Gastric ulcers affect the majority of performance horses and many leisure horses - their prevention through appropriate management is a critical welfare priority in equine care.
Gastric ulcer welfare in horses is a pervasive problem directly caused by management practices incompatible with equine digestive physiology. Horses require constant forage access to buffer stomach acid - stabling with limited hay access creates acid accumulation. High-concentrate diets, intensive training and transport stress all compound the risk. The welfare solution involves management change rather than pharmaceutical management: maximum forage access, minimised stabling time, reduced concentrate feeding and stress reduction. Many owners and trainers manage symptom recurrence with medication rather than addressing root causes. Welfare advocacy requires shifting industry norms toward prevention-focused management.