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 Member
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Location: Minnesota | I need some advise. I have an 8 year old Off the track quarter horse. I bought him a few months ago. He is the first horse I have bought that I have not trained so I am still learning to adjust to fact that I don't know his whole history. The lady I bought him from gave me a 9 pound bag of Animal Element Detox. He has shown signs of being an Ulcer horse and lost a lot of weight in the first month that I had him. He is just now starting to gain that weight back but it is a slow process. When I first got him I had him on full pasture grass with a 14% pelleted feed and the Animal Element twice a day. Now I have him on full pasture grass, two flakes of alfalfa/grass mix, a 14% pellet, alfalfa pellets, Aloe juice, apple cider vinegar and the Animal Element twice a day. Where do I go from here? I've never dealt with ulcers before but someone recommended Forco for ulcers. Is there a significant difference between AE and Forco? Can I give him something to clear any ulcers he may have and then use the AE or Forco as a preventative? I've heard that once horses are started on ulcer meds they need to be on them for life. How much truth is there to that? |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
   
Location: In the Hills of Texas | My horse had ulcers and I had him on THE GastroPlus and once I added FORCO I was able to just give the GastroPlus when I hauled, ran him or when he was under stress. |
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 Special Somebody
Posts: 3951
Location: Finally horseback again.... | I love the results I get with Forco!! |
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 Goat Giver
Posts: 23166
| I am not sure a better supplement exists than Forco. If I could pick one thing to feed a horse, I'd choose it. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I love FORCO too. Goes great with THE supplements. |
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 It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | It's very interesting to see the trends come and go.... A year or so ago almost every person on here was on the Animal Element bandwagon. It seems to be fizzing out and now everyone is on this FORCO train.
Honestly, the most important thing is what you are feeding your horse. Sure you can mix in all of these additives but it all comes back to the basics. Feed good quality hay and grain and that is all you need.
If it were my horse I would treat him for Ulcers (Gastrogard) and then adjust his diet as needed. It sounds like you have a pretty good diet already started-- Alfalfa is good for ulcer prone horses as well as pasture grass. It's not going to hurt to try him on FORCO and see how he does---if he responds with the amazing transformation that you hear people raving about after feeding their horses FORCO, then great! But I think a lot of the time it really helps to just take it back to the basics. Good luck! |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | Forco |
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 A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | AE doesn't impress me. I tried it. Didn't see any difference.
I like Forco. It has the good pro & pre-biotics that are good for the entire GI tract of the horse.
Neither of these supplements are made to treat/prevent ulcers. AE doesn't do much of anything for ulcers, in my opinion. Forco helps the GI tract stay healthy and helps the horse utilize feed better.
Now, I will say you need to find a good quality high fat feed that doesn't have a ton of crap ingredients. You need low starch, but don't just read that on the bag & assume it's actually low starch. You'll need to do some research. I personally love Triple Crown. Their Complete is great for an ulcer prone horse that still needs the energy for training/hauling. It's 12% fat, so you're not feeding as much as other feeds. Stay FAR away from anything that contains CORN in any form, whole, cracked, steamed, etc. You want 20% or less Non-Structural Carbohydrate (NSC) content for an ulcer prone horse.
Constant turnout and constant forage is the best medicine for an ulcer prone horse, along with keeping them on a low starch feed.
I honestly LOVE THE products. You can get a custom formula for YOUR particular horse and it's wonderful stuff. I've seen it work in front of my eyes. We got a mare in that was showing textbook ulcer symptoms. A few months on THE with ulcer prevent and she was a whole lot better.
You don't have to feed ulcer meds (Omeprazole, etc) forever. But you do have to be vigilant as far as maintenance goes. The more effort you put into preventing flare ups from coming back, the less you'll spend on treating them when they do. Turnout, constant forage, and as much turnout as possible are your best friends. Forco is a good thing to feed an ulcer prone horse as a preventative. I've had luck with the THE Muscle Mass with the ulcer prevent additive along with Forco. They seem to compliment each other well. |
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| I started my 5 yo on Ulcercure OTC and Forco a month ago. I am so pleased with the results! I actually think he is TOO fat now. I tried AE a few years ago and saw no results. Forco is amazing IMO. I haven't heard anyone say it hasn't benefited them.
My sister has a retired mare that would colic probably 4x a year. She tried everything from Gastrogard to other ulcer products on the market with no luck. The mare has been on Forco for a year now and hasn't coliced since. Gonna go knock on some wood now, ha! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383
| I have a horse ott and he has always been a hard keeper , ulcers etc. you name it I have dealt with it IMO the track is very hard on a lot of horses- I tried several things and finally started the ae detox and within 6 weeks I seen a huge difference in mental, topline, feet, focus he was so much better - like a different horse I have been on it every since- I tried the forco really didn't see anything in my horse( but every horse is different) personally I absolutely love ae products -I do also use succeed for ulcers just because he was such a hard case- I think the 2 products work awesome together - if the old owner used ae products then maybe you could call them and see if they had already tried other stuff and found that's what worked best for your new horse. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I've been using THE products since 2005 and FORCO since 2006 and they work so there is no need to change or try something else. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | barrelracingchick16 - 2014-08-20 7:16 PM
It's very interesting to see the trends come and go.... A year or so ago almost every person on here was on the Animal Element bandwagon. It seems to be fizzing out and now everyone is on this FORCO train.
Honestly, the most important thing is what you are feeding your horse. Sure you can mix in all of these additives but it all comes back to the basics. Feed good quality hay and grain and that is all you need.
If it were my horse I would treat him for Ulcers (Gastrogard) and then adjust his diet as needed. It sounds like you have a pretty good diet already started-- Alfalfa is good for ulcer prone horses as well as pasture grass. It's not going to hurt to try him on FORCO and see how he does---if he responds with the amazing transformation that you hear people raving about after feeding their horses FORCO, then great! But I think a lot of the time it really helps to just take it back to the basics. Good luck!
I was just thinking the other day about how when I first started posting here, which was probably about 4 years ago, every other post was about Animal Element and the board was flooded with before/after pics. Personally I tried it and wasn't impressed.
I've never used FORCO so I can't give the OP an opinion on that. For my ulcer horse I treated her with UlcerCureOTC and then started her on SmartGut Ultra (by SmarkPak) and she just gets Haystack Special Blend pellets (they're basically just a blend of beet pulp, alfalfa, timothy, and rice bran; she had been on Purina grains her whole life and I just wanted to get her off overly processed grains). She's gained a ton of weight and eats like a total piggy now. |
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 Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | Did you buy your horse right after he came off the track? Please do yourself a favor and start your horse on Forco. It is absolutely a game changer for horses. For ulcers I would add Ranitidine powder from your vet or the THE Gastroplus. With any change in your feeding program, it's going to take a minimum of 30 days to really see the changes start to take place. My advice would be to buy the big bucket of Forco pellets and enough THE or Ranitidine to treat your horse for 30 days and take him off of everything else.
If your horse is just coming off the track, be prepared for him to look alot worse before he looks better depending upon what he was running on at the race track. The track isn't hard on them, trainers are hard on them....unfortunately. I have one that it has taken almost 8 months for her to really come back, but she's looking great now. No substitute for good ol father time. |
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Special Somebody
Posts: 3951
Location: Finally horseback again.... | I commented earlier on liking Forco, but I think I need to add a little.
What people see at the first with using Forco is the bloom and weight gain.
But what has made the most dramatic difference in mine is the amount of feed needed to keep them in awesome condition.
My horses look really good, have calmer dispositions, really soft, shiney coats, they are definitely more focused and relaxed and I have gotten this with less than 2/3 the amount I used to feed!!
My feed bill has dropped dramatically since I started it a year ogo and I have horses from 3 year olds to 26 years on it. All of them look great, especially the 26 year old stallion.
as far as what I feed...
They get 1/2 scoop of Safechoice twice daily, 1 scoop of Forco in the evenings and 1/2 flake of alfalfa in the evenings and they are turned out on pasture.
Everyone who sees my babies thinks that I over feed them, but in truth they just get everything out of their feed with good dental care, deworming and Forco.
( you can ask Herbie.... LOL.. She has a couple of my fat kids to ride )
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| 15 days Gastrogard. 10 days ProBios. Begin Forco and SmartGut Ultra. Game changer. |
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Member
Posts: 29
Location: Minnesota | He has been off the track for 4 years now. I was told he had a lot of bad luck, was very strong and hard to handle on the track. The girl I bought him from said they ran him in a ring bit. She said that's one of the harsher bits they use. I don't know much about that but I know he is sensitive and strong.
Will the Ranitidine or THE Gastroplus completely clear up the ulcers so eventually I can just use the forco as a preventative? |
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Location: South Dakota | kimose - 2014-08-21 5:23 PM He has been off the track for 4 years now. I was told he had a lot of bad luck, was very strong and hard to handle on the track. The girl I bought him from said they ran him in a ring bit. She said that's one of the harsher bits they use. I don't know much about that but I know he is sensitive and strong. Will the Ranitidine or THE Gastroplus completely clear up the ulcers so eventually I can just use the forco as a preventative?
My young mare had a ulcer issue...I treated her with a 30 day Gastroguard regiman, and then she has been on Forco since then, and has had no problems and is looking great. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | kimose - 2014-08-21 5:23 PM He has been off the track for 4 years now. I was told he had a lot of bad luck, was very strong and hard to handle on the track. The girl I bought him from said they ran him in a ring bit. She said that's one of the harsher bits they use. I don't know much about that but I know he is sensitive and strong. Will the Ranitidine or THE Gastroplus completely clear up the ulcers so eventually I can just use the forco as a preventative?
It depends on the horse as to why he got ulcers in the first place. My one gelding was a silent worrier and when I hauled him and ran him without any GastroPlus he would start up an ulcer. The first sign was going off of his feed. I gave him FORCO everyday and dosed him with GastroPlus before I put him in the trailer and everyday I was away from home.
My friend had a horse that got ulcers after going through antibiotics. She treated him with GastroPlus for 2 months and hasn't had a problem since.
You need to figure out what is causing his problem. Some horses can't handle being stalled all the time.
FORCO was designed to do one thing..it addresses the digestive system.
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Location: Texas | Forco contact ain't seen nothin yet on fb |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Forco is all I would use. Been using it for at 9 years and probably longer so it is not just a fad thing for me. Will be contacting NTO soon since I have a new horse. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 589
| I have never tried the A.E., but I do have a 23 yr old SUPER hard keeper and know FORCO works for him!!! He had ulcers, separation anxiety and he would stress if his bucket was in the wrong place. Hauled him to NBHA World when I got him back in 2006... Even being on Gastroguard, he went off his feed!! He has just been very aggravating with ulcers, colicing and weight since I got him. I tried EVERYTHING and nothing ever seemed to work 100%. The only thing that I have had success in using and not have him colic every week has been FORCO. I can't let myself run out of it, if I do, he colics. Knock on wood, FORCO and Cocosoya Oil have been the only supplements I have him on and he LOVES it!!!! |
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Expert
Posts: 5321
Location: Texas | I know everyone loves Forco but my question is why don't more feed stores carry it? Can you only get it online? |
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Posts: 4755
Location: Windy Wyoming | Forco is the most amazing best kept secret, I have been using it for over 9 years now and its the only supplement I now feed.... Saves money in the long run and my horses look good and feel good.... If you have a feed store or Vet that would like to carry it you can contact me and I can get you set up to the right contacts to be able to do so. There is a reason their motto is "Forco the result driven product" it has been around for MANY years and is just now getting the recognition on what a great thing it is, word of mouth is the way their product has been promoted. If you have any questions feel free to message me :) |
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Member
Posts: 9
| Hi, I have a ulcer prone horse that when I got her she would flat out runaway off the 3rd and scare the life out of you. I have treated her for ulcers 3 times since I got her 2 years ago and I have had the most dramatic results treating an ulcer flare with Sucralfate and Ulcercure OTC. For example Sep. 12th she was scoped and she had 2 grade 3 pyloric ulcers. She has been on THE Gastroplus daily and Renew Gold plus alfalfa hay and 24 hour turn out since I discovered for sure her problem was ulcers last year. I gave her a week off from rodeo and this weekend she placed at a PRCA rodeo on Sat and would have won another on Sunday but I knocked the first with 49 enteries. Dramatic results for a horse who 1.5 weeks ago you could not even touch her sides. We are starting to think her teeth might be the problem that results in recurring ulcers due to poor food chewing but that is a guess b/c I think I covered everything else already. I do get her teeth done twice per year but now I an going to make sure she never gets sharp to see if that eliminates the problem.
Anyway the overly sensitive and flightly signs could be ulcer related. I have a completely different and better horse than the one I bought 2 years ago just by treating the ulcers.
Hope this info might help your horse:) |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | weekendgambler - 2014-09-22 10:01 AM I know everyone loves Forco but my question is why don't more feed stores carry it? Can you only get it online?
FORCO is a family owned company. There are some stores that carry it but most of them are on the west coast.
You can also get it from a dealer which there are a few of us on BHW that sells it. |
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Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Nevertooold - 2014-09-22 12:14 PM weekendgambler - 2014-09-22 10:01 AM I know everyone loves Forco but my question is why don't more feed stores carry it? Can you only get it online? FORCO is a family owned company. There are some stores that carry it but most of them are on the west coast.
You can also get it from a dealer which there are a few of us on BHW that sells it.
Yay and thank goodness NTO. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | I would use Forco and THE GastroPLUS. They go great together. It helps my horse tons. I have a silent worrier but she has been great since I put her on this combo. |
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 No Name Nancy
Posts: 2715
Location: never in the right place | I buy it online and have been using it for at least 6 yrs. I even take a pinch of it myself every day- saw a post from NTO about it and if it makes my tummy feel better I know it makes my horses feel better. No more bloating after eating... but thats probaby more than you wanted to know. lol.
Is it any cheaper to buy it from one of the dealers on BHW, I need to order some more.
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Location: South Dakota | I have used Forco for over a year, and totally believe in it...it works! My young mare is blooming, and no longer suffers from ulcers....She was treated for ulcers with gastroguard, and then put on Forco, and she is a happy horse. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| How much is a tubof forco. How many pounds for,how much.
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 Don't Ask Me
Posts: 4077
| ive always used animal element
but after 6 months it wasnt doing anything for my new guy-- so i saw a friends mare had similar issues and talked with her-- she had used forco.. and saw results in 10 days
so i took the chance and bough the small bucket-- took pic day 1 and then 2 weeks later-- sent it to my horses chiro and a good friend asking if they saw any difference (just to make sure i wasnt just seeing WHAT I WANTED TO SEE)
they were both impressed with the stuff
so now i only have forco in my barn.. and my horses are really blooming--especially the OTT |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Forco will not heal ulcers. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 9:52 AM Forco will not heal ulcers.
I don't remember anyone saying that it will. Most use it after healing a ulcer and the FORCO can help keep the ulcers from coming back or keep them from forming. I healed my horse's ulcers by using THE GastroPlus and still use it when I put my horse under stress of hauling and running along with FORCO. Some of my customers double the dose of FORCO when they put their horses under stress and it has been working for them using it that way. I had to add THE GastroPlus. Each horse is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
FORCO has one job only and that is to keep the gut flora balanced and healthy.
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:27 AM
readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 9:52 AM Forco will not heal ulcers.
I don't remember anyone saying that it will. Most use it after healing a ulcer and the FORCO can help keep the ulcers from coming back or keep them from forming. I healed my horse's ulcers by using THE GastroPlus and still use it when I put my horse under stress of hauling and running along with FORCO. Some of my customers double the dose of FORCO when they put their horses under stress and it has been working for them using it that way. I had to add THE GastroPlus. Each horse is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
FORCO has one job only and that is to keep the gut flora balanced and healthy.
I know that. I use Fast Track for that reason. But for ulcers I use Equine Natural care. It works and its natural. But the feed you use needs to be evaluated too, if stomach issues are a problem. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 11:37 AM Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:27 AM readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 9:52 AM Forco will not heal ulcers. I don't remember anyone saying that it will. Most use it after healing a ulcer and the FORCO can help keep the ulcers from coming back or keep them from forming. I healed my horse's ulcers by using THE GastroPlus and still use it when I put my horse under stress of hauling and running along with FORCO. Some of my customers double the dose of FORCO when they put their horses under stress and it has been working for them using it that way. I had to add THE GastroPlus. Each horse is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
FORCO has one job only and that is to keep the gut flora balanced and healthy.
I know that. I use Fast Track for that reason. But for ulcers I use Equine Natural care. It works and its natural. But the feed you use needs to be evaluated too, if stomach issues are a problem.
Every few months you are using something else. I have had great results with THE and FORCO and have no need to keep trying different products. THE since 2005 and FORCO since 2006. The only time I have had to see a vet is for my yearly Coggins. |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:47 AM
readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 11:37 AM Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:27 AM readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 9:52 AM Forco will not heal ulcers. I don't remember anyone saying that it will. Most use it after healing a ulcer and the FORCO can help keep the ulcers from coming back or keep them from forming. I healed my horse's ulcers by using THE GastroPlus and still use it when I put my horse under stress of hauling and running along with FORCO. Some of my customers double the dose of FORCO when they put their horses under stress and it has been working for them using it that way. I had to add THE GastroPlus. Each horse is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
FORCO has one job only and that is to keep the gut flora balanced and healthy.
I know that. I use Fast Track for that reason. But for ulcers I use Equine Natural care. It works and its natural. But the feed you use needs to be evaluated too, if stomach issues are a problem.
Glad to know you keep up with what I use. Wow!!!! As far as going to vet, I'm glad you don't have to go. But for us that haul hard a vet sometimes is a necessity. As far as THE, it's a good product and by all means stick with what works for you. That is why there are so many different products on the market.
Edited by readytorodeo 2014-10-04 1:04 PM
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 1:00 PM Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:47 AM readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 11:37 AM Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:27 AM readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 9:52 AM Forco will not heal ulcers. I don't remember anyone saying that it will. Most use it after healing a ulcer and the FORCO can help keep the ulcers from coming back or keep them from forming. I healed my horse's ulcers by using THE GastroPlus and still use it when I put my horse under stress of hauling and running along with FORCO. Some of my customers double the dose of FORCO when they put their horses under stress and it has been working for them using it that way. I had to add THE GastroPlus. Each horse is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
FORCO has one job only and that is to keep the gut flora balanced and healthy.
I know that. I use Fast Track for that reason. But for ulcers I use Equine Natural care. It works and its natural. But the feed you use needs to be evaluated too, if stomach issues are a problem. Glad to know you keep up with what I use. Wow!!!! As far as going to vet, I'm glad you don't have to go. But for us that haul hard a vet sometimes is a necessity. As far as THE, it's a good product and by all means stick with what works for you. That is why there are so many different products on the market.
Trust me..I don't keep up with what you use...Many keep up with how many times you change what you use...LOL |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 1:43 PM
readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 1:00 PM Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:47 AM readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 11:37 AM Nevertooold - 2014-10-04 11:27 AM readytorodeo - 2014-10-04 9:52 AM Forco will not heal ulcers. I don't remember anyone saying that it will. Most use it after healing a ulcer and the FORCO can help keep the ulcers from coming back or keep them from forming. I healed my horse's ulcers by using THE GastroPlus and still use it when I put my horse under stress of hauling and running along with FORCO. Some of my customers double the dose of FORCO when they put their horses under stress and it has been working for them using it that way. I had to add THE GastroPlus. Each horse is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
FORCO has one job only and that is to keep the gut flora balanced and healthy.
I know that. I use Fast Track for that reason. But for ulcers I use Equine Natural care. It works and its natural. But the feed you use needs to be evaluated too, if stomach issues are a problem. Glad to know you keep up with what I use. Wow!!!! As far as going to vet, I'm glad you don't have to go. But for us that haul hard a vet sometimes is a necessity. As far as THE, it's a good product and by all means stick with what works for you. That is why there are so many different products on the market.
This is why I don't post a lot. I just said what I used, and get attacked. Wow |
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Continue Animal Element or Start Forco?