Don't Turn a Blind Eye

It's easy for someone to be aware of potential problems but want to turn a blind eye so to speak. If your lucky things wont get worse but 9 times out of 10 they are a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. So why turn that blind eye in the first place? Well the answer for that is different for everyone really. They have plans they have goals they have everything all set & ready so when you see a little subtle something you see it but choose to look past it sometimes. That may work for a time but it will eventually hit you like jumping in freezing cold water. You will go numb, you will go in shock, you wont know what hit you. Blindsided. Or maybe you will be lucky but how lucky do you feel? I know I never have luck on my side or so it seems, but hey it can always be worse.

Show season is just beginning for most of the equestrians who compete out there. Everyone is busy getting in their lessons maybe scheduling more than during the winter or prepping even harder. Maybe coming out of winter were your horse had more time off he or she seems a little more girthy or has a new behavior that wasn't there before. How is your horse to groom do they seem to not like being touched in certain areas? The list is endless really with little things that can pop up, but the question how are you going to go about it? Show seasons just starting your all excited but your horse isn't all about the game exactly but you think with a little more practice it will be just fine. But will it? Is it truly behavior or is it something else? Do you feel lucky enough about it?

The recorded percentage of horses with ulcers is over 60% & growing. That's more than half the entire horse population. Ulcers are becoming more & more common because people are becoming more aware of the issue. We ride, we train, we lesson, we show, we don't always have ideal living situations, herd dynamics change, stressful events happen its just the way it is. We cannot take every ounce of stress out of our horses lives no matter how much we try. What we can do is notice the subtle changes & if there's a problem reassess the horses entire situation. That means feeding, riding, stabling, turnout , the whole gamut! How can we manage things differently. I am by no means saying don't ride or show or anything of the sort but am saying just notice things & don't turn a blind eye or hope it goes away. There are always yes always some sort of sign or symptom leading up to ulcers they don't get bad overnight, though they can form in 5 days so keep that in mind as well.

Has your horse been having a chronic problem that keeps ailing them? You may be trying to help that problem the best you can or you may be continuing as you have been with just a few things changed. That is stressful for your horse (you also) & enough to start the ulceration process. Ulcers are almost always a secondary issue to a primary cause & its typically pain related or stress related (show horse). Not always but its important to try to find the cause nonetheless. I get it once you go the ulcer route & find yes your horse has them its a commitment fully & its not a cheap one at that. But neither is emergency vet calls all the time or countless tries at supplements that don't work or even addressing an issue that wasn't really the issue at hand. You may think oh well then I will just do gastrogard for the recommended 28 days & it will all be fine. Consider that bubble burst because that's not how it really works sorry to say. You cant stop Gastrogard cold turkey. Why? Because if you do kiss all that money goodbye & that's a lot of kissing! Stopping cold turkey from a full dose will cause a rebound effect & it can cause an even worse acid problem than before. So what does that mean? It means after 28-30 days of a full tube of Gastrogard then you very slowly & carefully wean off it being cautious in the process per your vet yes your vet because you better have one in your treatment program will tell you how to do so. Also lets not forget the lesser known fact about Gastrogard while it is a fabulous product & I highly recommend it, it does not cover the entire stomach so depending on the location of your horses ulcers you will need an additional medication from your vet to cover everything properly. Like I said its a commitment.

I am not trying to say all your horses have ulcers by any means. Just please be aware of the high risk that most horses do indeed have some form of ulceration. Look at your horse & notice the subtle things you may be lucky now but it never lasts & all equestrians know this. My blogs are to create more awareness & share what I am going through with Ben. I want you to be able to catch & treat sooner than I was given the chance to. Don't let it fool you because it has a nasty side.