Horses are grazers, and their stomachs secrete acid around the clock. When forage access drops, grain goes up, or stress piles on, the stomach lining can erode, especially in the non-glandular region that lacks a strong protective coating. Hindgut (colonic) ulcers come up less often in conversation, but they matter for performance horses too. This chapter covers both, then points you toward veterinary care and sensible nutrition.
How gastric ulcers form
In people, the typical peptic-ulcer story often involves bacteria. Equine gastric ulceration is different. It's driven largely by prolonged acid exposure when the feeding routine works against the horse's anatomy. Risk goes up with infrequent meals, stall confinement, transport, intense exercise (which can reduce blood flow to the stomach and allow acid splash), and high-starch diets.
The signs can be vague. You might see a change in attitude, girthiness, poor appetite for grain, a drop in performance, or recurrent mild colic. Only gastroscopy confirms gastric ulcers, and diagnosis and medication protocols are veterinary territory.
Hindgut and colonic ulcers (formerly the Ulcers post)
Colonic ulcers, sometimes discussed as right dorsal colitis, involve thinning of the hindgut's mucosal lining and a disrupted microbial environment. They come up more often with performance horses. When large amounts of undigested starch reach the colon, they can drop the pH and stress the protective mucus layer. NSAID use, when prescribed, also belongs in the risk conversation with your veterinarian where the right dorsal colon is concerned.
The signs can overlap with other GI problems. Don't conclude it's "hindgut ulcers" from the manure alone. Get a veterinary workup.
Lowering the risk at the barn
- Feed forage often, and avoid long stretches on an empty stomach
- Keep grain meals smaller, and lean toward lower-NSC programs when appropriate
- Cut back on unnecessary trailering and social stress when you can
- Follow your veterinarian's guidance on NSAIDs and other drugs
Where nutrition fits, and where it doesn't
Once veterinary care and diet are set, ImmuBiome G-Tract offers foregut-to-hindgut digestive nutritional support. It isn't a treatment. For a fuller barn plan, see Ulcer Protocol. Esophagus and Stomach and Leaky Gut are worth reading too, and G-Tract is in our hindgut support collection.
These statements are about nutritional support. ImmuBiome supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Ulcer questions
Can I diagnose ulcers from behavior alone? Behavior can raise your suspicion, but it can't confirm anything. Gastroscopy and a veterinary exam confirm gastric disease.
Are hindgut ulcers the same as gastric ulcers? No. They occur in different places and follow different risk patterns, and both need a professional evaluation.
Will G-Tract heal ulcers? It won't. G-Tract supports digestive nutrition, and healing plans come from your veterinarian.
