Ulcers. They’re a widespread issue, especially amongst performance horses. Luckily, ulcers are both preventable and treatable! If you want to prevent ulcers in your barn, then these tips can help to keep your horses healthy and ulcer-free.

Feed Small, Frequent Meals

As we’ve domesticated horses, we’ve changed the way that they eat. In the wild, horses are grazers. They have forage moving through their digestive systems all day long, which is what their bodies were built to process. When we have horses in stables, we alter their eating habits to two or three large meals per day. When your horse’s stomach empties between meals, his stomach acid has the chance to form ulcers.

Forage helps to absorb some of your horse’s stomach acid, reducing the chance of him developing ulcers. Your goal should be to keep forage in your horse’s system for as much of the day as possible. One way to do this is to use an automatic feeder which can feed your horse many small meals during the day. An automatic feeder can break down the larger meals that we traditionally feed, better mimicking the grazing that your horse would perform in the wild.

Minimize Grain and Maximize Forage

In addition to using a slow feeder, reassessing your horse’s diet can help to reduce ulcers. As a general rule of thumb, try to include as much forage in your horse’s diet as possible, while minimizing grains which are often high in sugar and starch.

Maximize Turnout

Standing in a stall for many hours out of the day is unnatural for your horse, and it can cause stress. Stress can lead to ulcers, so try to maximize the amount of time that your horse spends in turnout each day. If you have grass pastures, then providing your horse with plenty of turnout time can have the added bonus of keeping food moving through his digestive system.

Feed an Ulcer Preventative

There are plenty of ulcer preventatives available for purchase. Feeding an ulcer preventative to your horse on a daily basis can help to maintain a healthy digestive system while reducing the chance of ulcers.

Reduce Stress Through Routine

Horses are creatures of habit, and they quickly get attached to their routines. Keeping your horse’s routine on track can minimize his stress. However, you can also vary your horse’s routine slightly to teach him to be more flexible. For instance, feed your horse within a 2 or 3-hour period every day, but don’t consistently feed him at the same time down to the minute. If your horse can learn to adapt with a changing schedule, then he won’t stress as dramatically when variations in his routine occur.

Finally, don’t forget to work with your vet to keep your horse healthy. Making sure that your horse is well cared for and is happy with his job can go a long way towards preventing ulcers in your horse!

Original Source: Ulcer Prevention Tips to Use In Your Barn