Ulcers, tell me about them

I have noticed that ulcers seem to be the answer to everything, and while I do not agree with this, maybe there is something I don't know, so tell me what I don't know.
Thanks.

Well, I can tell you our personal experience. Last winter our warmblood mare was eating less and less of her hay and spending most of the night pacing and kicking. Her stall would look like a war zone with all of the hay, manure and bedding mixed and rolled into one. She was very restless.

Our vet advised that we start feeding alfalfa pellets, as alfalfa is high in calcium and could act almost as an "antacid". It seemed to work out wonderfully. She eats the majority of her food and rests peacefully at night. We've had her on alfalfa pellets ever since then.

Okay. So my computer just spazzed and deleted the entire rant I had. Let's try again.

My mare is being treated for ulcers right now. I figured it out when I was going to saddle her really quickly and go out riding with a couple people that had just left. When I went to grab the cinch under her belly, I was greeted with a back hoof. I pulled up really quick and looked at her. She was glaring daggers at me. I took my saddle off and tried to touch her belly again. She was not impressed. She had also been far more moody the previous two days. She was eating her hay normally though. She had her head buried in the bale when I went to catch her.

I called the vet and had looked up some of her symptoms. Ulcers seemed the most likely. The vet said she wouldn't have been surprised at all because she's just a nervous and antsy horse. And she said when she did acupuncture (when Abby got chiro for her hip), her stomach spots here hotter than normal.

Abby is on this stuff called Draw for a couple more weeks. It's supposed to be used for cleaning woulds and other external things. The ingredients are simple, so it wouldn't hurt her stomach. She's been less moody, but her stomach is still a bit sensitive, but she's much more comfortable with being saddled. My vet gave me Draw because it was far cheaper than GastroGard and I'm in college. I wish I could afford it, but it would be so expensive. And I would never catch Abby again. The day I was going to move her to a different barn, it took over a half hour to catch her because she associated me with having something stuck in her mouth.

The barn she's at now has show horses, and a couple of them have ulcers, so I was told to put her on U-Gard after her Draw is done. It works pretty well apparently.

I've wondered if my OTTB mare could have an ulcer, when she is eating her grain she is constantly kicking the wall behind her(the donkey is eating on the other side so I thought she was pissed about that) and she will bite the wood and fight with my gelding on the other side of the wall in front of her, she is also a tad girthy, she eats great, but i'm having trouble getting weight on her, but I can't afford for them to do an endoscope(sp?) this all started about 3 or so months ago, before she never made a fuss while she was eating, do you think she could have an ulcer? She's 13 years old btw and i've had her since the end of may.
Thanks

Oh and she is on 24/7 turn out with a run in barn

Oh, also, my vet didn't scope her for ulcers, she used her little laser acupuncture thing on her stomach spots. She said it was definitely her stomach and with her personality and such, it would most likely be ulcers. The day she came we got a huge snow storm and to scope her, I'd have to get her in a trailer and take her over an hour away to the vet.

Abby had the strangest expression her face while it was being done. She was trying extremely hard not to like the whole ordeal. If we looked, away, she'd relax a bit and start chewing, but as soon as we looked up, I got a "Geez, Mom. You're so embarassing. I hate you right now" look.

I had the same problem with my horse, Bullet. When the vet told me that it was ulcer...I just could not believe it. I was so worried for Bullet..he was nevous, down right a grouch, not eating and at time he would roll himself in the barn. Literlly he seemed in pain. Since I am on a fix budget, I called my friend (he is a trainer for the last 40 years), he recommended a product that he has been using for the last 6 years on all his horses. U-guard (not U-guard pallet or U-Gard, had problems with that, it is a 8oz liquid bottle) that I got from Big Dee's for I believe $69.99 for 30 day treatment.I also have bought it online at uguardusa.com Bullet really got well very quickly, he started to perform well, began to eat normally, and his coat got really nice. I highly recommend it..it really works...I am trying to pass the word since I know many like me do not have the resources to pay name brand prices.

I think you are hearing that Ulcers are the answer to everything because knowing about them and treating them is a pretty new thing.

Back in the day no one ever imagined that the average horse could get something like ulcers.

I told my mother today that whoever asked her if Abby was better was referring to the ulcers she had in December. My mom had no idea horses could get ulcers and had never heard of that. I didn't know they could either until I googled reasons I had an insta-jerk horse and then asked my vet about them.

What I don't understand is that recent research on humans has found that the actual cause of ulcers is bacteriological or viral, not a pure product of stress. So, you actually "catch" ulcers. However, it makes me wonder becuase people or animals who have ulcers seem stressed. Which came first, though? Maybe they had the ulcer, then act stressed due to discomfort, as opposed to the old belief that overstressing itself caused ulcers.

Interesting. Bacteria would more explain how my mare got them, because she had no reason to be all stressed out or have stomach issues.