Gastric Care of your horse, something you worry about? Help very much appreciated!

KatB said:
The other thing is peoples obsession with mollassed feeds. Most mollassed feed is still significantly lower in sugar than grass, and I would bet most horses are still out grazing...! Mollasses is used in feeds as a binder, so will be in most feeds in small amount, but in most cases wouldn't have much impact.

Obviously high fibre feed is the way forward, and making sure the horse always has something in it's stomach, especially before work to prevent acid splashes. It is worth remembering that haylage can be quite acidic, so that in cases feeding something with antacid properties can be very beneficial (hence NAF releasing a Haylage balancer ;) )
Click to expand...

I'm so glad you wrote that first part, because i feed Happy Hoof (molassed) and was worrying about it last night after reading this thread, but then thought 'hold on, grass is sugary', and got a bit confused.
i've fed HiFi and HiFi light in the past but tbh my horses didn't enjoy it much, even the piggy ones, and i don't like them leaving food in their buckets.

I won't feed haylage because someone v experienced told me that she thinks haylage is simply too acidic for horses. fine for cattle (totally diff digestive system, obv) but not for horses...

i'd forgotten about pre- and pro-biotics... that's 1 of the reasons i'm so keen on feeding Baileys Stud Balancer, because it contains a pre-biotic.
 
Keep an eye on the market re. balancers Kerilli... there will soon be one on the market which is very comparable in price to the stud balancer (eg, cheap!) but is specifically for the performance horse... and not from Bailey's! :p
 
I would love 1 product which contained everything I'm feeding in supplements as if I have to get anyone else to make my feed they get confused!

It's not generally the sugar which causes the problem, when feed has a low fibre content it passes through the stomach much quicker and allows acid to slash!

I'm sure it's the soy lethicin which I am feeding which is making the most difference she started it after the antacid and since she has been on it she is getting better and better, the research I gave read backs it up too.
 
I am quite conscious of it - when I got Bill I was determined to feed him Dengie range of feed - fibre only. However - best laid plans and all that - he doesn't like Dengie, the fussy b*gger. He also doesn't like any Mollichaffs. The only one I can get him to eat is Dodson and Horrell Fibergy - which is molassed but smells lovely, and finally he eats his dinner and breakfast. He gets that plus Dodson and Horrell Ultimate Balancer, which is supposed to have good things for the gut in it. I worry that he's got ulcers because he seems a lot more stressy now than he did when I got him, and I'm sure it's not me stressing him out as I am pretty chilled.
 
lui23456 said:
I would love 1 product which contained everything I'm feeding in supplements as if I have to get anyone else to make my feed they get confused!

It's not generally the sugar which causes the problem, when feed has a low fibre content it passes through the stomach much quicker and allows acid to slash!

I'm sure it's the soy lethicin which I am feeding which is making the most difference she started it after the antacid and since she has been on it she is getting better and better, the research I gave read backs it up too.
Click to expand...

Where do you get your lecithin from? I used to take lecitihin as it's supposed to be good for clearing cellulite :D (I didn't notice any improvement :()
 
All my horses are fed simple systems feeds which are natural products and far better for the horse than high startch/cereal diets. One of mine lives out 365 days a year, my mare and foal obviously live out 24/7 at the moment - at weaning my foal will then live out 365 days a year and my mare is coming back into work. Unfortunately i dont have the option for her to live out, but she will get 9hrs turnout a day and ad lib hay. She is a good doer so she dosent get much ''hard feed'' and what she does get is simple systems so all natural products. I also feed only herbal supplements (although non of mine are on supplements at the moment).

I am extremely conscious about how my horses are managed and about what sort of feeds they are given - its like humans eating takeaways all the time, its not what our bodies are designed for.
 
Last edited:
Just to add that i suffer from stomach ulcers and (like horses!!) i have to ''graze'' eat, i cant eat certain foods (well i could be they make me feel awful the next day) and most alcohol is a no (i can drink cider but in moderation and again feel ill the next day). I generally ''snack'' every hour, only on little things like carrots/fruit etc and i also have to make sure i eat slowly and dont rush food. I drink loads of water which helps.

My point being that its the same in humans as with animals and as long as they are managed correctly and have a monitored diet then ulcers shouldnt be a problem.
 
Tempi, how did you know you personally have a stomach ulcer? If I haven't eaten for a while I literally get the most painful stabbing pains in my stomach, enough to double me over and once I've eaten they go.. Is it a bit like that?

Back on topic I find feeding horses really interesting. I also don't feed many supplements, incase I start thinking I have to rely on them!
 
Never used to give it a thought but then horses have always been out most of the day and receive ample hay.

With current horse, do give it more thought, as an ex racehorse who may well have had ulcers in the past.

Have always tried to ensure he has a fair amount of turnout and hay always available, which where I first kept him was not that easy as often their horses had finished by 7pm of a night and had nothing until 7.30 or 8.30 the next morning.
 
BeckyD said:
Where do you get your lecithin from? I used to take lecitihin as it's supposed to be good for clearing cellulite :D (I didn't notice any improvement :()
Click to expand...

lui23456; could you pm me a link to your lecithin supplement too please. The ulcer calm does have some pectin/lecithin in it, but I suspect not enough to make a big difference. I am also using a bio-yoghurt for mine, which has some quite good australian research behind it, & rather to my surprise, my horse will eat it!
 
Haven't read other replies, sorry!

But - yes, I am very concerned about it. In general, my horses go out 24/7 in summer, all day in winter, with adlib haylage overnight and if snowy/frosty. No concentrates, fed Alfa as their main "hard feed" with just a balancer and speedibeet. One of mine cribs so we had her scoped but actually she had no ulcers.

However my other one has had a very tough year, suffering a fractured pedal bone, the Danilon then led to colitis. She also ended up in hospital with a caecal impaction, and as she had a few more colics was scoped and discovered she had grade 4 gastric ulcers as well. We think this was also caused by the Danilon, as she was so low-risk from her normal lifestyle. So she had 6 expensive weeks of gastroguard, and she is now fed Coligone twice a day. Unfortunately she's still not back on hay (due to the colitis) and still on restricted grazing - so to answer your question of "do I worry about ulcers" my answer would be "I am so concerned about them, I have got up at 3am every night for over 3 months to give her yet another feed of soaked cubes, and pay someone to come in and feed her 3 times during the day as well". :rolleyes:.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top