Nearly 94 percent of horses in intense exercise or training programs experience equine gastric ulcer syndrome. In the past, researchers had linked stress and the increased exercise to the formation of the ulcers, as exercise forces stomach acid into the squamous region of the stomach.
Carlee Eifert created a study that tested the theory that increasing exercise intensity would increase the occurrence of glandular gastric ulcers in horses. She presented her findings at the 2023 Equine Science Society Symposium, which was held June 6-9 in Grapevine, Texas, reports The Horse.
Eifert used eight Quarter Horse yearlings and split them into two groups: an exercise treatment group and an unexercised control group. Both groups were fed a relatively high-concentrate diet designed to mimic a typical performance horse ration.
The exercise group worked five days per week for 10 weeks on an exerciser set at various intensity levels. The horses began with a two-week acclimation period, then worked for three two-week periods, with increasing intensity from light to moderate to heavy. They were then weaned off the program and turned back out to pasture.
Gastroscopies were performed throughout the study; the first to establish a baseline on Day 1 and then at the end of each two-week period to evaluate any treatment effects. These results were scored by four individuals who knew nothing about the treatment.
Blood samples were also taken to evaluate exercise's effects on various biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress.
Eifert reported that the horses that were exercised had an increase in glandular ulceration associated with the stress of exercise. She hypothesized that this occurs because of a decrease in blood flow to the glandular area of the stomach. She did note, however, that the horse's bloodwork showed a decrease in serum amyloid A concentrations, meaning that exercise may have a positive effect on inflammation.
There was no difference in oxidative status between treatment groups. This could be based on a number of factors, Eifert said, including decreasing ambient temperature, the exercised horses becoming more fit, their age (younger horses cope better with oxidative stress), or a combination of these factors.
The team concluded that overall, gastric ulcers in the glandular region of the stomach of the exercised horses increased. More research is needed as very little is known about this region of the stomach, says Eifert.
With results of the study in mind, Eifert encouraged horse owners to take precautions like increasing forage availability, avoiding long-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, providing smaller meals throughout the day, and reducing environmental stress to minimize risk of gastric ulcer formation.
Read more at The Horse.
The post Yearling Study: Glandular Gastric Ulcer Risk Increases With Exercise appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
