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How do you keep the pH value of the horse's stomach balanced?

Horses have much more stomach problems than people. Stress, heavy work, and a less adequate feed policy can contribute to this. But also, for example, after a move or illness, stomach problems can occur. What can you do about this and how do you keep the pH of the horse's stomach under control?

Digestion

Feeding

5 October '23 • 3 min reading time

In the lower part of the horse's stomach, gastric juice is released, which contains a lot of hydrochloric acid. This acid kills harmful bacteria, fungi, and yeasts that may be present in the feed. If the stomach is too empty or if there are other disruptions, the acid can 'splash' up to the upper half of the stomach and damage the gastric mucosa there.

Many stomach problems

A 2000 American study showed that about 60% of the horses in the study had stomach problems. This increased to as much as 90% in racehorses that were in training and received a lot of concentrate feed. When an imbalance occurs in the normal digestive processes in the stomach, involving various neurological and hormonal processes, the pH in the stomach can decrease. This means that the stomach becomes more acidic. The stomach acid can then cause the protective stomach mucosa to thin or even damage the stomach wall. Eventually, painful stomach ulcers can develop.

What pH is good?

Acidity is measured by the pH value: 0 is the lowest pH value, 14 the highest (alkaline). The corrosive hydrochloric acid has a pH of 0. It is often assumed that a pH of 4.0 would be best for the horse's stomach, especially if a horse already has stomach damage that needs to heal. In horses without roughage available, the pH in the stomach drops to about 1.5 after a few hours. Horses that can continuously eat roughage have an average pH in their stomach of about 3.1 to 3.5. If a horse has stomach ulcers, it is often given medications to increase the pH in the stomach slightly higher so that the stomach ulcers can heal.

Protecting the stomach

The most important measure you can take to protect your horse from stomach problems is to ensure that the animal has (virtually) continuous access to roughage, long-stemmed, dry, and as dust-free as possible. Well-packaged hay is best for this. By having your horse eat a bit of fiber-rich feed continuously, the pH value remains high enough. In addition, other aspects of your management must also be in order to ensure that your horse experiences as little stress as possible. Consider sufficient free movement, social contact with peers, and variation in work.

Stomach supplements

If you want to further promote the health of your horse's stomach, you can also use a number of herbs and plant-based products. These can support the stomach in several ways. Firstly, there are supplements that protect the stomach wall and help with healing. These can be mucus-forming supplements such as, for example, psyllium seed, but also anti-inflammatory supplements such as black cumin. In addition, you can think of products that help reduce stress and herbs that support the digestive system in general and resistance. A special herbal extract for the gastrointestinal tract contains the right combination of herbs that reinforce each other's effects. The herbal mixture triphala is very effective in stomach problems. Not only does it protect the stomach and intestinal wall, it also reduces stress, improves immunity, and ensures better digestion. For general support of the digestive system, you can also consider a combined extract of hawthorn, yellow gentian, wormwood, and cat's claw.

Sources

Marsel C. Pereira, Flavia L. Levy, Carlos A.A. Valadão, Guilherme C. Ferraz, Antonio Queiroz-Neto, Preliminary Study of the Gastric Acidity in Thoroughbred Horses at Rest after Enteral Administration of Esomeprazole Magnesium (Nexium). Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 29, Issue 11, 2009, Pages 791-794. ISSN 0737-0806 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2009.10.006

**MURRAY, M.J. and SCHUSSER, G.F. (1993), Measurement of 24-h gastric pH using an indwelling pH electrode in horses unfed, fed and treated with ranitidine. Equine Veterinary Journal, 25: 417-421. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1993.tb02983.x

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