When I was pregnant, I suffered from heart burn and it really opened my eyes to the discomfort associated with stomach acid in the wrong places! So what about our horses? Do we only need to pay attention to stomach acid once our horses have a problem? The answer of course is a loud and resounding. ‘NO’! Not just because veterinary treatment of gastric ulcers is expensive, and horses can need multiple treatments and/or medications to resolve the issue, but because we don’t want our horses to experience pain or discomfort, when they are trying their hearts out to work with us.
So, what actually happens when our horses work? Researchers have shown that once the horse moves above a walk, the size of the stomach decreases dramatically and the contents of the stomach becomes very acidic (i.e. < pH 4) as the horse moves up the gaits. Importantly, these measures don’t return to normal until after the horse returns to the walk.
So, what does this tell us? Firstly, that we need to view working our horses, at any gait above a walk, as an activity that could potentially place our horses at risk of developing gastric ulcers. Secondly, we need to provide protection for the sensitive part of the stomach that does not have any, ‘natural’ protection against the erosive effects of stomach acid.
So what can we do? Most riders are aware of the importance of giving the horse access to some chaff while saddling up, but there is a question mark over whether that practice alone provides horses with sufficient protection, given the nature of the changes in the physiology of the stomach during exercise.
For my own horse Midnight, the old adage of ‘a dipper of chaff’ was certainly not enough protection for him, and my personal struggles overcoming his ulcers, and managing his vulnerabilities, were a major driver behind the development of our range of digestive support products. Nowadays, the combination of our Digestive Support Elixir mixed through some dampened lucerne chaff is our ‘go to’ pre-work ritual, and if I am on the go, then I love the convenience and peace of mind that I get from our Equine Pre-work Bars and Midnight loves (thinking…) he’s getting a treat!
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