4_page_whiterthanwhite.pdf 3 09/06/2017 11:41 health & wellbeing Diet can help manage gastric ulcer syndrome


Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) can affect any horse. It can cause discomfort and may have a detrimental effect on behaviour and performance but new research has confirmed that a suitable diet can help to manage the condition, especially after veterinary treatment is stopped. EGUS refers to the ulceration of the horse’s stomach lining. Several factors, including nutrition, have been shown to increase the risk of ulcers occurring, particularly in the non-glandular (squamous) part of the stomach. In horses that are actively exercising and training, the incidence of gastric ulceration has been reported to be up to 90% in some sub-populations. Whilst dietary and management changes are often recommended to help reduce the risk of EGUS, they are also suggested in conjunction with or following veterinary pharmaceutical treatment. However, until now there has been little published work to confirm their benefit under such circumstances. The new research study on the effect of changing diet on gastric ulceration in exercising horses and ponies following cessation of omeprazole treatment was conducted by Nanna Luthersson (Hestedoktoren, a private practice in Denmark) and Coby Bolger (Horse1 Spain), with colleagues


Holmside Hall expands


from the University of Madrid and Glasgow, in collaboration with Spillers and the Waltham Equine Studies Group. The study was presented at the International Colic Symposium in July. The study evaluated the effect of dietary change in combination with omeprazole treatment and after the cessation of treatment. The 32 horses in this part of the trial had been diagnosed with significant equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and were in hard work. For the purpose of more accurate comparisons the horses were paired, according to the severity of their ulcers, their workload, management and original diet. On a random basis one of each pair was assigned to a specified low starch, fibre- based diet consisting of their own forage alongside a restricted starch, high fibre, high energy cube (SPILLERS®


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A new outdoor arena and the installation of new surfaces will enable County Durham venue Holmside Hall to now run two dressage arenas at the same time. Owner Denise Quigley explains; “We have updated our indoor riding surface to an Andrews Bowen waxed surface and moved the old indoor surface to a new outdoor 50m x 30m warm up arena. It will enable us to run two dressage arenas at the same time and still have the luxury of a surface warm up.


Cubes, which are commonly used in racing yards) and a high oil, low starch, chopped alfalfa based feed (WINERGY® Equilibrium®


Growth) and the


“As a result we will cut down on the time between classes, which is great news for competitors as there’ll be no more hanging around between classes and shorter days for us. A win-win situation. Going forward we are hopefully also going to be running combined training competitions.”


The horses in the no diet change group improved significantly with the omeprazole but when


Tendon and ligament injuries typically cost ££££s


Injuries affecting tendons and ligaments in the equine lower limb are surprisingly common in equines kept primarily for leisure riding and low level competition, not just those training and competing at the higher levels. The cost of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation can cost from under £1000, up to an eye- watering £10,000 or more in some cases. Data from over 1100 respondents contributed to a survey developed by microcurrent technology expert, Applied Microcurrent Technology (AMT), the company behind the ArcEquine, reveals that over 60% had experienced a tendon or ligament injury to at least one horse in the previous 12 months, the most common of which was damage to the suspensory ligament and/or its branches (over 50%) with 17% reporting injures to the deep digital flexor tendon and 8% to the superficial digital flexor tendon.


• Caroline Cowley with HS Bellini


• Harry Ingram with Warrens Hill Chayze


The age profile of injured horses, which are based in every region of the UK and Northern Ireland, showed a peak at the age of 10, but some injuries are reported from as young as a yearling, up to the age of 28.


• Annie Joppe with Fantom • Nicola Thorne with LM Bolena Reserve: Lorna Kidson with Sheer Bliss Chef d’Equip, Liz Finney, commented, “Following a very positive training day held at Euston Park, courtesy of HPower, we have made the difficult decision as to which horses would be selected. We have a


Hacking has long been thought of as beneficial to long term fitness and soundness, but results reveal that almost half of the injured horses are regularly


Equine Page 24 www.theequinesite.co.uk


British Team announced for European Endurance Championships


Endurance GB has announced the team of riders and horses who will represent Great Britain at the forthcoming European Endurance Championships to be held in Brussels, Belgium on August 17th. • Rachael Atkinson with Tannasg Psyches Realm


hacking out alongside competition work, or are kept solely for leisure purposes. Amongst the competition disciplines, dressage horses were most likely to be affected by these injuries (47%) followed by show jumpers (28%), eventers 25% and show horses 12%.


Diagnostic ultrasound is most frequently used to confirm the nature of injury, together with expert veterinary lameness examination, with nerve blocks used in 30% of cases. Most horses present with either grade 2 or 3 (on a scale 1 of 5) lameness and in cases where tendons are injured, most are at the less serious end of the spectrum. Prognoses vary significantly, with rest periods typically up to six months prior to rehabilitation and a return to work, but some horses have not yet returned to work even after a year off.


strong team of riders who all have international experience and we are looking forward to competing in the European championships in Brussels.” The Brussels Equestrian Endurance Masters takes riders from the Bois de la Cambre park in central Brussels out towards the Sonian Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 5 loops of the 160km course can be found online at http://brussels- endurance.org/plans Each rider will have their own support crew who will assist them in vet gates and out on course, along with Endurance GB’s Senior Management Team, consisting of:


To advertise your show, event or training fixture in equine magazine and on our facebook pages, contact 01228 676935.


Most injuries (39%) are reported to have occurred whilst the horse was turned out, with only 11% sustained whilst competing or racing. 10% of owners consider sub-optimal ground conditions to be a causative factor, with repetitive strain injuries (9%), cumulative microtrauma/tears (9%) and sudden changes of speed, stopping and turning (8%) all implicated.


Chef d’Equip - Liz Finne, Vet - Hannah Kelley, Farrier - Kelvin Lymer and Physio - Katie Dorman.


Of the commonly used treatment and rehabilitation therapies, the best results are seen with


one or more of physiotherapy and chiropractic adjustment, corrective shoeing/farriery, cryotherapy, microcurrent therapy and a progressive return to exercise.


Commenting on the results of the survey, AMT Director of Research & Development, Jack Thirkell said: “The data will be used to evaluate the efficacy of current treatment options and rehabilitation protocols in detail. This will help inform our work in developing and funding planned veterinary clinical trials, which will include the use of ArcEquine microcurrent technology as a new therapy, both for effective treatment and on-


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The diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation costs associated with tendon and ligament injuries can easily run into the ££££s


If you are reading the digital edition, simply click the link now - and remember to include your full contact details. Closing date: 31/08/2017. The winners will be chosen at random after the closing date from all fully completed entries and notified by email. No postal entries will be accepted.


www.theequinesite.co.uk Equine Page 47


other stayed on their original diet. All animals were scoped before, after the recommended course of omeprazole treatment and then six weeks after the omeprazole finished.


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the treatment was stopped many regressed. Overall, by the end of the trial they were not significantly different to when they had started. However, the horses in the dietary change group overall showed significantly improved ESGD scores, not only following the omeprazole treatment but also after the treatment had stopped. This showed that a change in diet was able to help maintain the beneficial effect of omeprazole even after the omeprazole was removed. The study achieved an award in 2016 for research in horse welfare from the Fundación para la Promoción del Deporte Ecuestre, Spain. Clare Barfoot RNutr, the research and development manager at


Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome can affect any horse, causing


discomfort that can be significant. Image courtesy of Nanna Luthersson


Spillers, said: “This exciting work confirms what we suspected; that whilst appropriate dietary change can provide additional support to medical treatment for EGUS most importantly it can help maintain better gastric health post medical treatment.” Last year the British Equestrian Trade Association, in consultation with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, introduced a new feed approval mark to help owners identify feeds suitable for horses and ponies prone to equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Currently six feeds in the UK carry the BETA Equine Gastric Ulceration Syndrome (EGUS) Certification Mark including Winergy Equilibrium® Spillers Alfalfa Pro Fibre.


Growth and competition news


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