With Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice expected to fly through the cross country course, Steffen Peters and Legolas hanging around the top of the leaderboard in dressage and Shawn Flarida and Spooks Gotta Whiz taking reining by storm, horse lovers around the United States have all eyes on Normandy, France, home of the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™.

Having started on August 23 and continuing through September 7, the Games include jumping, dressage, eventing, driving, reining, vaulting, endurance and para-dressage. With 74 nations sending their most talented horse and rider teams, it is truly a world stage for the athletes representing the United States.

The training, team selection process, travel and event itself can be grueling, and for the horses to perform at their best, their comprehensive veterinary care is paramount. “These horses are incredible athletes, and like athletes that perform on the world stage, they have regimens that include nutrition management, conditioning programs, travel protocols and continuous monitoring,” says
Mark Revenaugh, DVM, one of the veterinarians traveling with the teams.

“Our goal is to make sure we don’t have issues when we arrive to compete,” says Revenaugh. “If a horse isn’t feeling well upon arrival, it is far more difficult to get the best performance possible from that horse.”

One of the most common conditions all competitive horses face, whether they are traveling globally or locally, is the development of equine stomach ulcers. In studies, 93 percent of race horses,1 63 percent of nonracing performance horses2 and 51 percent of foals3 have been found to have stomach ulcers. These ulcers can inhibit performance4 and develop in as few as five days.5

Even non-competitive pleasure horses and those that compete on a more local versus international stage are prone to developing equine stomach ulcers. In gastroscopy (one method used to identify equine stomach ulcers) events hosted around the country, two of every three horses have been identified with stomach ulcers.6

Equine stomach ulcers have been a challenge for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) teams in the past according to Revenaugh. To help treat and prevent this very common condition from occurring, the team has used GASTROGARD® (omeprazole) for treating horses with ulcers and
ULCERGARD® (omeprazole) to prevent them from reoccurring. GASTROGARD and ULCERGARD are the only proven and FDA-approved products for treating and preventing ulcers.7,8

Both GASTROGARD and ULCERGARD are made by Merial, a leading animal pharmaceutical company and corporate partner of USEF. For the World Equestrian Games, Merial provided product to help protect the competing horses’ health.
“We are very appreciative of the partnership we have with Merial,” says
Scott Carling, Managing Director, Sales and Sponsorships, USEF.

“We are so proud of the equine athletes and riders who represent the United States and understand the role every horse’s health plays in their ability to be competitive,” says Beckie Peskin, Senior Product Manager, Equine, Merial. “To be able to play a small role in their success is very gratifying. We look forward to watching them compete at the World Equestrian Games.”

For more information, visit www.ulcergard.com.

About Merial
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 6,200 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide with close to $2 billion of sales in 2013.

For more information, please see www.merial.com.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:
ULCERGARD can be used in horses that weigh at least 600 pounds. Safety in pregnant mares has not been determined.

Safety of GASTROGARD in pregnant or lactating mares has not been determined.

®ULCERGARD and GASTROGARD are registered trademarks of Merial Limited. ©2014 Merial Limited, Duluth, GA. All rights reserved. EQUIUGD1431 (08/14)

1Murray MJ, Schusser GF, Pipers FS, Gross SJ. Factors associated with gastric legions in thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet J. 1996;28:368-374.

2 Mitchell RD. Prevalence of gastric ulcers in hunter/jumper and dressage horses evaluated for poor performance. Association for Equine Sports Medicine September 2001.

3Murry MJ. Endoscopic appearance of gastric lesions in foals: 94 cases (1987-1988.) JAVMA. 1989;195(8):1135-1141.

4Radostits OM, et al. Veterinary Medicine: A textbook of the diseases of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and goats. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co. 2007;237-241.

5McClure SR, et al. Gastric ulcer development in horses in a simulated show or training environment. JAVMA. 2005;227(5):775-777.

6Data on file at Merial.

7ULCERGARD product label.

8GASTROGARD product label.