hi im new :) Need some advice please!

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nuttychestnuthorse

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I have a 6yr old tb mare, over the last year i have been experiencing problems with her. at first she stopped jumping altogether everytime she saw A jump she would explode buck spin rear you name it, she done everything to get me off :( over the year it has been other things like her general behaviour. the last few weeks she has gone off her food, ive noticed her windsucking and chewing Wood in her field. my friend has mentioned gastric ulcers. I have never had any experience of these and just wanted to ask for peoples advice. Would the next step be to get vet to scope her (which im quite worried about!) or is there something i can put her on without calling the vet in??
ive read up about a few supplements on the market but they all seem to be prevention of ulcers?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, really want to help her as like i said its been an ongoing problem now, thanks :)
 
As far as I know there is no point in trying to treat ulcers unless you know your horse has them, a vet will be able to scope, it is not a difficult procedure and will give you an answer either way.
It does seem that your horse has a problem and the symptoms sound like ulcers could be likely, the cribbing if new is a strong symptom of her trying to alleviate the discomfort, I would contact the vet asap. the sooner you get a diagnosis the sooner you get your horse back to her old self.
 
I dont know how much the scoping will be but I do know that the treatment, if it is ulcers, is very expensive so as you are insured they should pay out for it all.
 
Scoping for ulcers is quick, easy and not particularly risky. I paid 200 pounds to get my horse checked out about two years ago.

While there are many supplements on the market the one that really works is Gastroguard, but it is very expensive and not worth giving if you are not sure your horse has ulcers. If the horse does have ulcers your vet will explain the Gastroguard dosage (you start high and then can try to wean them off) and also lifestyle changes that might help, e.g. more fibre in their diet.
 
If she does have ulcers then treating them is dealing witht the symptoms and not the cause. They are stress induced and very rarely found in horses who are kept in less traditional environments, ie not in boxes and stable yards. So, treat the condition but you also need to change her environment to eliminate the cause.
 
Thanks everyone. Box of frogs, course it's real??!! Y wouldn't it be? Classical fan, she has moved twice in the last year so obv that would of contributed so hopefully now she's settled it might be easier to keep her calm.
 
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