24/06/2025
Did you know more than half of all horses may suffer from stomach ulcers.
Although competition horses (sport, racing) are the most prone, this condition has been proven to affect all types of horses and should not be taken lightly.
Recently I had a client that asked her vet if she should look into stomach ulcers and the vet said no, and shrugged it off. Upon my first look of the horse I recommended a scope before I started training with him, as i thought he displayed symptoms and if so I like to be sure before training commences. It turned out the poor horse had stage 3 ulcers (stages are 1-4) and was in quite a lot of pain.
Moral of the story is, even a vet’s advice can unfortunately be wrong sometimes and there is no harm in having the horse scoped to at least check. Most clinics run monthly scoping days where it’s quite cheap, roughly $120. It’s great peace of mind at least. The vets can also determine what types of ulcers they may be, the severity and what medication is best to treat them with.
Symptoms can vary with individual horses as well as the severity, or even be non-existent in the most tolerant or stoic of horses. Symptoms may include poor condition - weight loss, dull coat, changes in behaviour - teeth grinding, grumpiness, sensitivity to grooming, girthiness, reduced performance, reduced appetite ect
I have had many horses come to me that presented with symptoms of ulcers, one horse I had, her symptoms were quite mild, had her scoped, only to find out her stomach was bleeding from stage 4 ulcers. Incredibly bad.
Why are horses prone to stomach ulcers? Because horses are grazers, designed to eat 16 hours a day, their stomachs are constantly producing acid. If the horse has insufficient forage, or goes for over 3 hours without eating, this acid builds up in the stomach and may creates ulcers.
Another cause can be ingesting too many fermentable sugars (starch, glucose in which many store bought feeds unfortunately have) then the pH of the stomach may drop, which degrades the protective mucus layer and leads to ulceration. As far as feed is concerned, all horse should have access to 24/7 forage and small hard feeds that are low in sugars and starch. It is also encouraged to make sure your horse has eaten before working. So to prevent acid splash in the stomach. Hay is the best for this.
Unfortunately there are still non-nutritional causes. Stress is huge one, from things such transport, intensive training, weaning, being stalled, medication, pregnancy, isolation from other horses and separation anxiety etc.
Once horses develop ulcers the only way to treat them is with vet prescribed medication. Supplements may help but unfortunately ulcers will never fully heal without it.
It’s common for horses to go years without ever being diagnosed or treated…
