New research indicates that the normal stresses of traveling and showing can cause ulcers and stomach lining changes in as little as five days.

Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, of Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, used 20 privately owned Paint horses with no gastric ulcers for the study. All were housed and managed identically prior to the study.

Ten control horses were maintained on the “home” site with no changes in management, and 10 were transported via trailer for four hours to another site. They were placed individually in stalls, fed twice daily, and exercised twice daily for three days. On the fourth day, they were transported back to the original site. On the fifth day, each horse underwent an endoscopic exam.

McClure found that horses that were transported and housed had a significantly higher incidence of hyperkeratosis (callousing, 8/10 horses) and reddening (6/10 horses) of the gastric mucosa than control horses (1/10 hyperkeratosis and 0/10 reddening). Two control horses and seven transported horses developed gastric ulcers. Of the transported horses, five had grade 1 lesions (least severe) and two had grade 2 lesions. The two control horses with ulcers each had grade 1 lesions