Horse World

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The most common equine health problem is colic.

There are several types of colic, some fatal.

Your horse will have a happier life if you can learn the preventative measures you can take to avoid colic.

Colic is not a disease or illness, it is a condition.

One cause (type) of colic is displacement. This is when the intestines shift into an unnatural position.

Torsion is when the intestines twist creating a blockage, which can be fatal unless surgery is done soon.

There is really no preventative measure to take for these two types of colic, they just happen. There may be an anatomical predisposition for these types of colic. Thankfully these two types of colic are rare.

Gastric distension can also be a fatal type of colic. This is when the horse consumes too much feed, too quickly. This causes his stomach to expand to the point of distention, which may cause the stomach to rupture.

The preventative measure for this type of colic is to always be sure that the horse is not given more feed than he can safely ingest at one time.

A horse cannot overeat with grass or hay because when they graze, they do so slowly and in such a manner that the horse’s digestive system can handle it. A preventative measure is to make sure that the horse cannot get into the grain or food bins.

Whenever a horse’s regular eating routine is disrupted it can lead to a form of indigestion or constipation.

How To Keep Your Horse’s digestive system healthy:

The bulk of your horse’s diet should be roughage, not grain. His digestive system will have difficulty digesting too much protein in the form of grains or pellets.

If you try to change your horse’s diet or feeding schedule your horse could develop digestive problems.

A horse that does not drink enough fresh clean water dehydrates and the digestive system will slow down. The waste products will not be able to pass through the intestines properly and constipation and colic will result.

A horse that is grazing is almost always moving. The horse is designed for movement. If a horse is in his stall too long his system will slow down and the result will be colic.

The horse will experience stress if you try to increase his training too fast to get ready for a show or race. A too intensive training period can stress the horse and cause colic.

A horse must be allowed to cool down after exercising before eating or drinking. After exercising limit his drinks to small amounts of warm water.

Intestinal parasites can cause colic. A horse should be gradually de-wormed if he has too many parasites it can create a blockage within the intestines if you try to kill too many at once.

Keep your horse calm and happy because stress can cause colic. Things that can cause colic are: transportation, change in ownership, and moving to a new location.

Pregnant mares are at a high risk for colic, before and shortly after giving birth.

Previous Articles By This Author

• Buying Your First Horse
• Equipment for Horses
• Basics of Horse Care
• Grooming your Horse
• The History of Horses