Preventing colic in horses

Feed a high fibre, forage-based diet. This could be fresh forage such as grass, or preserved forage including hay, haylage or short chopped fibre, such as chaff. Horses who need more than just forage, should have an assessment of their nutritional needs and given additional feed as required.

How this helps -This will make sure your horse’s gut has a regular supply of food to digest and encourage consistent, healthy motion throughout their digestive system.

Lush and excess grass, which often grows during times of rain followed by sun and warmer weather, can overwhelm the horse’s digestive tract and may lead to gas colic. If needed, your horse’s grass-intake can be managed by options such as using a grazing muzzle or strip grazing with electric fencing to reduce the amount being eaten.

How this helps - By controlling the rate which your horse eats lush grass, this allows the digestive system enough time to break down the food and reduces the risk of gas building up in their intestine.

Avoid horses eating directly from a sandy surface such as an arena for example, if pasture turnout is being restricted. Lift supplementary forage sources up from sandy ground for example, using haynets or hay feeders.

Avoid overgrazing pasture where horses are picking at very short grass close to the ground, particularly if the soil is sandy. This increases the risk of the horse eating sand and dirt with the grass.

How this helps - This helps prevent sand colic by decreasing the amount of sand and dirt particles horses may unintentionally eat with their forage.

Make sure plenty of clean, fresh water is easily available at all times. Horses may drink less if their water is unclean.

Consider environmental factors as horses will drink more in hot weather and when exercised. They may also drink less during colder weather and if sources are frozen.

How this helps – Drinking enough water helps make sure the digestive system remains healthy and hydrated, allowing the food content to move freely through the gut, which reduces the risk of impactions and blockages.

Make any changes to your horse’s diet gradually over 10-14 days.

How this helps -The horse’s gut contains billions of bacteria that take 10-14 days to adapt to new feed, and effectively digest it. This includes a new forage supply.

If concentrates, such as cereals, need to be fed to your horse, provide bucket feeds, low in starch and sugar, little and often.

How this helps - Concentrates are mainly broken down in the stomach. If fed in large quantities they can pass through the stomach undigested and begin to ferment in the intestine producing excess gas or causing blockages.

Do not feed horses grass cuttings, garden waste or human food.

How this helps - Horses are grazing animals and struggle to effectively digest large quantities of food that are eaten quickly. Use our Be Horse Aware signs on your field borders to advise passersby of the dangers related to feeding horses.

Make sure feeds that require soaking (e.g. sugar beet) are soaked following the feed company’s guidelines.

How this helps - Insufficiently soaked feeds can cause choke and will absorb the water it needs from within the digestive system. This can increase the risk of impaction colic.

Any changes in management should be done gradually over 10-14 days, including an increased time spent being stabled, moving pasture and introduction of new routines. Extra care should be taken for management changes to mares who have recently had a foal as they are at a higher risk of colic²

Stress and stereotypic behaviours can increase a horses chance of developing colic. Look out for the signs of stress and identify changes that can be made to support your horse. Enrichment can offer the horse a greater variety and choice and positively contribute towards their physical and mental needs.  

Horses that are suddenly moved onto box rest are at an increased risk of colic¹. There are steps that can be taken to help support a horse with this sudden change management.

If other people help care for your horse, ensure they have the information available to maintain your horse’s management and feeding routine. We recommend completing a daily care plan which can be shared with the relevant people. Research shows that horses with multiple people caring for them have an increased risk of colic¹.

Horses use their teeth to grind long stem fibre and begin digestion. If fibre isn’t reduced in length it can lead to impaction colic.

Have your horse’s teeth checked every 6-12 months by an equine vet or a qualified Equine Dental Technician, registered with the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians or category 2 members of The World Wide Association of Equine Dentistry. 

High worm burdens can cause significant damage to the horse’s digestive tract.

Protect your horse by following a testing-led approach, developed alongside your vet and make sure good pasture management is in place.

1. Curtis L., et al (2019) Risk factors for acute abdominal pain (colic) in the adult horse: A scoping review of risk factors, and a systematic review of the effect of management-related changes. PLoS One. 14(7):e0219307. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219307
2. Granot, N., et al., Surgical management of sand colic impactions in horses: a retrospective study of 41 cases. Australian Vet J, 2008. 86(10): p. 404-407.
3. Williams, S., et al. Water intake, faecal output and intestinal motility in horses moved from pasture to a stabled management regime with controlled exercise. Equine Vet J 2015. 47, p. 96-100.