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Re: [RC] Chief has ulcers - heidiOk, now that Chief has been diagnosed with ulcers, I'm wondering what this means for any career in endurance. Because of the heat down here, we won't even be thinking of rides until October, so I've got plenty of time to get him healed. The vet gave us generic Gastrogard at 30cc's for 30 days and then we're to call back to discuss the maintenance dosage. She said that recent studies showed that horses are best kept on a half dose for a long (life?) period of time. If that's the way we have to go, does that mean that Chief can no longer do endurance? Has anyone else had experience with competing with a horse that has or has had ulcers? What maintenance treatment do you use? I'd like to gather some options to present this vet when we discuss Chief next month. First off, you're correct that you can't compete on Gastrogard or any other ulcer med. That said, I'm not sure that I go along with the concept that a horse necessarily needs to be on a maintenance dose. (Drug company paradise!) I AM convinced that there ARE some horses who simply stress so readily that they are not suitable endurance candidates. But before I would consign a horse to that conclusion, I'd very thoughtfully dissect the horse's history and management practices, and see what could have been a starting point, and what management changes could keep the ulcers from recurring. At one point, I believe this horse was in a trainer's barn--most trainers have routines that are classic patterns for "installing" ulcers (no offence to trainers--just a fact of life). So you may have a starting point, and he may have had ulcers off and on ever since, without an opportunity to break the cycle. If you get him healed up, you can start with a somewhat clean slate. Next consideration is eating behavior and eating management. I'd get this horse off of ALL concentrates for the time being, and work at getting him to really eat well on forages. And I'd have those in front of him 24/7. A stomach with something in it is less prone to ulcers than one that is meal-fed and has long empty periods. Sometimes it takes awhile to "retrain" the horse to realize that eating no longer gives him a belly ache--so you have to go by his eating behavior as an indicator of when you can start more serious work again, not just by whether the ulcer has gone away for now. I'd also check his teeth, in case there are any contributing causes in his mouth. Once you get this horse healing well, DO ride lightly. But don't do anything unusual or stressful for awhile. A regular work load that is just a part of his usual day will help boost his appetite, though. Reconsider your electrolyte program. Try a training time without them, and see what happens. If you feel that he really HAS to have them at some point, give them in SMALL amounts, and ALWAYS in food. Just diluting them some in applesause or some such doesn't cut it, IMO--at least not for the ulcer-prone horse. Most of all, give him TIME. Rebuild slowly. Incorporate some of Frank's suggestions in making travel and camping less stressful. But if you otherwise think this horse is the endurance horse for you, don't just give up on the first go-around. If you do all these management things and THEN he ends up with ulcers again, he may be one of the ones not suited. But you may also find that he is just fine and dandy. Heidi ============================================================ Riding alone is when you teach a horse all the "tools" and "cues" he needs to handle the trail, to hold a speed, deal with hills, etc. It's also where you develop the "bond" that causes him to "defer" to you before losing his cool. ~ Jim Holland ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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