Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is extremely prevalent in performance horses and causes chronic pain. Understanding risk factors enables prevention-focused management.
Gastric ulcers cause genuine and often sustained pain. The burning sensation associated with acid-mediated gastric ulceration is familiar to humans - in horses experiencing this daily, it represents significant welfare compromise. The subtlety of clinical signs means many horses work and compete with significant ulceration - their stoic nature prevents the obvious pain responses that would trigger intervention. The high prevalence in racehorses reflects the specific management conditions of intensive training: restricted forage access, frequent exercise on an empty stomach, and the physiological stress of competition. Prevention through management change - increased forage, reduced concentrate feeding, and turnout - addresses root causes rather than treating consequences.