I remember the first time I thought my horse might have stomach ulcers. I was perched on top of a stepstool, brandishing my clippers at Lego, who at that time was alternately trying to bite, kick, and body slam me against the wall of the wash rack. I located two strong men, who held up a leg to try to keep him still, twitched him, and ran a chain through his mouth, so that I wouldn't get hurt...again. As I was trying to get at the left ear, always his least favorite, the man holding the twitch and the chain mused, "I wonder if his stomach bothers him..." In my time owning the horse, he had hurt me so often that it was a running joke in the barn that when I rode him, the midget toss began. The spook, spin, and tear off bucking got me every single time, and the horrible behavior on the ground just kept getting more aggressive. I was trying to sell the bastard, but I thought I would give him one chance, so I booked an appointment to have him scoped. Now, that was the first time I treated him for ulcers. I probably went through it ten more times after that, and I became the go-to 'ulcer person' in my barn of 80 something horses, so I learned to look for the more subtle signs. It's far better to catch them early than to wait until the horse is turning himself inside out because of the pain.
Now, here comes the part that is completely unvalidated by any kind of study, but most horsemen will agree- not every horse is bothered by stomach ulcers. Studies do show that the vast majority of performance horses have stomach ulcers, as do many foals, but not every horse shows discomfort. For some, they are just there, and they don't cause them pain or poor digestion to any degree that we can tell. You can, of course, treat these horses, but the horse does need stomach acid for efficient digestion. Over treating an ulcer means not enough stomach acid, so the food doesn't get broken down, and it ferments in the hind gut and causes an ulcer there. So, if your horse is not showing symptoms, but a scope shows an ulcer, consider just turning a blind eye to the endoscope screen and look at a happy healthy horse instead.
However, if you are reading this page, chances are that your horse isn't one who has an ulcer that does not bother him. (Note, for purposes of this series, I am assuming a male horse, they affect mares just as often) I tend to think of symptoms of ulcers as being split into two categories: Behavioral and Physical. Behavioral problems tend to stem from the pain of the acid on the raw stomach lining, whereas physical problems come from the decreased digestive efficiency.
Behavioral problems run a whole span from a reluctance to go forward under saddle to bolting. Trying to make a list of them is impossible, but when a horse is in pain, they will generally show it in some way. I will say that horses tend to react differently to ulcer pain than they would to pain from a lameness or a cut or something of that nature, so consider it a separate matter. If your horse's behavior on the ground or under saddle suddenly takes a turn for the worse, consider that they may have an ulcer. Often, symptoms are worse when they are being ridden because stress causes an increase in acid production, which means pain. Any other situation that is stressful will have the same effect, so trailering, showing, visits from the vet or farrier, etc. all can be times when the pain is more severe. All of that said, there are certain behaviors that are particularly indicative of an ulcer:
- Grinding Teeth
- Girthiness- I think it is the combination of something on their stomach and the anticipation of being ridden that causes them to object to the girth when their stomach hurts.
- Cribbing during or after feeding
- Objection to grooming over the stomach
- Poor Appetite
The physical signs, however, are much more clear cut, and thus they don't require an excessively wordy explanation on my part.
- Hard Keeper
- Dull Coat
- Frequent Colic, often mild
Will treating your horse for stomach ulcers turn a rank horse into an angel? It's unlikely. Will the elimination of pain eliminate the behaviors that are caused by pain? Yes. It's impossible for us to know which bad behaviors are caused by pain and which are just bad behaviors until we eliminate the pain, but doing so can make a difference in horses who are hurting and acting out. As for the physical symptoms, I have noticed huge differences in the amount of food horses need to eat to maintain condition pre and post treatment. If you have a very hard keeper who never looks good no matter what you do, he's probably not utilizing his food well, and an ulcer is a very likely reason.
