Common causes of Horse Colic.
1.
Inadequate water intake Horses need gallons of water a day, often more than 8 gallons.
Depending on the grazing diet, exercise level and ambient temperature, you may need to raise the water supply considerably.
Plenty of fresh clean water.
2.
Onset of sudden feed changes It is vitally important to make changes in grain supplements, over a period of 7-10 days.
Care is needed,as many people do not know that hay can do just as much damage.
Even though you may feed the same kind of hay, hay grown in two different locations will have different levels of sugar, starch and protein.
Its important to know also the type of soil that you have on your land.
3.
Overfeeding on grain Most horses these days are fed way too much grain, out of convenience.
Grains are low in fiber and high in starch.
A horse has a limited ability to digest starch due to their digestive system which is designed to graze and digest grasses and plant material.
Any sugars and starches that are not digested from grain, end up in the bowel, where they can cause major problems.
Sugars and starches can create gas in bowel and bloating contributes to horse colic development.
4.
Inadequate worming program Worm infestation in horses are high on the list as a cause for horse colic.
That is why it is so important to set your horse on a regular worming schedule.
There are even companies on the internet that can help you with your worming schedule.
5.
Lack of exercise Regular exercise promotes intestinal mobility, as the horse moves, the bowel content gets broken up and mobilised.
Also a horse that exercises consumes more water to lubricate and rehydrate regularly, thus also helping the bowels.
A horse that is kept stalled all the time is an accident waiting to happen.
Horse colic is a preventable condition, one which has claimed many horses lives.
Our aim is to help horse owners become more aware of the resources available to them to improve equine health related matter such as horse colic.