New horse possibly cribbing and 'girthy' - possible ulcers?

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casinosolo

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My new horse is very girth sensitive; I've started only doing it up one hole on each side in the stable and then tightening when he's been walked out to the mounting block.

I've also noticed him biting his stable door, although I'm not sure if it's cribbing as he doesn't seem to be sucking in air.

Does it sound likely that he has ulcers? He was overweight when I bought him and I'm not sure how much turnout he really had with his old owner. With me he is out most of the time (in a grazing muzzle due to weight issues) all day and only in at night a couple of times a week.

If he does have ulcers what supplements can I feed? Should I consult a vet or can I manage it myself? Thanks.
 
sounds possible Any other signs? What is ridden work like? IMHO I would want at least one other symptom before I did anything, as it could be nothing. My last horse chewed wood. Friends horse a bit girthy, possible one horse can be both
My new lad has just been diagnosed with grade 2 ulcers. Unfortunately there aren't any supplements that will heal them. You need a vet to scope.
 
soulfull said:
sounds possible Any other signs? What is ridden work like? IMHO I would want at least one other symptom before I did anything, as it could be nothing. My last horse chewed wood. Friends horse a bit girthy, possible one horse can be both
My new lad has just been diagnosed with grade 2 ulcers. Unfortunately there aren't any supplements that will heal them. You need a vet to scope.
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Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure what other signs to look out for? He is very sensitive around his tummy area when grooming so now I use a face brush and a mit as it's the only thing he will tolerate. Riding wise he seems fine, very sluggish and reluctant when first setting off but soon picks up. I just put this down to the fact he wasn't being ridden much before and the vet did say he was overweight and unfit when he did the pre-purchase vetting but otherwise passed him with no problems.
 
Others problems may include not wanting to go forward or bucking in the begining it may be part way into a session ie once the acid has started sloshing around
Odd little things like pulling faces at feed time or really biting the bit
Sometimes they are happier if given a chaff feed 20/30 mins before riding
 
It doesn't sound like he's a crib biter to me. Cribbers don't usually chew wood, they just latch onto it and you'll see the muscles around the neck tighten and hear him gulp in air. Chewing wood is pretty annoying though and i'd stop it by spraying the wood with gentian violet or crib-stop spray.

Not sure about ulcers, lots of horses are girthy and if you like the horse in every other way, it's easy enough to work round by doing exactly as you're doing now.
 
Clippy said:
It doesn't sound like he's a crib biter to me. Cribbers don't usually chew wood, they just latch onto it and you'll see the muscles around the neck tighten and hear him gulp in air. Chewing wood is pretty annoying though and i'd stop it by spraying the wood with gentian violet or crib-stop spray.

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I would have said cribbers do chew wood, but windsuckers gulp air (I've had one of each!).

I have a girthy windsucker, who I had scoped as I was convinced there were ulcers going on....came back 100% clear and with a 'textbook' stomach lining!
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Thanks so much for the advice and reassurance! Are there any supplements I could feed to help prevent ulcers, even if he maybe doesn't have them now? Or just something to make his tummy a bit happier/ aid digestion?
 
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