Colic is a stressful and scary situation, indicating a painful problem in the horse’s abdomen, varying in severity and seriousness. Although colic is hard to predict and sometimes unavoidable, here are some steps you can take to help prevent colic.

1. Make sure your horses have 24 hour access to plenty of fresh, clean water. It is especially essential during the winter months, so you will need to install tank heaters or other methods of making sure the water doesn’t freeze.

2. Allow pasture turnout if at all possible or feed them their daily quantity in many smaller meals throughout the day. Horses were designed to graze continually for several hours and getting fed large quantities of hay and grain twice a day can take its toll on their digestive system. Do your best to allow your horse to eat as naturally as possible. Also be mindful of the type of hay you are feeding. Good quality grass hay is the best. Only supplement with alfalfa if your horse has a hard time keeping weight on or is in competition.

3. Avoid feeding in sandy areas as the horse may ingest large amounts of sand leading to a sand colic. You can buy and feed psyllium which will help prevent sand colic.

4. Feed grain and pellets only as necessary and make them as digestible as possible whether by soaking or spreading the feeding out throughout the day.

5. Horses teeth should be floated to ensure they are able to chew their food as best they can.

6. A regular deworming schedule helps keep a horse’s system clear from parasites that might cause them to colic.

There are some supplements, herbal and traditional that you can feed your horse to help aid in digestion and prevent colic. There are also herbal pastes you can buy to help your horse should he colic.

Ask your vet about supplements as well as more steps you can take to prevent colic and don’t hesitate to call them if you think your horse is colicking.

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“The canter is a cure for every evil.” – Benjamin Disraeli

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