The secret to a happy tummy

Keeping your horse healthy is strongly linked to how you manage him in physical terms, but ensuring he’s happy mentally is just as important. Both play a major part in maintaining good digestive health and, because of the gut-brain axis (the two-way connection and communication between the two organs), managing him holistically helps reduce the risk of gastric issues developing.

Double trouble

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a term used to describe mucosal diseases of the horse’s stomach and there are two main types…

Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD): lesions in the mucosa of the squamous area (the upper, non-acid-producing area).

Equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD): lesions affecting the glandular mucosa (the lower, acid-producing area).

Did you know?

ESGD is found in feral and domesticated horses, but is more common in the latter and is particularly widespread among racehorses.

Effective support

It’s well known that husbandry and management factors play an important role in the prevention of EGUS. For ESGD, there are specific nutritional risk factors. While ad lib access to forage is the ideal scenario, for many horses this isn’t possible.

In this instance, it’s important to take into account that your horse is a trickle feeder, evolved to eat small amounts of low-energy forage for 16–18 hours per day. Therefore, if the amount he can consume is limited, consider how to extend his eating time…

• Spread his ration across multiple locations, at various heights and in different containers – for example, on the floor and in haynets that have variously sized holes
• Provide forage blocks in small nets to nibble on – ideally place a couple of these in different locations in the paddock or stable
• Mix some straw into the forage ration – barley or oat straw can help provide additional roughage with very little energy
• Soak hay for at least one hour to reduce its energy levels, rather than feeding less of it
• Provide alternative forage materials, such as branches from horse-safe trees, to mimic natural browsing behaviour
• Scatter chaff or forage nuts on the floor to encourage natural grazing behaviour and slow the eating process

Top tip

When considering EGUS risk, be aware that frequent travel increases stress and reduces time horses spend eating. It can even affect REM sleep if a horse feels unsafe in a new environment.

Learn more about how to reduce the risk of gastric problems in April Horse&Rider – out now!