By Sarah Eaton, DVM, DACT

The word ‘colic’ makes every horse owner worry. Colic is abdominal pain and in horses can be caused by mild cramping to twisting of the intestines. While some types of colic (such as twisted intestines) can occur with no known cause, many cases of colic are due to management problems or changes and therefore can be prevented.

Horses are creatures of habit, and do not do well with changes in diet, water source, weather, and lifestyle.

Here are some of the main causes of colic in horses:

1.  Feed – horses need a mainly forage diet.  This means that most of the food they eat needs to be hay or grass.  A 1,000 pound horse needs 10-20 pounds of hay PER DAY for adequate nutrition.  Horses that are fed too much grain can develop higher acid levels in their stomach, extra gas, or abnormal cramping, all things that can cause colic.

2.  Water – like all animals, horses always need access to fresh, clean water. A 1000 pound horse that is just standing in a field will need to drink 6-8 gallons of water per day to stay hydrated. A good rule of thumb is to not ask your horse to drink out of anything that you would not yourself since horses do not like slimy water troughs either. When travelling, take some of your water from home in case your horse decides that the new water is not tasty.

3.  Weather changes – some horses do not adapt well to weather changes. High temperatures mean that a horse will need to drink MORE water to stay hydrated and not drinking that water can lead to an impaction, which is a blockage of feed in the intestine. Some horses will also drink less water when the weather gets cold or the barometric pressure changes. Finally, if the trough is in the middle of a big puddle and your horse doesn’t like to get his feet wet he may not cross it to get a drink!

4.  Parasites – worms inside a horse steal nutrients, making it harder for the horse to utilize its feed. In terms of colic, however parasites can be harmful in two different ways. First, large enough number of worms in the intestine will cause a physical blockage which does not allow feed to pass through. Second, certain worms like to attach to the main blood vessel that feeds the intestine. If this blood vessel becomes plugged, the intestines will die due to lack of nutrition from the blood.

Horses do best when their life does not change. Unfortunately, most horses have a job, either as a ranch horse, a trail horse, or a show horse.  Consistent management will help to minimize those chances of colic due to management changes.  Colic is an emergency; please call your veterinarian immediately if you think he is colicking!

Sarah Eaton, DVM, DACT

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