How do I know if my horse has ulcers?

Gastric ulcers in horses are significantly more prevalent than many owners realize, and they present through a wide range of symptoms — some obvious and some subtle — that are easy to attribute to other causes or to accept as normal behavior when they are actually the horse's communication about genuine digestive discomfort. Recognizing the signs of ulcers and understanding which horses are most at risk allows owners to pursue appropriate veterinary evaluation rather than managing symptoms or attributing behavioral changes to training problems. The behavioral signs of gastric ulcers are among the most commonly observed but least specifically recognized. A horse that has become girthy — that pins his ears, bites at the air, or shows obvious discomfort during girthing where he was previously quiet — is frequently showing abdominal pain that girthing aggravates rather than simply developing a bad attitude. A horse whose attitude toward work has changed — that was previously willing and forward and has become resistant, reluctant, or dull — may be communicating that work hurts rather than that his training has regressed. A horse that cribs, windsucks, or wood-chews and does not have an obvious management explanation for those behaviors may be self-medicating the acid discomfort that ulcers produce through the endorphin release those behaviors create. Physical signs include poor body condition that does not respond to increased feeding, a rough or dull coat, intermittent mild colic especially around feeding times, loose manure or manure inconsistency, and weight loss in horses that are receiving adequate nutrition. None of these signs is specific to ulcers — each can have other causes — but their combination, especially in a horse with known ulcer risk factors, should prompt veterinary evaluation. The horses at highest risk for gastric ulcers are those in performance training with high-grain diets and limited forage access, horses that are stalled for extended periods, horses that travel and compete frequently, horses on regular NSAID medication, and horses that have previously been diagnosed with ulcers. Gastroscopy — a veterinary procedure in which a camera is passed into the horse's stomach — is the only definitive diagnostic tool for gastric ulcers and is the appropriate evaluation when ulcers are suspected rather than assumed or treated empirically without confirmation.