Horse Health
Horse owners, horses both feel the pressure of competition
Horse shows can be a stressful endeavor. However, exhibitors aren’t the only ones who deal with the pressure of competition. Whether horses travel the country attending shows week after week or are out once a year to win a ribbon at the county show, they can feel the stress of competition, too.
After showing competitively for nearly 25 years, Olympic gold medalist and Grand Prix rider Beezie Madden, of Cazenovia, N.Y., knows how stressful just getting to an event can be for her horses, and she’s seen horses of all levels react negatively to even a few days on the road.
“We’re on the road at least 42 weeks of the year, and each horse we show is on the road an average of 25 weeks a year,” Madden says. “Stomach ulcers can be a problem for any horse and I think a lot of horses get worse after a long ship or after being at an event for a few days.”
After arriving, the stress may only continue, with several days of practice or showing, Madden adds. To be sure her horses start each show off on the right foot, she uses ULCERGARD® (omeprazole) to help prevent stomach ulcers before they become a problem.
“We have had so much success with ULCERGARD that we use it on all of our horses that would likely be bothered by ulcers when we ship them and while at the shows,” Madden says. “We start them on ULCERGARD a few days before the show and then keep them on it a couple of days after.”
One of the reasons Madden chose ULCERGARD is the fact that it’s the only product approved by the FDA for the prevention of stomach ulcers. Just one daily dose of ULCERGARD has been proven effective in preventing stomach ulcers over both short and long periods of time.*,1
Madden says it’s a priority to give her horses products that are thoroughly tested and FDA-approved. The competition is no place to encounter surprises — everything from her horse’s tack to healthcare products must work consistently.
“For one thing, the science is very proven as to how and why it works,” Madden says. In addition, Madden says she knows she can trust ULCERGARD to help prevent equine stomach ulcers — and that helps keep her horses working at their best during every show.
Speaking to riders around the country and world, Madden knows competitors at all levels can relate to the stress of competitions, even if they don’t spend weeks on the road. In fact, stomach ulcers can occur in up to 63% of nonracing competitive horses.2
“A horse’s stomach can produce up to 16 gallons of acid each day,”3 says April Knudson, DVM, manager, Merial Veterinary Services. “In a natural grazing environment, forage in the stomach helps to create a buffer for the stomach acid. But, when we take horses out of the pasture and into a stall or show, with limited grazing opportunities or little free choice hay, coupled with the stress of the show, acid can build up in the horse’s stomach and lead to stomach ulcers.”
Dr. Knudson adds that horses are extremely sensitive to stress. Even events that many horse owners consider to be routine — including training, traveling, competition and stall confinement1 — can be stressful enough to contribute to stomach ulcer development, sometimes in as little as five days.4
“Horses that show competitively — whether year-round or once a summer — can develop stomach ulcers,” Dr. Knudson says. “But, owners can help keep their horses performing at their best just by using ULCERGARD to help prevent stomach ulcers before they become a problem.”
Top of Page
|
