Feeding Frequency Affects Gastric Ulceration in Exercised Young Horses

An automated feeder that provides grain in multiple small meals throughout the day might help reduce the prevalence of gastric ulcers in horses in training.
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Feeding Frequency Affects Gastric Ulceration in Exercised Young Horses
An automated feeder that provides grain in multiple small meals throughout the day might help reduce the gastric ulcer prevalence in horses in training. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Luke Bass

We know that exercise intensity and duration are key contributors to equine gastric ulcer risk. Long periods between meals also increase a horse’s chance of developing gastric ulcers. This is especially true when these infrequent meals contain a high percentage of starch-based concentrate feed. But what happens when you compare the results of a common twice-a-day schedule to much more frequent feedings in population of study horses?

Luke Bass, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP, and his team at Colorado State University’s (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, in Fort Collins, aimed to determine the effects of two feeding strategies on exercising horses’ gastric ulceration, body weight, and body condition. Bass presented their findings at the 2017 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Nov. 17-21 in San Antonio, Texas.

He explained that horses have a natural grazing pattern in which they eat for many hours a day. Their natural diet is made up predominantly of highly fibrous forages. However, many performance horses are housed in stalls and consume high-starch concentrate feeds to meet the increased caloric demands associated with training and competition. These feeding and management practices are in part to blame for the increased incidence of gastric ulcers and colic seen in this population of horses

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Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

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