April 09 midwest horse digest Page 45
Health Tip
Breeding Season Can Lead
to Gastric Ulcers
Breeding season can be a stressful to an unfamiliar facility or may be in a stall
time for owners and horses alike. While horse longer than normal may benefit from the use of
owners are hustling to prepare facilities, the an omeprazole. Healthy, open mares without
broodmares may be just as tense. Especially stomach ulcers will get a breeding program off
for young and maiden mares, the stress from to a great start,” Dr. Knudson says. “Horse
being trailered to new facilities1 and being owners should always look for products
separated from herd mates may lead to stom- that are approved by the FDA and formulated
ach ulcers. to remain effective, even while being digested
by the horse. If horse owners are concerned
“Young mares and maiden mares about stomach ulcers after breeding their
may have trouble with stomach ulcers. horses, they should talk to their veterinarian.”
Breeders often send mares off the farm to
breed, and younger mares may not be
accustomed to being trailered or stalled,” says
Carol Rose, the American Quarter Horse
Association’s all-time leading breeder of
performance horses and owner of Carol Rose
Quarter Horses in Gainesville, Texas.
Stomach ulcers, which can develop
in as little as five days, can be caused by situ-
ations as common as traveling and stall
confinement. In fact, a recently released study
found that more than 75 percent of non-
pregnant broodmares were found to have
stomach ulcers.
“Because broodmares are often
kept on pasture and don’t necessarily
encounter risk factors for gastric ulcers, such
as training or competing, we don’t often think
of open broodmares as being at risk for
stomach ulcers,” says April Knudson, DVM,
manager, Veterinary Services, Merial. “The
reality is: Other stressors may play a role in the
development of stomach ulcers. Trailering and
stall confinement at an unfamiliar facility could
cause stomach ulcers, potentially leading to
poor body condition, poor hair coat or even a
change in attitude.”
Limited grazing opportunities
coupled with the stress of being stalled longer
during preparation and transport means acid
can build up in the horse’s stomach and lead
to gastric ulcers.
“I sent a mare off the farm last year,”
Rose says. “She’s a very nervous mare and
doesn’t like to be stalled, but the place we sent
her could only put her in a stall. They were
able to put her in an area where she could see
other horses, but I put her on a stomach ulcer
preventive anyway because I knew the situa-
tion was stressful for her.”
Dr. Knudson says management
changes, such as decreasing feed con-
centrate and providing plenty of alfalfa-based
roughage, can create a buffer in the horse’s
stomach and help prevent stomach ulcers.
However, a good way to help prevent stomach
ulcers is with the use of a preventive product,
Dr. Knudson adds.“Mares that will be traveling
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