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[RC] [Guest] AERC Rules re Ulcers - Ridecamp GuestLynn Nicholson windstarfarms@xxxxxxx World endurance organization leaders have legalized the use of ulcer medications under no drug rules. I find it disheartening that our - AERC - governing body has chosen to ignore the lead of world organizations in light of the recent findings reported in the HORSE magazine, which would allow us to protect our endurance mounts during competition. The gist of the article details a University of FLorida research finding that any exercise above a walk could force acidic gastric juice up into sensitive areas of the equine stomach, which could be why ulcers develop or worsen in horses in training, affecting more than 80% of performance horses in some studies. ... The study examined the influence exercise might have on contraction and relaxation of the stomach in horses fed two hours previously and in those from which feed was withheld for 18 hours before exercise. Over five weeks the horse subjects were put through increasingly intense treadmill sessions, culminating in a gallop of nearly 2 miles on an uphill slope. It didn't take maximum exertion to produce a notable result. As soon as each horse moved from a walk to a trot, the volume of air in the bag(each horse was fitted with permanent external access to their stomachs) decreased rapidly, to the point of almost empyting. The bag remained deflated when the horses galloped and didnt regain its original volume until they came back to a walk. This effect was most dramatic in fasted horses, but it was observable in the fed horses as well , although the food in the stomach decreased the initial volume of air in the bag. The UofF team concluded that at any gait faster than a walk, either the gastric wall was becoming more rigid than normal or external pressure was being exerted on the stomach. To investigate the latter they inserted a catheter into the abdominal cavity through the right flank to measure intra-abdominal pressure, while a pressure transducer tracked intra-gastric pressure. When horses went from a walk to a trot, both measurements shot up and stayed there for the entire exercise bout, likely due to tensing of abdominal muscles with the faster gaits. External pressure on the stomach during exercise, they hypothesized, forces the liquid contents of the lower stomach upward, exposing the more sensitive mucosa of the upper stomach to stomach acids and inducing ulcerous lesions. On their own, horses rarely exert themselves for long, so the upper stomach is not naturally exposed to these acides very long. Since strenuous exercise can trigger gastro-esophageal reflux disease - heartburn - in human athletes, the UF findings are an interesting parallel. Scientists further tested their hypothesis with a pH electrode inserted into the upper stomach just below the esophageal sphincter to monitor pH (acidity) during exercise. When horses stood or walked, the pH remained around 5-6, but as they trotted or cantered, the pH pluged as far as 1 and remained severely acidic until the horses stopped. This was a strong indicator that stomach acids were splashing on this sensitive area in response to strenuous exercise. This study shows that gastric ulcers might be more the rule than the exception when we exercise horses. Your input on this underdiagnosed problem and lack of ability to continue to utilize proper medication during races, is appreciated. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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