Managing Horses to Prevent Ulcers

Horse on pasture at evening near sunset

Ulcers are surprisingly all too common among domestic horses. In fact, recent studies suggest that 50-90% of horses will suffer from ulcers over the course of their lifetimes. Ulcers can occur in the stomach, front gut, or hindgut, and can have wide-ranging effects on your horse’s behavior and wellbeing. You can learn more about what ulcers are and how your horse may show symptoms on our blog post, Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS).

As horse owners, we all want the best for our beloved animals. To keep our horses happy and comfortable, monitoring for and preventing ulcers is important. Keep reading to learn more about some of the management practices that will limit the occurrence of ulcers in your horse.

Symptoms of Ulcers

It is essential to understand the symptoms of ulcers so that you can be on the lookout and monitor your horse for them. Ulcers can manifest in horses in a variety of ways, but the most common symptoms of ulcers include:

  • Changes in behavior
  • Being unwilling to perform under saddle
  • Discomfort while tightening the girth
  • Lack of appetite or becoming a finicky eater
  • Dull coat
  • Weight loss
  • Loose manure
  • Grinding of the teeth (particularly under saddle)
  • Picking up new vices, such as cribbing
  • Laying down more than usual
  • Colic or colic-like episodes

If you suspect that your horse has ulcers, the best course of action is to contact your veterinarian. After an initial examination, if ulcers are still the assumed diagnosis, they will ask you to withhold food from your horse for 12 hours prior to the appointment (water is acceptable). Under sedation, they will utilize a gastroscopy (stomach camera) to visualize the lining of your horse’s empty stomach and determine if ulcers are present. Ulcers are sores on the stomach and gastrointestinal lining that are painful for your horse when eating and exercising. If your horse does have ulcers, most likely an omeprazole-based medication will be prescribed by the veterinarian; these medications are proven by the FDA to be effective in treating ulcers. Unless your veterinarian has a good reason to suspect ulcers, “scoping” your horse is not routinely recommended because not only is the procedure expensive, it also is stressful for your horse. 

Preventative Strategies 

When it comes to preventing ulcers, many horse owners and veterinarians believe that the right management practices are key. Domestication has put a strain on horses, and it is up to us to make their lives as comfortable and natural as possible. By feeding them and caring for them in a more natural manner, you can minimize their stress levels and help them to maintain a healthy digestive tract. Many of these practices and strategies are centered around helping your horse manage the amount of acid in their stomach. Here are some of the ways that you can limit the occurrence of ulcers in your horse:

Unlimited Access to Forage

Grazing horses

Horses evolved as grazing animals and are designed to have forage constantly moving through their digestive systems; in fact, in the wild, horses eat for about 16-18 hours a day. Because of this, their stomachs constantly produce stomach acid (this is different from humans and dogs, who only produce stomach acid when needed). Chewing hay stimulates the production of saliva which is a natural antacid for horses. In order to counteract the amount of acid in the stomach, horses benefit from consistent access to free choice forage so they are frequently chewing and making saliva over the duration of the day.

Make sure that your horse constantly has access to forage, such as hay or chopped hay. In order to make the hay last throughout the day, particularly if you have a horse who eats quickly or you have an overweight horse who eats smaller amounts of hay, it is a great idea to feed meals every few hours or use a slow-feed hay net to slow your horse’s rate of consumption. If your horse is munching on hay 24/7, there will be plenty of saliva to protect the digestive tract. In your horse’s stall, the Gatsby Hay Bag Slow Feeder or the Shires 2 Tone Haynet are popular options, meanwhile, outside in the pasture, The NibbleNet Nibble-Go-Round or the Hay Chix Small Bale Net work well. If your horse is an easy keeper or has insulin resistance, you may want to try feeding lower-quality hay in higher quantities so that they still get the benefits of free-choice forage.

Gatsby All Natural Slow Hay Feeder

This hay net encourages your horse to slow down while eating hay, extending the period that they spend consuming it.

If you have access to pasture during the summer months, this is another effective way to ensure consistent free-choice forage. As a rule of thumb, if your horse is on lush pasture, they will consume 1-2lbs of dry matter per hour. If the pasture is young or overgrazed, you may need to supplement with hay to make sure that forage requirements are met.

Add Alfalfa to Their Diet

Adding alfalfa to your horse’s diet is another excellent way to provide a natural buffer to your horse’s digestive system. Due to the protein and calcium content of the legume hay, it is a desirable choice to add to your horse’s diet, particularly if they are prone to ulcers. The high calcium content (like Tums for people) in alfalfa hay is known to provide a buffering effect for the stomach lining against the stomach acid. Even in small doses, alfalfa hay has been shown to decrease the likelihood of ulcers developing. 

Many equestrians choose to supplement their horses with alfalfa in alternative forms. Alfalfa cubes, such as Semican Alfalfa Cubes, and alfalfa pellets, the Semican Alfalfa Pellet, for example, are easy to feed and have virtually no waste. They can also be soaked to increase your horse’s water intake. Additionally, chopped alfalfa products, like Triple Crown Stress-Free Forage and Lucerne Farms Alfa Supreme, are easy to feed into your horse’s feed bucket with their supplements and grain rations.

Triple Crown Stress Free Forage (Formerly Alfa-Lox Forage)

This alfalfa-based supplement utilizes a multiple nutrient-based approach to support normal digestive health, ideal for horses with gastric or colonic ulcers.

You can also utilize alfalfa-based products as a shield during your daily rides or other potentially stressful situations. Feeding a small amount of pellets, cubes, or chopped alfalfa in the hours prior to your ride will help the acid from building up in your horse’s stomach and can be an effective ulcer preventative. Many equestrians also try to feed their horses alfalfa hay or alfalfa-based forage products when trucking their horses due to the buffering effect it has on a horse’s stomach.

Limit Concentrates

Grain is an important source of calories and nutrients for many horses. It is a well-balanced formulation that helps to meet your horse’s nutritional needs for their life stage and exercise level. However, feeding large amounts of grain has also been linked to an increased risk of developing ulcers because the stomach acid needs to work harder to break down the large amounts of protein and carbohydrates that enter the horse’s digestive system. Once the grain is digested, there is an excess amount of stomach acid that remains in the stomach.

This does not mean that you should remove grain entirely from your horse’s diet, but you may need to adjust your feeding practices. Feeding your horse multiple, smaller meals throughout the day gives your horse ample time to digest their nutrients without shocking their digestive system. If possible, see if you can increase your horse’s forage rations and decrease your horse’s grain intake.

Many grain companies have also begun incorporating digestive aids or high-forage ingredients into their formulations. For example, the Purina Strategy Healthy Edge Horse Feed includes their popular Purina Outlast Gastric Support Supplement for Horses which helps to balance the pH of the horse’s stomach as they eat their grain. This helps eliminate gastric discomfort and prevent ulcers.

Purina Outlast Gastric Support Supplement

This supplement was designed to be top-dressed on your horse’s regular feed ration and/or fed as a snack within one hour prior to engaging in a potentially stressful event.

Manage Stress

Stressful situations, such as trailering or competing, can cause ulcers in your horse’s digestive system. Whenever possible, it is a good idea to limit the amount of obvious stress in your horse’s life, however, this is not always practical. If your horse is going to encounter a stressful situation, many veterinarians recommend treating them with an omeprazole-based product, such as UlcerGard Oral Paste. These products neutralize stomach acid and have been shown to be effective in preventing ulcers. For maximum effectiveness, UlcerGard should be used two days prior to the stressful event and two days past the stressful event.

UlcerGard Oral Paste

This tried and true paste uses omeprazole to reduce the production of acid in the horse’s stomach.

Sometimes, horses get stressed for seemingly no reason at all. This can present as symptoms such as pacing, cribbing, stall walking, pawing, or simply a decrease in their appetite level. To manage this, try to have constant routines with your horses, especially regarding feeding times and turnout times. This allows your horse to hopefully relax in their home environment. However, constant changing of super strict schedules can make horses stress more, so basing your schedule around a window of time can give your horse a buffer. Whenever possible, try to keep the routines similar whenever you travel with your horse.

Plenty of Turnout

While many of us keep our horses in stalls for periods of time, horses tend to thrive when they are allowed ample amounts of turnout time. The amount of turnout that your horse needs will largely depend on their personality and their already established routines. Some horses do exceedingly well on all-day turnout, while others find this to be stressful and begin to pace the fence line (not beneficial for reducing ulcers). Many owners have found that an “in-out” situation works well for their horses, opening the stall directly into the pasture allows your horse to determine the ideal amount of turnout time for their individual needs. Of course, during their turnout time plenty of hay and/or pasture should be available so they have forage moving through their digestive tract creating the saliva to coat their stomachs.

Utilize Digestive Supplements

Many of our horse-keeping practices deviate greatly from how they evolved: roaming the grassy plains. To counteract this, equine health companies have carefully developed supplements to support your horse’s digestive tract. Digestive supplements are suggested for horses that are anxious, frequently in stressful situations, have loose manure, or are prone to or recovering from ulcers. Many of these supplements, like Uckele G.U.T. Powder and  Equinature Ulcer-Aid, help the digestive system neutralize excess acids while maintaining the proper pH, some also contain beneficial prebiotics and probiotics which assist in the digestive process. 

Uckele G.U.T. Powder

This supplement helps maintain proper stomach acidity and pH balance for a healthy stomach and GI tract.

Digestive yeast can also be a beneficial ingredient. Yeasts can help to heal the digestive tract while also promoting the fermentation of foods that is necessary for proper digestion. Succeed is an example of a digestive supplement that contains these enzymes and nourishes the lining of the digestive tract.

Feed Aloe Vera

Anecdotal evidence has shown that feeding aloe vera juice may help to lubricate the horse’s stomach and buffer against excess stomach acid. Many equestrians claim that it promotes a healthy stomach lining and calms any inflammation. As an added bonus, many horses love the flavor! It comes in liquid forms, like ​​Hilton Herbs 2:1 Aloe Vera Juice, or pelleted supplements, such as Uckele Aloe Vera Pellets, to accommodate all diets.

Hilton Herbs 2:1 Aloe Vera Juice

This all natural product is made from Aloe Vera 10:1, where the Aloe Vera leaves are filleted and washed to remove aloin. They are then ground and pulp and fiber removed. After flash pasteurization, it’s concentrated via reverse osmosis to get Aloe Vera 10:1, preserved and pH adjusted. It is then carefully adjusted to achieve 2:1 which means it is twice as concentrated as fresh Aloe Vera Juice.

Be Wary of Medications

Anti-inflammatory medications, like Phenylbutazone (Bute), and antibiotic medications, such as Doxycycline (Doxy), can wreak havoc on your horse’s digestive system. Whenever your horse has been prescribed these medications, it is a great idea to work with your veterinarian to develop an ulcer prevention plan. Sometimes they may prescribe a different medication, or they may suggest feeding an omeprazole-based product, like GastroMax3 Paste, during the course of the medications. By being proactive whenever you feed your horse medications, you can limit the chance of your horse developing ulcers.

Preventing ulcers in your horse requires a multi-pronged approach that addresses many facets of your horse’s well-being, including their social and emotional needs, nutrition, and daily routines. Sometimes, despite our hard work, horses will still develop ulcers. If you believe that your horse may have ulcers, we recommend working with your veterinarian to diagnose your horse via scoping and then discuss your treatment options (if necessary). With the right plan as outlined above in place, you can increase the likelihood of your horse developing staying ulcer-free while helping their digestive system flourish.

Do you have any questions regarding forage products or digestive supplements? Our experienced sales staff is also available for consultations and to help you develop the best plan for your horse.

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