressure inside the stomach
increases which forces the highly acidic gastric contents from the glandular area up into
the unprotected squamous area (Lorenzo-Figueras et al. 2002). Exercising horses on a close
to empty stomach (as would be the case in horses exercised after an overnight fast) makes it
is easy for the acidic contents of the stomach to be pushed up into the squamous upper
region of the stomach where it can cause ulceration.
7. Forage type—lucerne/alfalfa hay appears to have a protective effect on the equine stomach
and appears to reduce the incidence of gastric ulcers in horses (Nadeau et al. 2000; Lybbert
2007).
8. Feeding Frequency—feed deprivation such as might occur during transport and long periods
between meals lowers the pH in the equine stomach and increases the risk of gastric
ulceration (Murray 1994).
9. Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID)—drugs like phenylbutazone have been shown
to increase the risk of ulcers, particularly in the glandular region of the stomach.
How Can Feeding Management Reducing The Risk
Reducing the risk of gastric ulcers is not just a matter of changing one or two things and
hoping it works. You need to assess your horse management systems and make changes wherever
your horses are exposed to one of the above risk factors. Some feeding management practices
that may help reduce the incidence and severity of gastric ulcers are:
• Don't exercise horses on an empty stomach—providing a small meal of lucerne/alfalfa hay
prior to exercise will:
1. Help to stop the acidic contents from the glandular region of the stomach splashing up
into the squamous region where it can cause ulcers;
2. Provide a buffering effect by causing the horse to produce saliva while it is chewing the
hay and through the buffering effect of lucerne/alfalfa hay.
• Provide a small meal of lucerne/alfalfa hay immediately following exercise—the Western
Australian study which found horses trained off site had a higher incidence of gastric
ulcers suggests that the time taken to return home following training and thus time between
the completion of training and breakfast and perhaps the stress associated with travelling
is increasing the incidence of ulcers. Providing a small meal of lucerne/alfalfa following
training will again help buffer the horse's stomach and protect it from gastric
ulceration.
• Provide turnout time (with paddock mates where possible) as often as possible—paddock
turnout will help to reduce a horse's stress level and if pasture is available will provide
the horse with an opportunity to graze, and thus continuously produce saliva to help buffer
the stomach.
• Provide regular small meals and constant access to hay—allowing the horse to feed
continuously during the day and night will help to reduce the likelihood of gastric ulcers
developing. Divide the horse's daily concentrate ration into as many meals as you can to be
fed during the day and evening and provide hay (preferably not all as lucerne/alfalfa hay,
some grass hay will provide variety in the diet and keep the horses protein intake in
check).
If you are travelling long distances with your horse take regular breaks to provide small
meals during the trip. Providing hay in a hay net will also provide the horse with an
opportunity to continue eating during transport (if the hay is dusty dampen it down). If you
are concerned about the horse's gutfill leading into a competition, reduce the amount of hay
you are feeding for 2 days leading up to an event. However be careful not to reduce total
forage intake to less than 1% bodyweight per day.
Using these feeding management strategies in combination with strategies to reduce stress
and the impact of NSAID drugs will help to reduce a horse's risk of developing gastric
ulcers.
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If Your Horse Already Has Ulcers You Must Treat Them
While one study has shown that feeding lucerne/alfalfa hay has been shown to reduce the
severity of ulcers already present in horses and long periods of pasture turnout will
sometimes allow a horse to resolve gastric ulcer issues, if your horse already has ulcers
you must treat them with a registered ulcer treatment. Talk to your vet about the best
treatment regime for your horses.
Finally...
Gastric ulcers are a serious and common health problem in horses that will affect their
overall wellbeing and performance. While researchers still don't have a full understanding
of how and why they occur with such a high incidence, using the feeding and management
strategies outlined above will help to reduce your horse's risk of developing gastric
ulceration.
Dr. Nerida Richards (PhD) is Australia's foremost expert in Horse Nutrition. This article is
courtesy of FeedXL DIY Diet Planner for
Horses. If you would like be among the first to receive FeedXL newsletters then
please consider subscribing to FeedXL.
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