Ulcers are something everyone knows can happen to horses, but few want to admit their horse might be plagued with them or headed that way. I have heard various estimates on the number of horses who have, or are likely to have, ulcers. Some studies say as high as 60% of all domestic horses have ulcers to some degree. Hopefully, your horse nor mine have them, but it's always a possiblity. So, what causes ulcers and how can we help a horse who has them?
First of all, it's necessary to understand what a horse's digestive system is designed to do in the wild. It is designed to process small amounts of low-nutrient grasses for as much as 20 hours a day. In the wild, a horse will rarely find lush pastures as we are accustomed to seeing them on, but rather, they will find sparse grass and consume small amounts of that continually, never while standing in one place for very long. Our current horse-keeping conditions do not lend themselves favorably to healthy digestion in the equine. Usually, our horses recieve two feeds per day, morning and night. In a traditional boarding facility, this feeding schedule is the norm. But, has anyone ever visited a stable during the night? What are the horses doing? If they are not sleeping, and have finished their hay, they are chewing on their stall! WHY? It is only nature. A horse is not designed to have an empty stomach for hours on end. Not having a small amount of feed in the gut is what causes horses not only to develop vices, but also ulcers. No horse should be stabled for hours at a time with nothing to eat. Preventing ulcers and nervous problems should be a prime concern in our natural horse-keeping endevours.
The best way to prevent a horse from developing ulcers and bad stall habits it to GET THEM OUT OF THE STALL! Would you like to be locked in your bathroom for hours, days and weeks? I love boarding stables. They are so alive and such a social outlet. (At least the good ones are.) I don't think that everyone should just pack up their horse and stick them out on nothing but pasture. Stalls are okay for feeding and really bad weather. If you have a show horse, I do understand you wanting to keep him clean and nice. But, without fail, no matter your disipline or goals, these are the minimum requirements for any horse to stay sane, healthy, and ulcer-free.
1) as much turn out as possible, with lots of rocks and peagravel
2) not too much rich grass
3) as little natural grain supplementation as possible...no sweet feeds or prepared feeds with high sugar levels. Oats and PLAIN beet pulp are probably a healthier choice, plus mineral supplementation as required
4) hay, or sparse pasture and supplemental hay 24 hours per day
5) at least one horse buddy
6) very little stall time....during inclement weather, a nice run-in and a water-proof blanket is much preferable to a stall if your horse is sensitive to cold, wet weather. Be especially careful with older horses in the winter....many of them have a more difficult time keeping warm.
7) Always have clean water available....pick up poo in paddocks.....trim every 4 weeks march thru october, and every 5 weeks november thru feb.
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