Recognising the symptoms of gastric ulcers – identifying EGUS in horses at an early stage

Gastric ulcers in horses (EGUS – Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome) often go unnoticed for a long time, as affected animals frequently remain willing to perform. Two recent studies (Torcivia & McDonnell, 2025; Sykes & Lovett, 2025) have examined the most common symptoms in diagnosed horses.

The typical signs are:

Repeatedly touching the abdomen behind the elbow with the mouth, e.g. nipping or biting
Striking out or pawing with the forelegs, often combined with staring at the abdominal region
Unusual behaviour when eating, particularly hesitant or interrupted eating of concentrate feed
Reluctance to drink, unusual slurping, or dunking hay in water before eating
Deep stretching of the forelegs (“downward-dog pose”)

Further signs of discomfort include frequent yawning, grimacing, lifting the hindlimbs, repeated weight shifting, or frequent tail swishing.

Girthiness is another common symptom: around 25% of horses with ESGD (inflammatory disease of the upper stomach – Equine Squamous Gastric Disease) and 31% of those with EGGD (inflammatory disease of the glandular stomach – Equine Glandular Gastric Disease) show this behaviour, particularly if signs of colic had occurred up to six months earlier.

Early recognition of these symptoms enables targeted diagnosis and treatment of gastric ulcers/EGUS, which significantly supports the horse’s wellbeing and performance.

Early recognition of these symptoms helps diagnose and treat EGUS in good time and in a targeted way. A grain-free feed such as marstall Gastro-Müsli is important here – for your horse’s wellbeing and performance.

Recognising gastric ulcers