Despite their best care from a training perspective, some horses still need to help when it comes to ulcer prevention. In Equine 74 Gastric Rogers has found a safe and effective alternative to treat horses for recurring ulcers.
"Our horses are known to be relaxed, easy to handle and well balanced at shows and events, even under high pressure. Our Response Training-system is based on teaching the horse to think under pressure rather than reacting using their instincts, using the philosophy of turning a negative reaction into a positive response," said Rogers.
"Anna and I were first introduced to this fantastic product by our friend, professional rider Anke Te Beek. Anke was very impressed with the results she had gotten and I was immediately curious about the product, because I think there are a lot of horses out there that have problems or challenges in the stomach."
Working over the years with a huge range of different types of horses, they have learnt that horses' stomachs are at a very fragile balance and through different forms of stress, whether it be internal or external, they can develop acid problems which cause discomfort and lead to serious stomach ulcers.
"I have had many different horses over the years that have come in training with behavioral issues/challenges in the riding that can be directly or indirectly related to stomach problems," said Rogers. "In some cases a horse can be performing quite well in there daily training, but are losing their appetite or not eating all their food and start to lose condition.
Each horse is very individual in the way they express behavior that could indicate potential stomach problems. For example horses can run or pace in the field or stable, or they show a loss of appetite or don't finish their usual feed. Then there is horse shyness, horses that internalize stress, consistently loose manure and behavior that demonstrates stress levels that are not characteristic of that individual horse."
To prevent ulcers in her horses, Rogers tried Equine 74 Gastric and was impressed by its results. Equine 74 Gastric is a natural product which buffers stomach acids instead of just blocking them and it creates a healthy pH-balance in the horse's stomach.
Equine 74 Gastric particularly appealed to Rogers as it is a natural product, which is more cost-effective and gentle on the horse's constitution than pharmaceutical medication. They have now been feeding their horses the product for more than one year.
"We feed the majority of our horses Equine 74 Gastric as a maintenance but also as a preventive. For example some horses find traveling, competitions, or new surroundings quite stressful," Will explained. "We have had two horses in particular that over the years have lost their appetite at times or were obviously unsettled in their stomach.
Since they have been on Equine 74 Gastric they have never looked better and they are performing very well in their daily work. I suppose for most of our horses they just seem to be very good in their condition and comfort level."