How to avoid stomach ulcers?

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AceyHorse

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I have horses that will soon be brought in to be stabled for the upcoming show season ( i'm in NZ) . I recently read an article reguareding stomach ulcers which blew me to the weeds when I learn how easy these are for the stabled horse to get. :new_shocked: My boys have been turned out to pasture for 3 months, 3 are a little heavy but that is fine for winter but one gelding ( they are all geldings) well he looks like a broodmare. So I would be stabling them at night, then on to a dry paddock and they would be getting 2 hours grass a day. So what would I need to feed them free access hay while in stables and dry paddock to stop them getting ulcers? If so would they get get big hay bellies? And should I feed grain as well and pasture? What feeding program do you experienced show people out there feed your show horses? In NZ we don't have a specific miniature horse feed that I have found. Suggestions would be much appreciated! :new_shocked:
 
i think the key is to break feedings down into smaller meals more often. Ulcers definitely are a problem in show horses! Also I think letting them out of their stalls to just be a horse helps. I know ulcers are a much bigger problem in horses that are constantly stalled and rarely let out to just relax.

I really dont like to recommend feed etc without seeing the horse etc.
 
We had a two year show colt that died a few days after getting back from a horse show. The colt had never been sick a day in his life before that. Anyway upon checking him out after dying the vet said he had ulcers really bad. NOW that was a shock to me because he never displayed any sign of anything being wrong. Upon thinking about it I told the vet he was really timid & jumpy but otherwise well mannered & a wonderful colt................. What I'm getting around to is if you have one like this then beware................. This colt as well as my other horses were/ are grained two times a day. I give the stalled show horses hay 4-6 times a day & they get out in a big dry lot or pasture once a day. I try to keep something moving through their system........................ When I was asking about ulcers awhile back someone named a supplement that could be given daily to help prevent ulcers but I don't remember what it was...... Google ulcers & you probably can find something if you want to go the preventitive route.
 
For me, the biggest problem with ulcers is not the feeding program but stress to the horse or sudden changes. We have one horse that at the end of show season we give him ulcerguard for a couple of days, the change in routine is very stressful for him--no more work outs, different eating schedule, etc..... And we have another mare that will occasionally get an ulcer for no known reason, she is not a high strung horse, in fact very laid back, I don't know what causes her stress. And any new horse going to a show for the first time, we give ulcer guard to once a day until the trip is over and they know more about what is going on. Cuts down on alot of problems for us.
 
Sad to say but ulcers are usually caused by man's interference to the horse's natural way of living.

When you stall a horse for long periods of time and withhold ample hay so they can "graze" in the stall, you are literally changing his natural way to live and it's an open invitation for ulcers. So to compensate, turn your horse out often daily and provide hay when stalled. My horses are stalled at night and do get fed a lot of hay when stalled, but they don't have hay bellies. They do get a daily turn out on grass and on dry lot as well and they look fit but most of all are happy, healthy campers. I do think it helps to feed in smaller amounts and feed often. Maybe review your overall feeding program and tweak it.

Ulcers

Approximately 80% of the horse population suffers from ulcers. Equine ulcers are usually caused by human interference with a horse’s natural ability to roam free and graze. Horses naturally produce acid to the stomach. Grains, hay, and natural grazing buffers the acid. When a horse goes for a prolonged time between feedings or grazing, excessive acid builds up in the stomach, which results in a gas overload. Consequently, the results are an ulcer. Horses that are withheld grains, grazing or other roughage are prime targets for developing an ulcer. Horses that are confined to a stall, fed on an erratic schedule, without the frequency of forage are also good candidates for ulcers. High grain diets and stress from training or relocating may add to the problem. copyright MG
 
Great advice, thanks to everyone for there replies, will definately try feeding little and often and I won't withhold hay, the ulcerguard sounds good too, I'll do some more research on the internet, Thanks! :aktion033: Also do you think if I posted a picture of my little guy with the big stomach you could give me some advice, it is almost as though he is full of gas rather than super fat?
 
As Marty says -- "Sad to say but ulcers are usually caused by man's interference to the horse's natural way of living. " -- Is very true!

Keeping your feeding program SIMPLE.......have them used to eating hay is important.

And when we are at shows, we keep feeding the small amounts of hay throughout the day, so they are constantly "grazing". I think that really helps. While they are at the show, any "show-diet" they've been on at home goes out the window.

Another thing that helps ESPECIALLY if the weather is warm is to put a small salt block in their grain dish in their show stall.

MA
 
My vet told me his folks have a racing barn and that every day they give the horses in training Tagament.

My gelding is recovering from a bad bout with ulcers when he is finished with his treatment he will be on Tagament anytime he is under any kind of stress.

He also mentioned what Marty and Miniv said that allowing them to graze (basically have food in their gut)

really helps to curtail the problem.

Joy
 
I have some ulcer guard that I have been saving for when Midas goes to his first shows. Does anyone know the correct dose of ulcer guard for a mini?
 
We have had one gelding that got ulcers from his mother being nasty to him. She would try to bite him nearly every time he nursed.
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He was weaned at 4 months because of the damage she was doing to him. She nearly dislocated his patella. He had suffered from diaorrea (sp) on and off and we didn't twig to what the real problem was until he was about 18 months old. (He had been treated with slippery elm and that had made a bit of difference to him.)

Our new vet was here treating another little filly for an eye injury, he prescribed Tagamet for her. We asked why? He said to help counteract her getting ulcers. We had a
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: brain flash and asked if this could be the problem with the gelding! Tried him on the tagamet and lo and behold if cleared up the runs and made him a much happier looking horse.

He still gets the occasional problem if he gets a bit stressed but we try to keep stressful situations to a minimum. Usually a pro-botic yogurt will fix him up these days.
 
Pro-biotic yoghurt! Is it just like the yoghurt you buy for yourself. How much do you give them in a feed and how often. Do you give it to them if they have ulcers or does it work as a preventative? I would love to know! :new_shocked:
 
We're going through ulcers right now with one of my geldings. I've been researching this quite a bit, and just wanted to mention that U-Guard is not safe for long term use, short term, yes. It works like an antacid, and any long term use of antacids.......whether it be human or equine........will only recreate the problem down the road.

Right now we're doing Gastroguard, along with free choice hay, and equine probiotics. One other thing that I found while researching, is that digestive enzymes can help also as a preventative. I've had acid reflux problems myself, and started taking papaya enzymes. Anyone here use them for their minis?
 
Basically I think that you could use any acidofolus(sp) yogurt.

We have also used Yakult liquid (don't know if you have the same stuff over there, but similar to yogurt). I can post on Monday as to what the label says is the make-up of it. (I'm away from home atm)

The Yakult worked really well on our big horse that is/was a windsucker. Windsucking is quite often related to ulcers.
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He quits/cuts down on windsucking when on it.

With the big horse (14hh) we used a little bottle of Yakult a day. Syringed into his mouth the first few times and then just tipped onto his feed.
 
Yes we have Yakult here, my boyfriend has it and swears by it. So I wonder how much you would give to a mini, maybe half or a quarter of a bottle, I have cat Bs, prob a quarter I'm thinking. That could a good and 'natural' solution to help guard against ulcers so if I combine that and doing small feeds of grain and soaked hay more often during the day that should hopefully keep my horses happy and healthy when they are off the pasture.
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: Thanks for the advice everybody! Don't know what I'd do without you all
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