Equine America Uls-Gard Pellets

Uls-Gard Pellets provide an advanced and effective pelleted formulation to help maintain digestive health and comfort.

• Updated formula to include 280mg Hyaluronic Acid and 180mg Beta Glucans per 100g daily serving, as supported by research.
• Contains key ingredients traditionally used to help soothe the stomach lining, including pectins, lecithin, marshmallow root, glycine, liquorice.
• Slow-release calcium and magnesium from marine algae, to help maintain a healthy gut pH.
• Contains Tri-Biotic blend of Pre, Pro and Postbiotics to support a healthy gut microbiome.
• On a palatable alfalfa and soya hulls base, to help provide a fibrous mat.

BETA NOPS and UFAS accredited, making Uls-Gard Pellets suitable for horses competing under FEI regulations and the Rules of Racing by reducing the risk of our products containing prohibited substances

Horses are designed to trickle feed – grazing for up to 16 hours a day. This means that they need to constantly secrete acid to help digest this almost continual source of food entering their stomach. A grazing horse will also produce up to 9 gallons of saliva a day which as well as lubricating the food, also acts to help maintain a healthy gastric pH.

The horse has a small stomach, and food does not stay in there for very long with constant stomach acid secretion, so even short periods during the day without access to forage should be minimised. Providing a small amount of forage, such as chaff, prior to exercise will also support gastric health and comfort. The physical fibrous food mat helps to prevent acid splashback onto the unprotected squamous mucosa.

There are a number of additional management tips which may also help support gastric health and comfort:

• Turnout to grass where practical and possible, ideally with a placid companion, even if only for short periods. Try to provide periods of turnout or hand grazing to enable the horse to benefit from antioxidants in fresh green forage.
• Plan yard and field regimes to avoid social stressors such as bullying or excessive activity near the stable.
• Ensure ad-lib forage where practical. For good doers, where calories are restricted, offer very frequent, but controlled amounts of forage, ensuring no long ‘empty’ periods. Select clean, but low-calorie forage to enable larger amounts to be offered.
• Avoid high starch feeds and instead use a forage-based regime with digestible fibre sources and oil (e.g. Equine America Supreme Omega Oil) to provide additional energy.
• Offer forage in different locations around the stable to encourage natural foraging behaviour.
• Feed a good double handful (or 1 round scoop) of alfalfa chaff before exercise or competition warm-up to provide a fibrous "mat" in the stomach - even if forage is available in the stable or lorry.