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RE: [RC] Ulcers and endurance horses - Von Simson, CristianoThere is a great study by Dr. Alfred. Merritt (see below) that shows that when horses trot or canter they contract their abdominal muscles, increasing the intra-abdominal pressure and "squeezing" their stomachs. This makes the acid that is in the bottom part of the stomach (protected) to slosh into the unprotected area above the margo plicatus, causing irritation and ulcers. Therefore, ulcers are linked to the amount of trotting and cantering. (Maybe this is the cause for trailering ulcers too, since they probably contract their abdominal muscles to help balance inside the trailer. This was not measured yet). Alfalfa can help reduce the pH but it only works while it is in the stomach. If you feed them alfalfa all day long, their diet will be too rich in proteins, and they will also get too much calcium. For horses prone to ulcers, I would recommend preventative use of ULCERGARD (ulcergard.com) when they are at risk. Ask you veterinarian about it. Best Regards, Cristiano von Simson, DVM Abstract American Journal of Veterinary Research November 2002, Vol. 63, No. 11, Pages 1481-1487 doi: 10.2460/ajvr.2002.63.1481 Effects of exercise on gastric volume and pH in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses Mireia Lorenzo-Figueras, DVM Alfred M. Merritt, DVM, MS Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610- 0136. (Lorenzo-Figueras, Merritt) Objective-To assess effects of exercise on a treadmill with changes in gastric volume and pH in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses. Animals-3 healthy adult horses. Procedure-A polyester bag of approximately 1,600 mL was placed into the proximal portion of the stomach of each horse via a nasogastric tube. Changes in bag volume, determined by an electronic barostat, were recorded before, during, and after a training session on a treadmill with and without prior withholding of food. In separate experiments, pH in the proximal portion of the stomach was continuously recorded during exercise for fed and food-withheld conditions. Finally, changes in intra-abdominal and intragastric pressure were simultaneously recorded during a training session. Results-Bag volume rapidly decreased to nearly zero during trotting and galloping. Conversely, a return to walking resulted in a sharp increase in volume and a return to pre-exercise values. Intragastric and intraabdominal pressures increased almost in parallel with walking, trotting, galloping, and galloping on a slope. Gastric pH decreased rapidly to < 4 at the beginning of walking, continued to decrease during trotting and galloping, and remained low until a return to walking. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Increased intra-abdominal pressure during intense exercise in horses causes gastric compression, pushing acidic contents into the proximal, squamous-lined region of the stomach. Increased duration of acid exposure directly related to daily duration of exercise may be the reason that squamous lesions tend to develop or worsen when horses are in intensive training programs. (Am J Vet Res 2002;63:1481-1487) -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sheila_Larsen@xxxxxxx Sent: segunda-feira, 30 de outubro de 2006 14:49 To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Ulcers and endurance horses I thought I had read that one reason endurance horses may have ulcers in addition to stress of trailering and competition was that because they trot extensively there was "sloshing" of gastric acid into the portion of the stomach that is not normally exposed to such acidic gastric fluid. Don't know what the effect of cantering would be. I also had read the information about alfalfa and buffering for ulcers, which is probably a good reason to feed at least some alfalfa at endurance rides and at home. Of course here in California one has to think about the formation of entroliths from feeding too much alfalfa. Having a horse that suffered from ulcers I just try and make sure to feed Neighlox (after treating for ulcers of course). Symptom free for three years. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. 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