# Best "before riding" feed for horse with ulcers



## emfen1305 (17 November 2016)

I've already posted in veterinary but just wanted to cover all bases!  

My boy has just been diagnosed with grade 4 ulcers and has been on the full dose of peptizole for 2 weeks with another 2 weeks to go and then 4 weeks of maintenance dose. He's not done much work (prior to the diagnosis as I didn't want to ride him as he wasn't right) or since he was diagnosed but he's getting rather bored and jogged the whole way on our hand walk the other day so i thought about bringing him back into light work on the vets advice as long as i feed some chop before i ride. I've recently swapped him onto healthy tummy for his tea but since doing this he has completely gone off the top chop lite he was on! The problem is he is a good doer so he can't keep having scoopfuls of the healthy tummy as is quite calorific so I'm looking for another chop which i can just give him a scoopful of before i ride - does anyone have any recommendations? 

On another note, i am also on the hunt for a good ulcer supplement for when he comes off the peptizole - old school vet says not to waste money but i'd like to hear people's recommendations!

Many thanks


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## albeg (17 November 2016)

Would Graze On be any good? Just dried grass. http://www.northerncropdriers.co.uk/graze-on


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## emfen1305 (17 November 2016)

ailbheg said:



			Would Graze On be any good? Just dried grass. http://www.northerncropdriers.co.uk/graze-on

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I did see this at Your Horse Live at the weekend! I should have asked for a sample. I'm not sure where sells it near me but definitely worth looking at, thanks!


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## supsup (17 November 2016)

Why don't you just offer a hay net while tacking up? It's about having a "fibre mat" swimming around in the stomach to protect against splashes, but it shouldn't make any difference whether that fibre arrives as chop or longer fibre.
Some studies say alfalfa may help to buffer the stomach acid (as it's high in calcium), so if you prefer an alfalfa-based chaff, you could look at e.g. Emerald green alfalfa-tastic or Simple Systems lucie stalks for plain alfalfa chaff, or any of the more commonly available alfalfa chaffs with oil dressing (Dengie range, Mollichaff alfalfa oil). Of course, alfalfa is higher energy than most hays, and would probably quite similar to the Healthy Tummy on that score.

For plain grass chaffs, there's also the new Dengie Meadow Grass chaff, which may be easier to come by than the Graze on at the usual feed merchants.


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## Tory27 (17 November 2016)

When my horse had ulsers vet told me if i was to ride first thing before horse had cerial breakfast then to give a large scoop of chaff (or molychaff). She told me it lines the stomach and forms layer to stop acid splashing on to the guts walls. I have done this lots since and never had any issues. I do wait at least 10-15 minutes before getting on just to give it time to go donw. Plus chaff is cheap, less than £10 a bag.


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## ohmissbrittany (17 November 2016)

Scoop sizes vary widely, but I would get about 4 cups of alfalfa pellets and drench in aloe vera juice. Alfalfa has a high calcium content, and functions like horsey antacids. This is what I did pre-ride while also treating with Omeprazole when my horse's ulcers were at their worst.


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## emfen1305 (17 November 2016)

supsup said:



			Why don't you just offer a hay net while tacking up? It's about having a "fibre mat" swimming around in the stomach to protect against splashes, but it shouldn't make any difference whether that fibre arrives as chop or longer fibre.
Some studies say alfalfa may help to buffer the stomach acid (as it's high in calcium), so if you prefer an alfalfa-based chaff, you could look at e.g. Emerald green alfalfa-tastic or Simple Systems lucie stalks for plain alfalfa chaff, or any of the more commonly available alfalfa chaffs with oil dressing (Dengie range, Mollichaff alfalfa oil). Of course, alfalfa is higher energy than most hays, and would probably quite similar to the Healthy Tummy on that score.

For plain grass chaffs, there's also the new Dengie Meadow Grass chaff, which may be easier to come by than the Graze on at the usual feed merchants.
		
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He does get a snack net when he comes in from the field before i get down but he is very nosy so won't eat it once other people start coming on the yard so i have no idea how much he has had and i tend to ride before i do my jobs as i use the half an hour when he's "cooling down" to do them but i suppose i could always swap around and do all of my jobs first while he munches. I suppose i wanted to feed a bucket so i had a guarantee of him getting something! Decathlon does stock the emerald feeds so i could try those, if not i could just give him the healthy tummy he would have in his tea as the bucket and then just give him the balancer and supplements for his actual tea! i hadn't seen the new Dengie one, i'll see if either of the feed shops stock it, thanks


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## emfen1305 (17 November 2016)

ohmissbrittany said:



			Scoop sizes vary widely, but I would get about 4 cups of alfalfa pellets and drench in aloe vera juice. Alfalfa has a high calcium content, and functions like horsey antacids. This is what I did pre-ride while also treating with Omeprazole when my horse's ulcers were at their worst.
		
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Do you have any recommendations of the alfalfa pellets to use? He's always been on a pretty simple diet of chop and balancer so i have no idea of all these different types of things you can get!


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## supsup (17 November 2016)

I'm using Dengie's alfalfa pellets (just alfalfa, nothing added). Emerald Green do alfalfa as pellets as well. I would have thought that a chaff might be better though, because it means more chewing time (=more saliva, which also buffers the stomach acid). Not sure if the size of the alfalfa pieces play a role in forming that "fibre mat" in the stomach, and whether the pieces from a pellets would be a different size from a chaff after the horse is done chewing.


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## Cortez (17 November 2016)

Let him pick at a haynet, no need for anything out of a bucket.


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## ohmissbrittany (17 November 2016)

Supsup has it- I use Dengie but I don't imagine there's a ton of variation between brands. I've never tried the chaff because chaff feeds are not widely available in the US, and the pellets are easy to scoop- so I'd get the scoop, pour the aloe on and let it soak for a few minutes while I put on breeches and boots before I caught my horse.


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## Goldenstar (17 November 2016)

Alfalfa Is the best natural buffer


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## Elsbells (17 November 2016)

I'm the same as Cortez, I've always given a Haynet for them to munch on while I groom and tack up. Ulcers or not I'd rather not ride a hungry pony.


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## alainax (17 November 2016)

I like dengies healthy tummy. Mines won't eat hay in summer ( out on grass 24/7) but this does the trick. 

http://www.dengie.com/horse-feeds/healthy-range/healthy-tummy/


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## emfen1305 (18 November 2016)

ohmissbrittany said:



			Supsup has it- I use Dengie but I don't imagine there's a ton of variation between brands. I've never tried the chaff because chaff feeds are not widely available in the US, and the pellets are easy to scoop- so I'd get the scoop, pour the aloe on and let it soak for a few minutes while I put on breeches and boots before I caught my horse.
		
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Which aloe vera water do you use out of interest? I was looking at some but could only find the 500ml bottled drinks!


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## emfen1305 (18 November 2016)

alainax said:



			I like dengies healthy tummy. Mines won't eat hay in summer ( out on grass 24/7) but this does the trick. 

http://www.dengie.com/horse-feeds/healthy-range/healthy-tummy/

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He is on healthy tummy for his tea at the moment but i can't give too much as he is quite a good doer and as he is out of any hard work at the moment i'm worried he will just get fat!


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## equa39 (24 November 2016)

for what its worth, Dengie Alfa A Molasses Free is not high calorie like their healthy tummy - it's actually very low in sugar / starch especially compared to say simple systems lucie range


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## emfen1305 (24 November 2016)

equa39 said:



			for what its worth, Dengie Alfa A Molasses Free is not high calorie like their healthy tummy - it's actually very low in sugar / starch especially compared to say simple systems lucie range
		
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I might try him on that, i had him on the healthy tummy as it had the extra bits and bobs in but i plan on putting him on protexin acid ease anyway so that should have everything he needs!


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