Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is extremely prevalent in performance horses but frequently undiagnosed. The condition causes chronic pain and behaviour changes.
EGUS causes chronic pain that significantly impairs the wellbeing of affected horses. The condition is frequently undiagnosed because horses continue performing despite discomfort, and because behavioural signs such as girthing resentment and reduced performance are often attributed to training issues or attitude problems rather than physical pain. Treating behaviour problems with training interventions while ignoring the underlying pain is a welfare failure. The high prevalence of EGUS in the racing and sport horse industries reflects management systems — high concentrate feeding, infrequent feeding intervals, and competition stress — that are optimised for performance at the expense of digestive health. Welfare-centred performance horse management should include regular gastroscopy as a health monitoring tool.