Tummy trouble
QMy horse has ulcers. Do I need to adjust his feed — I heard salt licks can help?
AThe key to feeding an ulcer-prone horse is a diet that’s high in fibre and low in starch. Any supplementary bucket feed should also follow the same high-fibre, low-starch rule. Fibre is not only a vital source of nutrition, but is essential for a healthy digestive system. In the wild, horses graze for up to 18 hours a day and it’s important that this ‘trickle’ feed of fibrous food is replicated for our domesticated horses. A stomach continually filled with fibre is much less likely to develop ulcers than one that remains empty for long periods of time. When a horse is stabled or his grazing is poor he should be offered ad-lib hay. Hay is more appropriate than haylage for a horse prone to ulcers as haylage has a lower pH, making it more acidic.
The lowdown on licks
While a balanced diet is essential and a salt lick is a good idea for all horses, it’s not beneficial in terms of preventing ulcers. The licking behaviour will not produce the quantities of saliva required for a healthy digestive system. Saliva contains a large amount of bicarbonate, which is alkaline and has a neutralising effect on stomach acid. However, since horses only produce saliva when they’re actively chewing, long periods without food will increase the risk of developing ulcers, which means a salt lick won’t help.
Small meals
Fibrous forage like hay requires more chewing than mixes or cubes do, and this is one of the reasons why performance horses — who are often fed less fibre and more concentrate feed than leisure horses — are more susceptible to ulcers. Feeding a small meal of hay or chaff shortly before exercise can be beneficial for horses with a history of ulcers as it creates a mat of fibre that sits on top of the stomach contents, helping to prevent the splashing effect of the acid.
Watch the starch
Cereals contain large amounts of starch and are good sources of instant energy, but a high-starch intake is associated with an increased risk of ulcers as the fermentation of starch produces volatile fatty acids. These reduce the effectiveness of the mucosal layer that protects against the effects of gastric acid in the stomach. If your horse requires more calories to fuel work and maintain an ideal weight than can be provided by forage alone, it’s highly beneficial to choose a concentrate feed that is cereal grain-free and instead uses fibre and oil as energy sources. Keep starch intake down to less than 2g per kg of bodyweight per day and split any concentrate feeds into several smaller meals given throughout the day.
GOOD TO KNOW
Feeding a small meal of hay or chaff shortly before exercise can be beneficial for horses prone to ulcers, as it creates a mat of fibre that sits on top of the stomach contents