Equine gastric ulcer syndrome affects a majority of performance horses and many leisure horses, causing chronic pain and reduced welfare that is frequently undiagnosed or incorrectly attributed to behaviour problems.
Equine gastric ulcer welfare illustrates how management systems can create chronic pain in animals unable to communicate their discomfort. The equine stomach produces acid continuously, evolved to be buffered by constant forage intake. Meal feeding, long periods without forage, stress from intense training or competition, and high-starch concentrate feeding all promote ulcer development. Affected horses experience chronic gastric discomfort that reduces quality of life and may cause behavioural changes misinterpreted as stubbornness. Endoscopic diagnosis is definitive but expensive, meaning many horses are treated presumptively or never diagnosed. Prevention through forage-first feeding, limited concentrate use, and stress management is both more effective and more welfare-positive than relying on treatment.