Stress and Stomach Ulcers
Revision Date: 5/16/2007 David Marshall, DVM, Extension Specialist, Equine Care
Stomach Ulcer Disease in Horses David L. Marshall, V.M.D. Delaware Equine Extension Veterinarian
Horses and Stomach Ulcer Disease
Stomach ulcer disease has been shown to be highly prevalent in horses. Activities for horses that are extremely common, such as recreational showing, have been shown to have the capacity to induce gastric ulcers within 5-7 days. Strenuous exercise and intensive training can definitely increase the likelihood of ulcer development in horses; but the mild stresses of transportation, diet changes, and new surroundings associated with weekend shows or our summertime competitions, can likewise lead to decreasing performance or debilitating ulcer disease in your horse.
A recent study reported the effects of minimal transportation, stall confinement, and light exercise (lunging) on the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome. The study found that the horses transported in a trailer for as little as four hours, and placed in a minimal training program which included being saddled twice daily and trained on a lunge line for three days had significantly higher incidence of gastric changes consistent with ulcer disease compared with control horses.
This same group of researchers in a follow-up study, placed 15 normal horses with no gastric ulcers in individual stalls and exercised them once daily for seven days. The exercise program consisted of using an automatic exercise training unit for 10 minutes of walking followed at a trot or slow lope for 15-18 minutes. In this group of 15 horses, 11 of the 15 horses developed gastric ulcer disease after only one week.
Equine stomach ulcer disease is caused by many factors, but as just indicated, the attributable factors need not be extreme. The complete causal list of equine gastric ulcer syndrome is quite long. The everyday ulcer dependent list includes the anatomy of the horse’s stomach, the level of exercise, their feeding schedule (i.e., allowing the horse intervals of 4-6 hours with an empty stomach), the horse’s diet, environmental stress (such as transport and stall confinement), and certain medications, notably the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS).
We can conclude as we review the above list of possible factors, that equine stomach ulcer disease is principally a man-made disease. Studies demonstrate that up to 90 percent of race horses and 60 percent of performance or show horses are affected; therefore, equine gastric ulcer syndrome is a syndrome so commonly found that every horse owner needs a stomach ulcer awareness understanding.
Because the syndrome is largely man made, and because the syndrome affects a great percentage of horses, the equine ulcer solution is horse-owner awareness and horse-owner attention. Treatment and prevention is principally directed at removing offensive [albeit many times seemingly mild] stressors and preventive management of the predisposing factors.
Stomach Ulcer Disease in Horses David L. Marshall, V.M.D. Delaware Equine Extension Veterinarian
Horses and Stomach Ulcer Disease
Stomach ulcer disease has been shown to be highly prevalent in horses. Activities for horses that are extremely common, such as recreational showing, have been shown to have the capacity to induce gastric ulcers within 5-7 days. Strenuous exercise and intensive training can definitely increase the likelihood of ulcer development in horses; but the mild stresses of transportation, diet changes, and new surroundings associated with weekend shows or our summertime competitions, can likewise lead to decreasing performance or debilitating ulcer disease in your horse.
A recent study reported the effects of minimal transportation, stall confinement, and light exercise (lunging) on the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome. The study found that the horses transported in a trailer for as little as four hours, and placed in a minimal training program which included being saddled twice daily and trained on a lunge line for three days had significantly higher incidence of gastric changes consistent with ulcer disease compared with control horses.
This same group of researchers in a follow-up study, placed 15 normal horses with no gastric ulcers in individual stalls and exercised them once daily for seven days. The exercise program consisted of using an automatic exercise training unit for 10 minutes of walking followed at a trot or slow lope for 15-18 minutes. In this group of 15 horses, 11 of the 15 horses developed gastric ulcer disease after only one week.
Equine stomach ulcer disease is caused by many factors, but as just indicated, the attributable factors need not be extreme. The complete causal list of equine gastric ulcer syndrome is quite long. The everyday ulcer dependent list includes the anatomy of the horse’s stomach, the level of exercise, their feeding schedule (i.e., allowing the horse intervals of 4-6 hours with an empty stomach), the horse’s diet, environmental stress (such as transport and stall confinement), and certain medications, notably the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS).
We can conclude as we review the above list of possible factors, that equine stomach ulcer disease is principally a man-made disease. Studies demonstrate that up to 90 percent of race horses and 60 percent of performance or show horses are affected; therefore, equine gastric ulcer syndrome is a syndrome so commonly found that every horse owner needs a stomach ulcer awareness understanding.
Because the syndrome is largely man made, and because the syndrome affects a great percentage of horses, the equine ulcer solution is horse-owner awareness and horse-owner attention. Treatment and prevention is principally directed at removing offensive [albeit many times seemingly mild] stressors and preventive management of the predisposing factors.
