Dr Sykes is one of the more well-known EGUS researchers out there. He is one of the developers of the Protek-GI supplement.
The company posted a long-form webinar on horse management practices he uses on his own horses. The beginning and end of the webinar are ads for the supplement, but the rest is really helpful. There were some surprising practices I had never considered, but the way he explained it with research findings was quite helpful.
I recommend listening/watching at 1.5x speed if you’re in a hurry or have crippling ADHD like me .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD1m1X0omEY
Most of the practices are about building and keeping a mat of hay in their stomachs to protect both squamous and glandular tissue. So the focus is on keeping the horses eating and most importantly chewing. He talks about feeding low-quality “munchie hay” or adding straw to existing hay, anything long-stem that requires a lot of chewing and saliva to build up the “basketball” mat in their stomach to protect the lining.
I really liked some of his recommendations as someone in Southern California who cannot put my horse on 24/7 pasture. I can implement some of the feeding recommendations, work on more socialization opportunities, and even some of the comments on music and massage were interesting.
What’s clear is exercise is the big challenge in managing EGUS. Limiting the amount of time and days per week seems to be very helpful. It’s making me rethink how I achieve fitness, I’ll be focusing more on walking exercises either really marching or on hills or walking over raised poles etc.
His kids event, so I’m sure he’s not advocating minimal exercise, but I think refocusing some of the conditioning is worth considering if you’re in a situation like I am that’s going to be more conducive to ulcers than many other places.
Just thought I would share bc ulcers are clearly a challenge for many of us.
