Gastric ulcers in horses

Dietary management and minimising stress reactions: Equiplanet’s advice for gastric ulcers in horses

Every rider knows that stress can have a significant impact on their horse’s athletic performance, but sometimes they underestimate its symptoms. Nervousness and agitation, for example, are always attributed to the horse’s temperament; it never occurs to anyone that the root of the problem might be gastric and that it manifests itself through behavioural changes.

How can I tell if my horse has gastritis or a stomach ulcer?

The most common gastric ulcer in horses affects the squamous mucosa of the stomach (Equine Squamous Gastric Disease, ESGD). If they are not severe, they often go unnoticed because the horse displays one or more of the following signs: a dull coat, yawning, foul-smelling faeces, a fussy appetite and a lack of willingness to work. These symptoms are often mistakenly attributed to rising ambient temperatures, as they occur most frequently in spring and summer, when sporting activities are actually at their peak with a large number of competitions on the calendar.

What are the main causes of gastric ulcers in horses?

The main causes of gastric ulcers in horses are stressful events (transport, intense exercise), routine natural occurrences (weaning, separation from the herd, change of ownership) that are handled inappropriately, or feeding errors. Among the most common management errors are diets that are too high in cereals, prolonged fasting, and a lack of good-quality hay.

Gastric ulcers: are all horses affected by this condition?

A retrospective British study reported that 54% of leisure horses and 64% of sport horses are prone to ulcers. In the collective imagination of the equestrian world, the presence of such lesions is attributed almost exclusively to racehorses, among whom the prevalence is, in fact, close to 100% during the racing season.

What can I do to help my horse avoid stomach lining disorders such as gastric ulcers?

From an ethological perspective, it is recommended to keep horses in paddocks as much as possible, avoid stabling them for long periods, and ensure they have contact with other horses, as in the wild the horse is a social animal, accustomed to living in herds.

Can diet help prevent the onset of gastric ulcers in horses?

There are nutritional measures that can be helpful, such as providing hay ad libitum. In the evening, slow-feeding nets can be hung in the stall, allowing the horse to eat more slowly and preventing it from going without food during the night. Furthermore, care should be taken to divide concentrates into several meals to be fed after the hay. Feed with a low starch content is preferable, as it helps control gastric acidity as well as muscle acidity, thereby preventing the production and accumulation of lactic acid.

Are there any specific products that can be used to supplement the diet?

There are supplementary feeds that can be included in the ration to protect the gastric mucosa and promote its normal function. A horse that is stressed or engaged in intensive training and competition should have its diet supplemented with this type of product. These may be administered in cycles, each lasting at least 25–30 days.

What solutions does Equiplanet offer?

For over 20 years, Equiplanet has specialised in nutrition for competition horses, with a particular focus on their wellbeing. At the Tecnozoo facility, of which Equiplanet is a brand, feeds such as Fat Fiber – with a reduced starch content – and Trophogast Pellets are produced. The latter is a complementary feed based on pectin, lecithin and Castanea Sativa extract and is recommended to support the horse’s gastric mucosa. Its effectiveness in promoting the healing of moderate-grade ulcers has recently been successfully tested on endurance horses in full competitive activity, through a study conducted by the University of Milan – Department of Veterinary Medicine.

How was the study on Trophogast Pellet conducted?

Fifteen endurance horses from three stables were recruited for the study and randomly assigned to one of two groups (T = treatment, C = control). The treatment group received Trophogast Pellet for 30 days alongside changes in management (diet, access to the paddock, availability of hay, etc.). The control group underwent management changes only. All horses in the study underwent gastroscopy on day 0 and were scored based on lesions of the stomach mucosa. On day 30, the gastroscopic examination was repeated, revealing a statistically significant improvement in the T group.

This study demonstrated that Trophogast Pellet was effective in promoting the healing of moderate-grade ESGD in endurance horses.

Download the Trophogast Pellet information pack to find out more about this feed supplement designed to support the integrity of the gastric mucosa.

Furthermore, to find out more, read the full article written by the University of Milan