Stomach ulcers are still common in horses. They are usually caused by horses being without forage for too long, being stressed, or having to train on an empty stomach. Or by a combination of these three causes.

Saliva neutralizes horse stomach acid

Horses continuously produce stomach acid because they are made to eat almost constantly small amounts of forage. A horse produces a lot of saliva when chewing. Especially when eating fibrous forage, such as well-unpacked hay. All that saliva then neutralizes the acidic gastric juice. If a horse doesn't eat for a while, an excess of stomach acid is created in the stomach. The lower part of the horse's stomach can withstand this acid, so a small amount of stomach acid there is not a problem. But in the upper part of the stomach, the mucous membrane is very sensitive to acid. When the stomach remains empty for too long, the acid from the lower part of the stomach can splash up or come up to the sensitive part of the stomach. This causes wounds and ulcers in the upper stomach wall, which are very painful for the horse. You may notice this, for example, when your horse protests when saddling or tightening the girth. Also, sensitivity on the flanks while grooming may indicate stomach ulcers.

Fiber to fill the stomach

Never train a horse on an empty stomach! This is to prevent stomach acid from splashing up from the lower part of the stomach and causing problems in the sensitive mucous membrane in the upper part. When you, for example, take your horse out of the paddock to ride, make sure he can always eat some hay first. The hay provides a 'mat' of fibers in the stomach, and chewing neutralizes the stomach acid that has formed during the period the horse was without forage. Your horse doesn't have to eat for hours before you ride. If you let your horse eat hay while grooming and saddling, you're already well on your way.

No concentrate feed before riding!

Giving forage before riding is a good idea. Unfortunately, some people feed their horses concentrate feed right before riding. This is a very bad idea! Concentrate feed is heavy on the stomach and often contains a lot of grains, sugars, and starch. A horse chews much less well on concentrate feed than on forage and produces much less saliva. If you give concentrate feed just before riding, it is not only uncomfortable for your horse, but you actually increase the risk of stomach ulcers! So don't do it. Give some forage and go enjoy your training. If you have trained heavily, you can then replenish the deficiencies by first giving some hay and then possibly electrolytes and a vitamin and mineral balancer, or for example a product for the muscles.

But what about top sport?

You may have heard that riders in top sport sometimes give their horses concentrate feed before a big performance. That's correct, but the feeding doesn't happen right before riding, but about two hours earlier. It is believed that this gives the horse a glucose peak at the moment he has to ride his Grand Prix dressage test or jump a 1.60 m course. By that time, the concentrate feed is already out of the stomach, and the sugars are in the blood. These horses always have access to forage before and after eating their concentrate feed. For normal training and for the vast majority of Dutch horses, this is completely unnecessary. Horses get enough energy from forage to do their normal work. You should mainly avoid them doing it on an empty stomach without forage!

Conclusion: Preventing stomach ulcers

Painful stomach ulcers are difficult to cure, and the medication is very expensive. It is much better for your horse and your wallet to prevent stomach ulcers in your horse as much as possible.

Tips to prevent stomach ulcers:

• Give fiber-rich forage of good quality several times a day, or even continuously.

• Never let your horse go without forage for longer than 4 hours

• Never train your horse on an empty stomach.

• Do not give your horse concentrate feed within two hours before training.

• Avoid stress with good management. This means: contact with other horses, sufficient free movement, and training that suits the possibilities and age of the horse.