Body Condition Score Is Not Correlated to Gastric Ulcers in Non-Athlete Horses.
Authors: Busechian Sara, Turini Luca, Sgorbini Micaela, Bonelli Francesca, Pisello Lorenzo, Pieramati Camillo, Orvieto Simona, Rueca Fabrizio
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) remains a prevalent condition across diverse horse populations, yet clinical presentation is often subtle or absent entirely, making reliable screening markers valuable for practitioners. Researchers examined 203 non-athlete horses undergoing gastroscopy to determine whether body condition score could serve as a practical indicator of gastric ulceration, with an independent veterinarian assessing BCS whilst blinded to endoscopic findings and lesion severity recorded for both glandular and squamous mucosa regions. Contrary to what might be clinically assumed, no statistically significant correlation emerged between BCS and the presence or severity of ulcerative lesions in either region—meaning well-conditioned horses carried equal ulcer risk to those in poorer condition. This finding has important implications for practice: clinicians cannot safely rule out EGUS based on normal or elevated BCS in non-athlete populations, and a degree of scepticism should be maintained when horses maintain good body weight despite non-specific signs such as poor performance, behavioural changes, or subtle feed aversion. Given that asymptomatic EGUS commonly affects non-athletes, BCS assessment should complement rather than replace gastroscopy when ulceration is suspected or when investigating unexplained performance or behavioural issues.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Do not assume horses with good body condition are free from gastric ulcers; normal or increased BCS does not exclude EGUS in non-athlete horses
- •Gastroscopic examination remains necessary to diagnose or rule out gastric ulcers, as external body condition assessment is not a reliable screening tool
- •Many horses with gastric ulcers are asymptomatic, so clinical signs and BCS should not be used as the sole basis for determining ulcer status
Key Findings
- •No correlation was found between body condition score (BCS) and the presence of gastric lesions in glandular mucosa in non-athlete horses
- •No correlation was found between body condition score (BCS) and the presence of gastric lesions in squamous mucosa in non-athlete horses
- •Normal or increased BCS cannot be used to exclude gastric ulcer disease in non-athlete horses
- •EGUS can occur independently of body condition status, making clinical assessment based solely on appearance unreliable