Colic Prevention

Management of your horse is the most important thing in minimizing your chances of colic.

Recognize the Signs of Colic

Signs of colic are related to signs of pain in your horse. You know your horse best, so you are well-able to judge what may be signs of colic. Below is “abnormal behavior” that is shown when a horse is colicking.

Besides those listed above, the following can also be signs of colic:

  • Restlessness/anxiety

  • Tail twitching

  • Bloated appearance

  • Dark red or purple gums

  • Retching neck

Handling the Colicky Horse

If you see your horse having colic signs, the first thing you should do is get them to a safe area where they will not be cast in their stall or able to injure you if they are trying to lay down. Check to see if your horse has passed any manure or see if the horse has drunk any water or finished any previous feed. Take your horse’s temperature. Check your horse’s gum color. Hand walk your horse for at least 30-45 minutes. Orally administer mineral oil with a dose syringe. You may even load your horse in a horse trailer and take him/her for a ride (this will usually make him nervous enough to pass manure, which is what you want). Call your vet if your horse is not showing signs of improvement and make sure to describe all the signs your horse is displaying, feed & water intake, manure color and consistency or lack of manure.

Tips to Prevent Colic

Routine Dental Care

Most horses require having their teeth floated every 6-12 months. Would you be chewing your food properly if your teeth were not meeting correctly, or maybe even cutting into your gums? Would you be doing your best work if you couldn’t eat efficiently and comfortably?

If your horse is not eating very well, or maybe dropping his/her food, this is a sign that his/her teeth may need to be worked on. If our equine cannot chew his/her food well enough, it may become impacted in the intestines. Make sure to have your horse’s teeth checked during regular spring and fall vaccinations.

Feeding Practices

Feeding good quality hay and grain, free of dust, mold and mildew is pertinent in preventing colic. It is best NOT TO FEED ROUND BALES—round bales tend to have more dust and mold inside the bales that can lead to colic and other health conditions. It is also very important to feed at regular intervals.

An ideal feeding schedule or your equine would be three to four smaller portions per day, rather than one or two bigger meals of hay and grain. Your horse’s ancestors grazed off the land continually and that is how their digestive system is set up to work- small amounts of food, frequently. Whenever you change your horse’s feed, it must be done gradually.

Free Choice Water

An adequate amount of clean water is important to maintain sufficient fluids in the horse’s digestive tract. The mature, idle horse requires 10-12 gallons of water each day (estimated for a horse that has shelter and for days that the temperature and humidity do not exceed a pleasant range).

Keep fresh clean water available to your equine at all times. Make provisions so that your water does not ice up in the wintertime (i.e. heated water buckets). Horses drink just as much water in the winter months as they do in the summer months.

Proper Cooling Out Period After a Workout

Do not allow your horse to drink ice cold water immediately after a workout. Use luke-warm water instead. It is equally important that you do not allow him/her to eat heavily immediately after work.

Hand walk your horse for 15-20 minutes after every workout. It is a good habit to get into and it will also allow you some valuable one-on-one time with your favorite four-legged animal.

Parasite Control

Make sure that you set up a regular deworming program for your horse, starting with fecal exams 1-2 times per year. See our Deworming Schedule or call our office for more information on fecal exams and proper deworming protocols.