Preventing Equine Gastric Ulcers: Welfare-Focused Guide

Key Facts

• The equine stomach produces acid continuously — lack of forage causes acid to splash onto the unprotected upper stomach lining
• Risk factors include stabling for more than 8 hours, infrequent feeding, high grain diets, and competition stress
• Clinical signs range from poor performance and girthiness to weight loss, colic, and behavioral changes
• Treatment with omeprazole (GastroGard) is effective, but relapse is near-universal without management changes
• Prevention through ad libitum forage access, turnout, and reduced grain is more effective than long-term medication

Welfare Considerations

EGUS causes chronic, low-grade pain that profoundly affects equine welfare and behavior. Horses with gastric ulcers show behavioral changes including girthiness, reluctance to work, aggression at feeding time, and stereotypies like crib-biting. These behavioral signs are often misattributed to training issues rather than pain. The welfare-centered approach treats the underlying cause — management — not just the symptoms. Ad libitum hay or haylage, pasture turnout, and reducing stall time are the most impactful interventions. Horses in high-risk occupations (racehorses, competition horses) should be monitored proactively.

What You Can Do

• Provide ad libitum forage (hay or haylage) to prevent the stomach from being empty
• Maximize daily turnout time — horses at pasture have dramatically lower EGUS prevalence
• Reduce grain-based concentrate feeding and transition to higher-fibre alternatives where possible
• Interpret behavioral changes (girthiness, poor performance) as potential pain signals, not training problems
• Scope horses returning from stressful events (transport, competition) if behavioral changes emerge