# Changes in Fitness Parameters in Ridden Trained Showjumping Horses After Healing of Gastric Ulcers: Preliminary Results

## TL;DR

This study found that healing gastric ulcers in showjumping horses improved their fitness, as shown by increased speed and stride length.

## Contribution

The study is the first to show that healing gastric ulcers improves fitness parameters in showjumping horses.

## Key findings

- Speed and stride length increased after healing of gastric ulcers.
- Maximal heart rate and recovery heart rate remained unchanged after healing.
- Improvement in fitness is likely due to reduced abdominal discomfort.

## Abstract

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome is a worldwide disease with different prevalences described in various populations. Clinical signs are vague and non-specific, and many of the affected horses seem to be asymptomatic. The effect of the disease on fitness parameters has been studied in racehorses, but no information is available about showjumping animals. The aim of this study was to determine if healing of gastric ulcers changed fitness parameters in a population of 17 trained showjumping horses during a ridden exercise test. Omeprazole, associated with sucralfate in case of ulcers of the glandular mucosa, was used for treatment, and healing of the lesions was confirmed by gastroscopy. After healing, stride length and speed increased, indicating an improvement in fitness, potentially related to the disappearance of abdominal discomfort, as previously reported by other authors in racehorses.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a worldwide disease described in different categories of animals. A causal relationship between exercise and EGUS has been suggested, attributed to stress as well as physiological changes in the position of abdominal organs, especially during trot and gallop. EGUS can influence athletic fitness, as has been described in various papers on racehorses. The aim of this work was to determine if gastric ulcer healing is associated with changes in selected fitness parameters (i.e., speed, heart rate during exercise and recovery, stride length and frequency) in 21 trained showjumping horses affected by gastric ulcers. Four animals were excluded for incomplete healing or loss to follow-up. In the remaining seventeen subjects, all healed completely, and fitness parameters were evaluated before and after healing of EGUS during a ridden exercise. The animals were equipped with a fitness tracker validated for use in horses while they performed both flat work and a small obstacle course. Results show that speed and stride length increased after healing, with no concurrent modification in maximal heart rate recorded during exercise and the heart rate recorded during recovery. The increase in speed and stride length is probably related to the disappearance of abdominal discomfort, already described in racehorses after healing of gastric ulcers.