Background
How are ulcers caused?
- Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a leading causes of poor health and performance in the horse.
- Horses graze for at least 18 hours a day at grass – buffering stomach acid naturally
- Eating forage produces saliva which buffers acids produced in the stomach.
- Even when there is no forage present in the stomach, these acids are still produced.
- Horses fed hay only 3-4 times a day do not have the same capacity to buffer these acids.
- Acids cause damage to the stomach lining leading to ulcers.
- “93% of horses in training suffer from gastric ulcers”……1. Murray MJ, Schusser GF, Pipers FS, Gross SJ: Factors associated with gastric lesions in thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet J 1996, 28:368–374.
Conventional Feeding Methods?
- Current methods of feeding hay are wasteful & dangerous e.g. haynets, mangers, or the stable floor.
- Dust from mangers placed at a height can enter the nostrils/lungs.
- Eating at a height places strain on musculoskeletal structures.
- Feeding hay is labour intensive and prone to significant wastage
- Eating at a height prevents correct chewing patterns as teeth are not correctly aligned.
- Difficult cleaning of Mangers as they cannot be removed.
The Solution - Harmony Trickle Feeder
- The most natural feeding solution to gastric ulcers
- Constant Supply of Hay - Little and often
- Holds enough hay for more than a day.
- Controls how much hay the horse can access via a soft rubber finger mesh.
- Allows the horse to eat in a natural grazing position at ground level.