As Zelda and I continue to keep her ulcers at bay, I’m always looking for more information to add to my understanding of 1) what causes ulcers and 2) how to prevent them from occurring. This Masterclass from Feed XL is chock full of information. I’ve only just started listening to it, but wanted to share it here as well.
One of the areas that they cover is
- Does my horse have ulcers? The most common symptoms to look for
- What causes gastric ulceration
- What to do if your horse is diagnosed with ulcers
- How to PREVENT gastric ulcers using simple feeding, nutrition and management strategies
- Which supplement types can help.
One thing the seminar calls out is how the type of work a horse do can affect their risk of ulcers.
The risk of squamous ulcers (the ones that form in the top section of the stomach, caused by acid splash) increases with duration of work, so the longer you ride, the higher the risk.
The risk of glandular ulcers (the horrendously difficult to treat ones that form in the lower section of the stomach) increases with the number of days you ride per week. Making rest days essential to lower the risk of glandular ulcer disease.
So far, no red flags for Zelda. She doesn’t work too hard and she gets days off. But interesting none the less.