Gastro-Coat contains natural feed compounds often lacking in hard feed diets, especially containing processed grains.  Gastro-Coat can be given as a long term supportive daily supplement to horses which are sensitive, girthy or have stomach issues that are likely to develop into more severe gastric problems if unmanaged.  Often these horses have a predisposition to gastric ulcers or are sensitive to stomach pain from acid splash when training or travelling.  Gastro-Coat contains only natural beneficial ingredients which do not build up or cause overload, so it can be given long term without ill effects.

It is not normally necessary to give Gastro-Coat more than once daily to ensure the full benefits of the supplement are achieved.

However, for horses which are travelling long distances, Gastro-Coat can be given multiple times during the trip (suggested every 4-6 hours), to ensure gastric comfort is maintained during travelling.

Gastro-Coat does not contain any substances which would build-up or cause ill-effects if given repeatedly or over a long term period.

Gastro-Coat contains multiple ingredients that have been shown to help normalise the stomach environment, limit acid damage to the stomach lining and overall, help reduce the risk of gastric irritation which often leads to gastric ulcers.  These natural ingredients are beneficial to all horses, but particularly to horses with stomach sensitivity, predisposition to gastric acid ‘splash’ or burn, or those which are travelling and training regularly.  Gastro-Coat is an economical and effective natural supplement which can be given daily to help maintain optimum gastric health and wellbeing.

Foals which are stressed can become very susceptible to gastric ulcers, for example due to lack of milk for more than 4 hours, loss of their mother or pain from injury.  This can severely compromise their health and wellbeing.  Gastro-Coat is a helpful natural supplement which can be given to foals as an oral paste just prior to providing milk or a small hard feed, to maintain gastric health and stomach comfort.  Gastro-Coat is particularly recommended for orphan foals to ensure good gastric health for optimum wellbeing.

Gastro-Coat is a natural supportive supplement for gastro-intestinal health.  It is not a medication, but it is beneficial in maintaining stomach health and helping to reduce the possible discomfort from acid ‘splash’ to the sensitive stomach areas when a horse is in training or competition.

Gastro-Coat is particularly helpful for horses on veterinary prescribed gastric ulcer medication to complement the treatment by helping to improve overall digestive function.

Best results are achieved in an initial 4-8 week course of Gastro-Coat given as a daily supplement at the full supplementary rate.

After this period, most horses may be maintained on the full dose of Gastro-Coat but given only  3-4 times per week, especially before training.  However, Gastro-Coat does not contain any substances which would build-up or cause ill-effects if given as an ongoing every day supplement.

Gastro-Coat is also highly beneficial when given prior to travelling, especially for sensitive horses which often arrive stressed, upset and irritable, unwilling to eat or drink, or girthy and unable to perform well.

Gastro-Coat does not swab or contain banned substances and does not contravene the Rules of Racing or FEI Competition.  This product is a nutritional supplement to support the health and well-being of a horse. It does not artificially enhance the performance of racing or competition horses. Rules prohibiting the use of any pre-race supplements within 24 hours of racing should be followed if applicable in the local jurisdiction.

Yes, Gastro-Coat has been successfully used with many laminitic or sugar sensitive horses without problems for years!  In fact, we often find that horses with restricted diets, due to their ‘good doer’ status, benefit from the daily addition of Gastro-Coat to their feed to help maintain stomach comfort and good gastric health especially on calorie reduced feeds.

Gastric ulcers are a problem in 60-90% of performance  and racing horses, although even resting horses can experience uncomfortable gastric irritation.

Gastric ulcers (EGUS) or even mild gastric irritation can result in various behaviours and related symptoms.  Many horses are girthy, reluctant to go forward, unwilling to canter or tend to drop out of canter. Some owners report their horses are ‘sensitive to the leg’ when ridden.  Aggressive, avoidant or ‘naughty’ behaviour is often caused by stomach pain from gastric irritation, especially when horses are ‘touchy’ around the stomach, react with negativity to girthing, saddling up or brushing around the girth area.  Some horses may develop unwanted behaviours such as windsucking, crib-biting or eating soil.

Although veterinary diagnosis and a naso-gastric scope is needed to confirm the presence of gastric ulcers, many horse owners find that 7-10 days of Gastro-Coat can quickly help to reduce these behaviours and is a useful indication that stomach acid irritation may be the cause of the problem.

Horses which are travelling regularly, especially for a long distance or do not travel well, can be given a pre-travelling supplement of Gastro-Coat to ensure they arrive fresh and ready to eat and drink at competitions.  For long distance travel, Gastro-Coat can be given every 4-6 hours to help horses feel more comfortable during transport.  As Gastro-Coat contains only natural beneficial ingredients which do not build up or cause overload, it is able to be given 3-4 times a day if necessary during long distance travel or before competition.

Kohnke’s Own FABBY is a highly concentrated multi-action digestive supplement containing probiotics, prebiotics and additional specific nutrients which help optimise the gut microbiome and thus digestive efficiency of the entire gastro-intestinal system, particularly the hindgut, in all horses.  The hindgut is an area of significant recent research and new scientific knowledge of its importance to equine health and digestive function. 

FABBY and Gastro-Coat are highly compatible in horses with very significant gastro-intestinal problems or those which are suspected to have hindgut issues, such as acidosis or hindgut ulcers, as well as gastric irritation or stomach ulcers. Gastro-Coat and FABBY work in different areas of the digestive system, so can be fed each day to highly sensitive or digestively challenged horses.

FABBY and Gastro-Coat are also fed in different ways and times – FABBY is perfect as a supplement in the horses’ normal feed daily, whereas Gastro-Coat is often given as a pre-exercise supplement before ridden work or travelling, in a small feed or an oil paste.  This is when the specific benefits of Gastro-Coat are most applicable.

Gastro-Coat is a natural, helpful supplement for gastric issues, with multiple actions in the stomach and small intestine to help horses feel more comfortable and perform with willingness.  Gastro-Coat also helps maintain appetite and girthiness is often noticeably reduced in just 5-7 days.

Most horse owners observe that their horses have significant improvements in behaviour, temperament, training and general health within 1 month after starting daily Gastro-Coat supplementation.  We suggest that Gastro-Coat be given for 1-3 months to ensure the full benefits of the supplement are achieved.

Gastro-Coat can help regulate chewing speed to properly kickstart digestive processes, especially if horses ‘bolt their feed’.  Horses with a lack of pasture access, or those which are fed twice a day with a long period without feed during the day or night, also benefit from Gastro-Coat in their feed to maintain stomach comfort and natural gastric lining protection and acid buffering.

Horses that are anxious or stressed, especially those which ‘internalise’ their stress, may benefit from a course of Gastro-Coat in conjunction with Kohnke’s Own Mag-E.  Windsuckers and crib-biters may also benefit from Gastro-Coat in conjunction with preventative measures for these stereotypic behaviours.

Many vets will prescribe omeprazole-based drugs when horses show symptoms of EGUS or have been diagnosed with gastric ulcers.  Gastro-Coat is highly complementary to EGUS medications with different but with synergistic actions.  Many horse owners find that their horses with severe gastric ulcers (Grade 3 or 4) respond very well to omeprazole medications in combination with daily Gastro-Coat supplementation.

Gastro-Coat is also much more economical than omeprazole treatments and can be used long-term without ill-effects.  Dr. John Kohnke often finds that horse owners can slowly reduce omeprazole treatments in a step-wise manner whilst maintaining Gastro-Coat supplementation to support ongoing gastric comfort.

All racing, pacing and moderate to high performance equestrian horses can benefit from a daily supplement of Gastro-Coat, especially those which perform collected canter, a lot of jumping, galloping, pacing or other movements which can cause stomach acid ‘splash’.

Horses may benefit from a 2-3 month course of Gastro-Coat if they have been previously competing at racing, pacing or high performance sports may have a history of gastric ulcers, even if they have been spelled before retraining.

There are 3 main ways to give Gastro-Coat.  As a daily dose mixed into the feed is preferred for picky or reluctant eaters, or as a supportive supplement for maintaining general gastric health and function, or complementary to omeprazole veterinary medications.

Most horse owners will find that giving Gastro-Coat before ridden work, when behaviours associated with gastric irritation, such as girthiness, are most apparent.  Gastro-Coat can be given mixed into a small feed of lucerne chaff (1 Litre of chaff per 100 kg body weight) approximately 30 minutes before exercise.  This small ‘snack’ feed of Gastro-Coat is also beneficial before travelling.  Alternatively, Gastro-Coat can also be given as an oral paste, made with vegetable oil, within 5-10 minutes prior ridden work or travelling.

Gastro-Coat is specially formulated to help the stomach and small intestine in horses, which is often compromised by modern feeding methods, such as commercial, extruded or cooked sweetened feeds and molasses meals, lack of pasture access and reduced ability to graze constantly.

Gastro-Coat contains concentrated sources of important mucilage and phospholipid compounds which are present in the natural equine diet.  However, when grains are cooked, extruded or micronized to form commercial, ready-mixed steam-pelleted feeds or mueslis, these beneficial compounds are destroyed.  Gastro-Coat is highly recommended to add to cooked or commercial grain feeds in order to maintain naturally healthy gastric function.