Chewing at girth area undersaddle... symptom of ulcers?

[Duramax]

Has anyone ever seen a horse chew on their girth area (undersaddle) as a possible symptom of ulcers? I have been going through this with my guy who just started on omeprazole, but today met a different horse, at a different barn, with a different rider, with a different saddle, and a different girth (you get the picture!) that did the same thing. Both horses work for 10-15 min. and then when they stop reach around and chew on the skin at the girth. :confused: This horse had some other symptoms that made me think he might have ulcers but he's only the 2nd horse I've ever seen that has shown the chewing at the girth area...

[mypaintwattie]

could be ulcers, have you checked to see if the girth is pinching or changed to a fleece girth?

[Alibhai's Alibar]

Throwing another possibility out there: My old man used to turn toward the saddle and chew and make itchy faces whenever I rode in a wool saddle pad.

[Lieslot]

My boy does this too and uhm now you got me worried a tad.

Honestly I hadn't thought any of it, because he tries to scratch between or around the 2 leatherstraps between saddle & girth (dressage saddle) and this only to the right, so I thought skin itching, pinching. I sometimes just scratch there myself for him whilst under saddle and then he'll curl his lip in the same way as when he'd be grooming me, saying nice, scratch me more please. So hence I never thought much more of it.

What other symptoms make you wonder if he could be ulcery? Is he okay to be groomed, curried all over, good appetite, etc?