Regime for overweight but ulcer prone horse

[Ceriann]

My mare scoped with grade 2 ulcers at the start of the year despite being nowhere near a typical type - out 24/7, not worked hard, not fed hard feed etc. she did however show behavioural signs and in hindsight had probably had the ulcers a while (with potential flare ups). I am long term out of the saddle and have decided to just give her a break. Due to my injury I can't exercise her really so she's porky (as is her companion). I've currently got both in a relatively small and now quite mean paddock and she's grumpy again (worse than before) - it could just be shes stroppy as she loves her food but I'm just concerned how I manage getting her trimmer but not risking the ulcers by leaving her with too little. Any thoughts please?

 

[Pingu42]

My mare scoped with grade 2 ulcers at the start of the year despite being nowhere near a typical type - out 24/7, not worked hard, not fed hard feed etc. she did however show behavioural signs and in hindsight had probably had the ulcers a while (with potential flare ups). I am long term out of the saddle and have decided to just give her a break. Due to my injury I can't exercise her really so she's porky (as is her companion). I've currently got both in a relatively small and now quite mean paddock and she's grumpy again (worse than before) - it could just be shes stroppy as she loves her food but I'm just concerned how I manage getting her trimmer but not risking the ulcers by leaving her with too little. Any thoughts please?

Mine is a good doer and ulcer prone. I bought a hay cube and give her adlib soaked hay overnight in winter. She has hi fi molasses free chaff, fast fibre, progressive earth forgage balancer, salt. I have also just given her a 4 week course of chios mastica gum powder which has worked wonders.

 

[Ceriann]

Thanks. Is that in her stable or in the field? I've had mine on alfalfa chaff, speedibeet to carry slippery elm and Brewers yeast - I've cut it all though due to her weight. What's the gum powder? Is it treatment or to maintain?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I bought a vastly overweight very grumpy mare. I made shre her tack fitted, which helped the grumpiness but also fed her an ulcer-friendly diet, basically high-fibre, low-sugar constant access to forage. I also gave her Aloe Vera. I avoid alfalfa as one of the others can't tolerate it. My overweight mare had a measured amount of hay and trugs full of plain oat straw chaff to munch if she felt like it, when in overnight. 5 yrs later she is a perfect weight, has ad-lib hay and a handful of grassnuts so that she doesn't lose too much weight, although she is now in her 20s, so her metabolism could be changing.
I do know though that int he year before I bought her she had been given a lot of unnecessary hard feed.

 

[Pingu42]

Thanks. Is that in her stable or in the field? I've had mine on alfalfa chaff, speedibeet to carry slippery elm and Brewers yeast - I've cut it all though due to her weight. What's the gum powder? Is it treatment or to maintain?

She was originally treated with succeed in November for 90 days but started showing ulcer systems again in July so tried the Chios mastic gum in August. Have just started giving soaked hay in the field at night and then will continue with soaked hay at night in the stable at the end of August when she comes in. My mare also reacts to clover so feed mycosorb too as well as the salt. Check out calm, healthy horses website too.