The scenario is a familiar one. There’s a horse in the barn that’s become a picky eater and just isn’t performing up to his usual standard, or another that’s started grinding his teeth and seems to be more moody. While the symptoms can be vague and may vary from horse to horse, gastric ulcers are a problem that plague many racehorses. Perceived to be one of the most common performance limiting issues next to lameness, studies have reported the prevalence of ulcers to be as high as 87 per cent in racing standardbreds, with trotters appearing to be slightly more at risk than pacers.

By Lindsay Day