FAO anyone worrying about ulcers/with a stressy comp' horse-iv been experimenting..

Prince33Sp4rkle

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with slippery elm!

this is a beigy powder, you can buy from health food shops or online.
its a mucilant herb, IE is slimy and slippery and good at *lining* things-so excellent for raw throats and sore tummies.its also got great drawing properties so good for poultices.

anyhoo, iv never really thought of the captain as high risk of ulcers-yes he used to be a racer, but he now has absolutely 24/7 fibre, low starch feeds, and is an excellent traveller and chilled generally.he isnt colicky, doesnt windsuck, chew wood, mind being girthed up,is a good ish doer for a TB, etc etc, basically i only experimented because:

1. he can be a grump for the first 5 mins under saddle, snarls and pins ears the first time i put leg on, but after being sent forward is then fine. and in front of the leg- so its a once only thing.

2.i had a bag of slipperly elm for poulticing purposes, hanging around.

he's been having 3 teaspoons mixed with 1/4 cup of water to form a slimy paste, twice a day in his feed, and.......i really feel its made a subtle but important difference. no more snarling first time leg is applied, no need to send him forward at all because theres no hint of holding back at all now, and he feels SO much looser under my leg (IE his ribs), where as before he would initially feel tense under my thigh/knee, he now feels like rubber.

its £15 ish for a 250g bag which will last 4-5 weeks i reckon. so if anyone has any doubts, worth a shot perhaps, its cheap and cheerful and if they dont need it, it will do them no harm.

(initially the powder wont mix with the water well, but keep stirring and all of a sudden you will have a slimy paste, it suddenly goes very quickly and then the more you stir it the thicker it gets)

just thought id mention
:)
 
Thanks for suggesting this. I have a very tense, snappy horse at the moment and along the list of things I've been wondering ift its causing it are ulcers.

Does it have a strong taste? Lil can be a picky beast.
 
after reading your post i am wondering if this is what is currently wrong with my horse, he puts his ears back when i ask him into trot for the first time and doesnt go forward very well for the first part of a schooling session (out on hacks he seems fine) and he does chew on wood and the top of his stable door, he doesnt suck just chews.

you dont happen to have a website where you can get it from do you? think i might try it!
 
What - you mean you haven't had a little taste yourself?!!!!
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Hmm, interesting. My mare sounds similar, plus she cribs. I did ask my vet if I should get her scopped for ulcers but he didn't think she needed too.

Does the stuff do them any harm if they don't have ulcers but you give it to them anyway?

Thank you :)
 
Hi Prince Sparkle re slippery elm. How long was it before you noticed a difference when you started feeding the slippery elm. I have just given my mare her first lot tonight and she has got it mixed in the morning feed as well.

Thanks for the idea, its always worth a try as she can be stressy and tense especially at the beginning of a schooling session.
 
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