According to research published in 2005, 63 percent of horses involved in competition sports, ranging from dressage to racing, suffered from colonic ulceration. The research was conducted by Frank Pellegrini, DVM.
The study found that 54 percent of performance horses suffered from both gastric and colonic ulcers and that 97 percent of performance horses had some type of ulceration. Gastric ulcers can be treated with Omeprazole, but no treatment is currently available for colonic ulcers.
Dr. Pellegrini says: “Given that more than 60 percent of all performance horses may be suffering from colonic ulceration, which cannot be treated with traditional ulcer medications, it may be time for equine caregivers to consider other options. A dietary supplement intended to maintain optimum digestive tract health may be the best solution to preventing colonic ulcers before they negatively affect performance and attitude in the horse.”
