Colic can be a very serious problem for horses; a few simple steps however can help to prevent colic from occurring at all.
Following a few guidelines will help to keep your horse’s digestive system in proper working order:
- Feed Often: A horse’s digestive system is designed for all day grazing and so feeding the horse as frequently as possible is the best situation. Horses should be let out to pasture as often as possible. Those that are kept mostly in a stall should be fed three times a day if possible. Two times a day is the absolute minimum of times a horse should be fed a day.
- Feed high quality hay: Horses need to eat a diet that consists mostly of hay, which stimulates the horse’s stomach, reducing the chance of colic. Horses should not be fed on the ground so that they don’t ingest too much dirt of sand, helping to prevent sand colic. Hay also needs to be of good quality and clear of all molds.
- Provide plenty of water: Keeping your horse well hydrated is another way to help prevent colic. Although you cannot force a horse to drink it is important to be sure that they have a constant supply of fresh clean water. In the winter this means making sure the water hasn’t frozen over. In the summer it is important to be sure the horse has cool enough water because horses will refuse to drink water that is too warm. If the horse does become dehydrated it is important to give them electrolytes. These can be given in paste form or mixed in with their grain.
- Provide plenty of exercise: horses need to be given some form of exercise because it helps to move things through their digestive systems. This is particularly important for horses that are stabled and not given enough time out in the pasture. Even if the horse gets only a simple thirty minute walk around the farm that will be helpful to their digestive system. Another important part of exercising your horse is making sure that the horse has a proper warm-up and cool down.
- Proper dental care: Horses that don’t have properly cared for teeth often develop points on their teeth that prevent them from chewing their food well enough before they swallow. Food that is not properly chewed can easily result in impaction colic. Impaction colic is very dangerous for the horse and can result in the necessity for surgery. Horse’s teeth should be checked twice a year to make sure that points are filed down.
Copyright Megan Worley. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Megan Worley - Megan Worley just recently graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor's degree in History and two Minors in Biology and ...
