These three horses live in the same environment, but they each have a different level of colic risk. Keep reading to find out why!
*Editor’s Note: Since this article was published, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) estimates that 700,000 horses will colic each year in the U.S.
Every Horse is at Risk for Colic
In fact, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) estimates that 900,000* horses will colic each year in the U.S. alone. Even worse, research has shown that many day-to-day barn events are proven to increase a horse’s risk of colic.
Luckily, there are ways you can help your horse, starting with educating yourself on the risk factors of colic and determining your horse’s risk. To find out your horse’s current colic risk and get smart tips on how you can help reduce it, visit SmartPak.com/ColicRiskQuiz
Colic Risk Factors Add Up Fast
There are many factors that can contribute to your horse’s colic risk, including his turnout, exercise schedule, diet, deworming program, and more. Read on to learn about some of the reasons that three horses living at the same barn can have three different colic risks.
Kodi
Factors that contribute to Kodi’s low colic risk:
- He spends less than five hours per day in a stall
- He doesn’t eat any grain
- He’s dewormed at least twice per year and receives regular fecal tests
Add it all up
Lack of turnout, high-grain diet, and failure to receive appropriate deworming are all proven colic risk factors that Kodi is lucky enough to avoid, thanks to good management.
Eden
Factors that contribute to Eden’s medium colic risk:
- She spends about 15 hours in her stall every day
- She’s been having trouble maintaining her weight, so her grain was just increased
Add it all up
Changing grain (type or amount) can increase a horse’s colic risk up to five times! Plus, Eden’s lack of turnout is also contributing to her higher colic risk.
Bosco
Factors that contribute to Bosco’s high colic risk:
- He just started a new training program, increasing his activity level significantly
- He just moved to this barn and the hay and grain are brand new to him
- He’s colicked before
Add it all up
Sudden changes in exercise or activity level have been shown to increase digestive disruption, and Bosco’s hay situation makes things even worse. Changing hay, including changing types or switching to a new cutting of the same type, can increase a horse’s colic risk 10 times! Plus, changes in grain can increase a horse’s risk up to five times! Finally, horses with a history of colic are four times more likely to colic again, which all adds up to a high colic risk for Bosco.
Now that you know some of the risk factors for colic, it’s time to learn what you can do to lower those risk factors! Read more on our blog ‘Lower Your Horse’s Colic Risk’.
Well this is good to know. All 4 of mine are ‘turned out’ all the time and only my senior gets grain so I would think they all have low risk! Very informative though!
What do you mean by “hanging hay”? Does feeding hay off the ground increase colic risk? I’ve never heard that before.
Catherine, I know from personal experience that my senior horse excpecially, has to eat from a feeder and not off the ground, because she she got sand colic once. But I think it depends where you live and what type of pasture your horses are in.
I wonder if that is a typo and it is meant to say “Changing hay” as the rest of the sentence talks about changes in feeds.
I buy the top of the line smartpak supplements for ulcers and colic. I have Geminii on Seminole performance safe which has no cereal products, only beat pulp, rice bran….and vitamins/minerals. He is turned out at least 20 hours a day and I exercise him in dressage ( open field) four to five a week. He still colicks. It’s mostly a lot of gas. Where this comes from…..I don’t know. Is it that he eat bad plants? I even have a wonderful hay feeder for him .
This horse is pampered. I give him messages, use Back on Track products. His father and grandfather had cilic issues too. Martini and Freun…something. He is a trehkner. So what am I overlooking?
Hi, I had a similar situation w my Westfalian mare. Finally we figured it was her teeth. She couldn’t chew well, inhaling hay. So I’d recommend finding equine professional dentist who works w your vet. I’m also letting her dunk her hay in a big water bucket.
We also have a super spoiled Trakehner & when we got him a couple years ago he was having gas colic issues. We put him on Integrity & a med. scoop of ground linseed meal (brown flax) to mix with his supps. Ground flax/linseed is great for skin,coat & digestion. We mix it with water until slightly soupy. Haven’t had any more colic issues. Since rice bran & flax expand & get compacted like clumping cat litter with moisture, it’s important to make sure it’s extremely wet. When he was having gas colic his vet had us give him Banamine paste to help relax his abdominal muscles & relieve pain so the gas could pass. Worked like a charm! Now I keep it on hand just in case.
I think “Hanging” is a typo for “Changing” — just left off the C. Threw me for a minute, too.
I live in San Diego. I give my horse a teaspoon of sea or Himalayan salt in her food daily, year round.. It keeps her drinking. She also gets 1/4 cup of black oil sunflower seeds, which keeps her regular and “moving”. She gets both of these with hay bites, Integrity senior and red flaky wheat bran in a warm, wet mash at night and hasn’t colicked in 4 years.
Our horses are out 24 / 7. There basic diet is good quality grass hay. They have access to fresh water at all times. Except for the pony who is on a “weight gain” regimen, the only grain they receive is a tiny scoop with their arthritis supplement. They have been on this regimen for over a year with no problems.
My only worry about colic with these horses is sudden change of temperature which can happen in this area: sudden extreme heat or sudden drop in temperature.
BTW, that’s not Bosco. Bosco is my giant mini who is a 10 hh sorrel bay. 🙂
If there are any signs a horse of any age is somewhat slow moving through, it gets a different feed, also , if it is a large horse needing more to keep weight on…Our big horse who runs in and out of his stall but in spite of a fly mask and sheet and spray, in quite a bit, gets equine senior, beet pulp, some oats, pellets and a small bit it of sweet feed, with probiotics, flax,u gard pellets, and other joint supplemts. A vital thing is that if we get any cooler weather or weather changes, he gets wheat bran when the weather changes they back off of water which is sure to cause colic. They all get it all winter and spring as well.Yes, too much bran can cause calcium phosphorous imbalance, but we have never had a problem with feeding it but we have lost horses to impacted guts…The horses also have lots of good quality hay..no impaction since the bran….and clean water. Less grain meaning sweet feed, is a huge plus.
My horse just presented with a “bad” colic last week. Throwing self down. Rushed him to the clinic and dx with colon displacement. Got better really quickly. He now has infection in his neck from IV. Did I mention that this horse is pampered and gets smart Pak supplements to ward against colic.
My horse had emergency colic surgery 4 1/2 years ago. He had strangulation colic. A fatty tumor tied his intestines shut. He lost 16 ft of small intestine. Since then he has had repeated bellyaches. I recently began feeding him smaller senior feed meals thru the day instead of two large meals. He has gone one month without a bellyache. He has been a hard keeper throughout this ordeal but I love him to pieces!